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Modal Verbs Table

The document provides a table summarizing the uses and forms of common modal verbs in English including: be supposed to, can/could, have to, have got to, had better, may, might, must, ought to, shall, and should. It lists their present/future and past forms as well as their common uses to indicate expectations, abilities, possibilities, necessities, advice, requests and more.

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229 views2 pages

Modal Verbs Table

The document provides a table summarizing the uses and forms of common modal verbs in English including: be supposed to, can/could, have to, have got to, had better, may, might, must, ought to, shall, and should. It lists their present/future and past forms as well as their common uses to indicate expectations, abilities, possibilities, necessities, advice, requests and more.

Uploaded by

Елена
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Modal Verbs Table

Modal USES Present / Future PAST

be
We are supposed tomeet We were supposed
supposed expectation
them here. tomeet here.
to

We were to meet them


be to strong expectation We are to meet them here.
here.

ability / possibility 
I can learn modal verbs online. I could jump high a few
can / could years ago but now
informal permission 
You can use my car Ican't.
Can - tomorrow. 
informal polite
Can't
request 
Can I borrow your book?
Could That can't have been
impossibility
Cats can't swim. true!
(negative only)

necessity  I had to go to class


I have to go to class today.
yesterday.
have to
I don't have to go to class
lack of necessity I didn't have to go to
today.
(negative) class yesterday.

have got I had to go to class


necessity I have got to go to class today
to yesterday.

had better strongly advised You had better be on time. (past form uncommon)

polite request  May I borrow your book? 


formal permission  You may leave the room.
may
less than 50% He may be at the school. He may have been at
certainty school.

less than 50% He might have been a


Might He might be at school.
certainty school.

must strong necessity  I must go to class today. I had to go to class


yesterday. 
You must not open that door.
prohibition
Mary isn't in class.
Shemust be sick.(present Mary must have
95% certainty only) beensick yesterday.

I ought to have studied


advisability  I ought to study tonight.
last night. 
ought to
She ought to have
80% certainty She ought to be at school
done well on the test.

ask another person's


Shall I invite them too? 
shall opinion (only used
Shall we dance?
with I or we)

You should have paid
advisability  I should study tonight 
your bills. 
should
He should have done
80% certainty He should be at school
well on the test.

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