Transcript Modals

Dragana Filipović
Verbs that can come before another verb and
add to the meaning of that verb.
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He plays the guitar.
He can play the guitar.
See that film.
You should see that film.
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WILL / WOULD
CAN / COULD
MAY / MIGHT
SHALL / SHOULD
OUGHT TO
MUST
HAVE TO
NEED
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A modal always has the same form.
 I must leave. He must leave.
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A modal is followed by the infinitive.
 I should know the answer but I don’t.
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Questions are formed by inverting the modal
and the subject.
 He can swim well. – Can he swim well?
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Negatives are formed by adding not (n’t).
 He couldn’t come with us because he was busy.
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Have to and need take –s in the 3rd person
singular:
 He has to go.
 Your hair needs to be cut. (passive full infinitive)
 Your hair needs cutting. (-ing form)
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Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive
without to, except for ought to and have to.
 Sorry, I can’t come.
 He might have phoned you when you were out.
 I have to meet Sally.
 You ought to see the performance.
Ability (in the present / future)
 Can / be able to
 Paul can swim fast.
 I can give you back the money next week. (usual)
 I will be able to give you back the money next
week. (less usual, more formal)
Ability (in the past)
 Could – for repeated actions and with the verbs
see, hear, smell, understand etc. for single actions
 She could play the violin when she was six. (repeated
action)
 I could smell something burning. (single action)
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Was able to – for either repeated or single
actions
 She was able to play the violin when she was six.
 I was able to go on a trip round the city last week.
(single action)
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Could / be able to can both be used in
negations and questions for either repeated
or single actions.
 She couldn’t / wasn’t able to pass her driving
test.
 Were you able to / Could you get to work
yesterday?
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Can is the Present Simple, could is the Past
Simple. For other tenses we use be able to.
He hasn’t been able to call them yet but he
can call them tomorrow.
Possibility (present or future)
 May / might / could + present infinitive
 Jim may / might / could pass the test this time.
 Where’s Ann? – She could be in the shopping mall.
Possibility (past)
 May / might / could + perfect infinitive
 John looks miserable. He may/might/could have
lost his job.
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Could + perfect infinitive is also used for
something which was possible but did not
actually happen.
 Don’t drive that fast! You could have killed that
boy. (Luckily, you didn’t kill him.)
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To express possibility in questions we don’t
use may. We use: Can he? Could he? Is he
likely to? Might he?
Probability
 Ought to / should + present infinitive
(something is probable now or in the future)
 Laura ought to / should pass the exam. (= She
will probably pass it.)
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Ought to / should + perfect infinitive
(something that we expected to happen but
we don’t know if it happened or not)
 Has Sue phoned yet? She ought to / should have
phoned an hour ago.
Logical assumptions
 Can’t / couldn’t + present infinitive (= I don’t
think; It’s logically improbable)
 She can’t be rich. Her house is too small.
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Must + present infinitive (= I think; I’m fairly
sure; It’s logically probable)
 His face is red. He must be angry.
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Can’t is the opposite of must.
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Can’t / couldn’t + perfect infinitive (= It’s
impossible that something happened in the
past)
 She can’t / couldn’t have lied to us. She always
tells the truth.
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Must + perfect infinitive (= It’s very probable
that something happened in the past.)
 I didn’t hear the phone. I must have been asleep.
Asking for permission
 Can (informal) / Could (more polite)
 May (formal) / Might (more formal)
 Can / Could I interrupt you for a second?
 May / Might I speak to the manager, please?
Giving or refusing permission
 Can (informal)
 Can (Could) I use your phone? – Of course you can.
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May (formal)
 Luggage may be left here.
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Mustn’t / can’t (informal – refusing)
 I’m afraid you mustn’t / can’t smoke in here.
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May not (formal)
You may not smoke in this building.
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Can / be allowed to (the future or present)
 Students are allowed to / can use the gym free of
charge.
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Could (about the past – for repeated actions)
Was/were allowed to (about the past, both
repeated and single actions)
 I could always / I was always allowed to stay in the
gym after school.
 The reporter was allowed to take a photo of
Madonna. (single action)
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Couldn’t / wasn’t allowed to (in negations)
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Can you help me, please? (informal)
Will you get me my slippers, please?
(familiar)
Could you make me some tea? (polite)
May I have a glass of water? (formal)
Would you post this letter for me? (more
polite and formal than ‘Could you’)
Would you mind closing the window? (more
formal)
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I’ll post this letter for you if you like.
Shall I help you with your luggage?
Would you like some more tea?
Shall we go out for a walk?
We can / could go to the cinema, if you like.
