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FCE Modal Verbs

The document discusses the uses of modal verbs in English. It explains that: 1) Can expresses ability, permission, and possibility, and is used for present circumstances. Could expresses the past tense and conditional forms of can. 2) Should expresses obligation or duty. Must and have to express obligation imposed by an external authority. Mustn't and can't express prohibition. 3) May and might express varying degrees of possibility or uncertainty, with might indicating greater uncertainty. Modal verbs like may have and must have are used to express speculation about past actions.

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449 views3 pages

FCE Modal Verbs

The document discusses the uses of modal verbs in English. It explains that: 1) Can expresses ability, permission, and possibility, and is used for present circumstances. Could expresses the past tense and conditional forms of can. 2) Should expresses obligation or duty. Must and have to express obligation imposed by an external authority. Mustn't and can't express prohibition. 3) May and might express varying degrees of possibility or uncertainty, with might indicating greater uncertainty. Modal verbs like may have and must have are used to express speculation about past actions.

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MRG 1D
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8th years 1st term

MODAL VERBS

CAN. It is used to express.


 PERMISSION. It is quite an informal way of expressing permission.
o – Can I go to the party?
o – Yes, you can.

 POSSIBILITY: It implies that something is possible because circumstances permit. Hen


you say that something “can” happen, it is because you are quite sure it will happen
(“puede que”).
o John can come tonight

 ABILITY: It implies the capacity of a person to do something. (“saber”).


o I can drive (Sé conducir)

CAN: for all persons in the present


CAN´T: negative
COULD: past and conditional
BE ABLE TO: supplies the missing tenses of can and provides an alternative form of it.

COULD: It is used to express:


 PERMISSION: It is a more formal way of expressing permission, more then ‘can’.
o Could you give me that pen, please?

 POSSIBILITY: It also expresses possibility but not as certain as the possibility expressed
by ‘can’.
o John could come today (I´m not completely sure)

 ABILITY: (in the past)


o I could swim when I was five.

COULDN´T: negative
COULD HAVE: It is used to express that there was a possibility for something to happen, but it
didn´t. Ex. A man answered the phone, but it couldn´t have been her husband because he is dead.

MAY. It is used to express:


 PERMISSION: It is a more polite and formal way of expressing permission. It expresses
the idea of ‘giving permission’, not ‘having permission’, so you can´t use it in the first
person (singular or plural).
o May I use your phone, please?

 POSSIBILITY. It is less certain than ‘can’ or ‘could’.


o John may come today (I´m not sure)
MIGHT:
 UNCERTAINTY: It expresses greater uncertainty. The speaker presupposes a negative
answer:
o John might come today. (I´m almost sure he won´t come, but there´s still a
possibility).

MAY/ MIGHT HAVE: They are used in speculations about past actions, we don´t know sure. Ex.
He might have gone.
MIGHT is used when the main verb is in a past tense. Ex. He thought that she might have gone.
MIGHT, not MAY, is used when the uncertainty no longer exists:
- You shouldn´t have drunk the wine, it may have been drugged (We don´t know yet if it
was drugged or not).
- You shouldn´t have drunk the wine, it might have been drugged. (We already know that it
wasn´t drugged).

MUST:
 OBLIGATION: It expresses an obligation imposed by an authority or the speaker.
o Officer to soldier: ‘You must leave this floor completely clean’.
 CERTAINTY/ DEDUCTION
o This is an enormous animal, it must weigh a ton.

MUSN´T:
 PROHIBITION: It implies a strong prohibition or an important advice.
o You mustn´t smoke here
o You musn´t leave this opportunity.

MUST HAVE: It is used for past actions deductions.


Ex. The prisioner must have escaped this way

HAVE TO:
 OBLIGATION: It expresses an external obligation imposed by the circumstances or another
person, not the speaker.
o (Two friends speaking): You have to be at your office at nine

DON´T HAVE TO:


 ABSENCE OF OBLIGATION: It is used when an external authority, not the speaker, is
involved:
o As he lives near, he doesn´t have to wake up to early.

NEEDN´T HAVE: There was no obligation, but the action was performed. Ex. You needn´t have
watered the flowers, it´s raining.
DIDN´T HAVE TO: no obligation and no action. Ex. I didn´t have to cut the grass.

SHOULD:
 It expresses the subject´s obligations or duties
o You should finish your work before going out.

SHOULD HAVE: It expresses that the subject didn´t or did realise an action which should or
shouldn´t have been realised. Ex. You should have studied before your exam.
Modals: Uses
Ability To know how to
o Can: Can you drive? Yes, I learnt three years ago. To be capable of
o Could: I could’t speak German before staying a year there. To be able to
o Be able to: Our baby will be able to walk in a few months

Obligation: It’s compulsory


o Must(Obligación impuesta por otra persona) It’s imperative
Officer to soldier:”You must leave this floor completely clean) You are required
o Have to (Obligación personal, rutinas) You are obligated
I have to sleep less and study more.
I have to get up at seven everyday.
Prohibition:
o Musn’t: You must not smoke in the whole building.
o Can’t: (Imposibilidad)
You can’t bathe in these waters because there are sharks.
Posibility, May= perhaps
o Can: Posibilidad segura porque las circunstancias lo permiten.
You can ski on these hills, there’s plenty of snow.
o May: quizá sí, quizá no…
John may come tonight. (quizá venga)
o Might: Es la incertidumbre total, la improbabilidad.
He might come tonight. (Es improbable)
Deduction:
o Must: Deducción en afirmativa.
You must be tired after your long journey
o Can’t: Deducción negative
That can’t be Sue, she’s in Brazil.

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