2. WHAT ARE
MODAL VERBS?
Don’t take s
Followed by bare inf.
Come before subject in questions
Followed by not in negation
Can, could
Should
May, might
Will, would
Must
3. Usages?
Obligation / Necessity/ Duty
(Must = Has to/Have to)
Negation: Mustn’t = Doesn’t have to/Don’t have to
Past: Must/ have to → Had to
Past Negation: Didn’t have to
Qs:
We ……… go now. We still have time.
Didn’t have to – doesn’t have to – must –don’t have to
He ………….. arrive on time but he couldn’t.
Must- had to- has to – doesn’t have to
It …………. be finished by tomorrow or you’ll be fired.
Had to – has to – must not
4. Usages
Ask for or Give Permission/ Prohibition
Can/ May = allowed
May is more formal
Can’t / Mustn’t= not allowed
Must is more powerful
Qs:
You ……………….. park here. This park is
private. (can – mustn’t – may)
………………. meet the manager, please?
(Can/ May/ Do I have to)
You ………………… enter now. They’ve a
private meeting. (may – can not – don’t have to)
5. Usages
Possibility:
Can + inf General situations
To lose weight, you can take exercises or eat a balanced diet
Could / May/ Might + inf Specific situations
You should study this lesson, it may be important.
In Qs: to ask about possibility:
Do you think he could / might fix it?
Do you think it can work?
We can’t use may in questions to ask about possibilities .
Qs:
To learn English well, you ………….. listen to songs.
(can – might – could )
To get ready for tomorrow exam, I ………. study model
exams. (might – can)
To arrive early, I …………… take a taxi.
(may/ can)
6. Usages
Possibilities:
Could/might / would + have + pp
was possible but didn’t happen
He might have succeeded if he studied.
Qs:
Mistakes:
He could arrive on time if he took a taxi.
She would has won if she trained harder.
They might be angry with you if you told them.
7. Usages
Ability/ inability
Present: Can
(am/ is/ are) able to
Future: will be able to
I can speak French. (will)
(not)
(able)
(not able)
Past: Could /could not
(was/were) able to
I could walk (not)
(able)
(not able)
8. Requests:
Can you call me later? Informal
Could you call Mr Jones for me, please? Formal
May I enter? Very formal
Responds:
Positive: Sure, of course , certainly
Negative: I’m sorry , but I can’t
I’m afraid not
9. Logical Assumptions/ Deductions
Present: must, may, can’t …etc + inf
Past: must, may, can’t … etc + have + pp
Must: sure
Present: She’s been working all day, so she must be tired now.
Past: She’s been working all week, so she must have been tired yesterday.
May/ might / could: not sure
Present: John is not at work today. He may/ might / could go home.
Past: John was not at work yesterday. He may/ might / could have gone home.
Can’t/ couldn’t : impossible
Present: He can’t be focused at the moment. He is so tired.
Past: He can’t have studied yesterday. He cannot answer any question.
Qs Time