Let’s go out for a walk.
How / What about going to the park?
Why don’t we go out for a walk?
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Should / ought to + present infinitive (it’s the
best thing to do)
 You should stop smoking.
 You ought to treat animals kindly.
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Shall I? (asking for advice)
 Shall I tell him the truth?
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Should / ought to + perfect infinitive (about the
past)
 You shouldn’t have been rude to your sister
yesterday.
 You oughtn’t to have started smoking.
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Must / have to (= It’s necessary)
Must is used only for the present and future
when the speakers decides.
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I must lose some weight. (It’s my decision.)
Have to is used when the necessity comes
from outside the speaker.
 I have to lose some weight. The doctor says so.
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Had to is used in the past.
 I had to go to work early yesterday.
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Have got to (more informal, used for
obligation on a single occasion)
 I’ve got to go.
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Ought to (duty; it’s the right thing to do)
 We ought to respect the environment.
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Need (it’s necessary) is followed by a passive
full infinitive or an –ing form, and takes –s in
the 3rd person singular)
 The door needs to be mended.
 The door needs mending.
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Needn’t + bare present infinitive / don’t
have to / don’t need to (it’s not necessary in
the present or future)
 You needn’t take a jacket. It’s warm.
 You don’t have to / don’t need to take a jacket.
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Didn’t need to / didn’t have to (it wasn’t
necessary in the past and we may not know if
the action happened or not)
 He didn’t need/have to buy any milk. There was a
lot in the fridge. (I don’t know if he bought any.)
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Needn’t + bare perfect infinitive (We know
that something happened in the past
although it was not necessary.)
 She needn’t have bought any milk. There was a
lot in the fridge. (I know she bough some milk but
there was no need.)
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Mustn’t (= it’s forbidden)
 You mustn’t smoke in the office.
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Can’t (= you are not allowed to)
 You can’t wait here.
NOW LET´S PRACTICE!!
Rewrite each sentence without changing the meaning.
a) You didn´t study at all. Bad mistake!
You SHOULD HAVE STUDIED.
b) Did you manage to find the keys?
Were __________________________________
c) It wasn't necessary to get up so early in the end.
I didn't ________________________________
d) Perhaps Leannne forgot our date.
Leanne might ______________________________
e) It was possible for you to have got lost.
You could ______________________________
f) It would have been a good idea not to trust him.
You should ___________________________
g) Smoking in class is prohibited.
You mustn´t _____________________________
h) Mum went shopping but it wasn´t necessary.
Mum needn't __________________________
i) It would be better to tell him.
You ought ____________________________
j) I´m sure they aren´t at home. All the lights are off.
They can't _____________________________
Replace the words in italics with appropriate modal verbs. Add any
other necessary words.
“Wonderful, it´s Sunday and (a) not necessary for me to get up
at 7 o´clock. (b) I´ll possibly stay in bed a bit longer although I
think the children (c) are probably awake now and I´ll (d) be
obliged to get their breakfast soon. They refuse to make it for
themselves. I’d better get up immediately because (e) perhaps
they will wreck the house. However, it is still very early and
they (f) are probably not very hungry yet. (g) It would have
been a good idea if I had put out the cornflakes and milk
yesterday evening. But all this thinking and not acting is really
silly! (h) It´s really necessary for me to get up this minute. Now
where are my bedroom slippers? That damn dog (i) has probably
hidden them again! (j) It would be a good idea for us to train it
better, but I suppose we (k) weren´t obliged to buy it in the
first place, and after all, it´s only a puppy.
Oh, I’d forgotten! (l) It´s just possible that Alan will be back
from his business trip today - marvellous! One adult isn´t
enough to look after four children, a puppy, and three goldfish!
Why (m) did he refuse to take me with him? (n) It was possible
for us to get his mother to come and look after the children.
Never again!”
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KEY to exercise 1
b. were you able to find the keys?
c. I didn´t have to get up so early.
d. Leanne might have forgotten our date.
e. You could have got lost.
f. You should not have trusted him.
g. You mustn´t smoke in class.
h. Mum needn´t have gone shopping.
i. You ought to tell him.
j. They can´t be at home. The lights are off.
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KEY to exercise 2
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a. I NEEDN’T
b. I MIGHT STAY
c. MAY BE
d. HAVE TO
e. THEY MIGHT
f. CAN’T BE
g. I SHOULD HAVE
h. I MUST
i. MUST HAVE
j. WE SHOULD
k. DIDN’T HAVE TO
l. ALAN MAY BE
m. COULDN’T HE
n. WE COULD HAVE GOT