📌 Modals 📌

 To express permission, prohibition, obligation and no obligation we usually use modal verbs.

📌 Permission (CAN, MAY, COULD)

Can is often used to ask for and give permission.

1. Can I sit here?

2. You can use my car if you like.
3. Can I make a suggestion?

We can also use May and could to ask for and give permission but can is used more

often.

📌 Prohibition (the action of forbidding something) (CAN’T , MUSTN’T)

Both can’t and mustn’t are used to show that something is prohibited – it is not allowed.

1. You can’t park here, sir.

2. You can wear jeans but you can’t wear trainers in that bar.
3. You mustn’t speak when the teacher is speaking.

Can’t tell us that something is against the rules. Mustn’t is usually used when the obligation comes
from the person who is speaking.

📌 Obligation (a duty or commitment) (HAVE TO, MUST)

Have to and must are both used to express obligation. There is a slight difference between the way
they are used.

 Have to shows us that the obligation comes from somebody else. It’s a law or a rule and the
speaker can’t change it.
1. Do you have to wear a uniform at your school?
2. John can’t come because he has to work tomorrow.
3. In Britain you have to buy a TV licence every year.

 Must shows us that the obligation comes from the speaker. It isn’t a law or a rule.
1. I must call my dad tonight.
2. You must hand in your homework on Tuesday or your mark will be zero.
3. You must come and visit us the next time you come to London.

📌 No obligation

We use don’t have to show that there is no obligation. You can do something if you want to but it’s
not compulsory.
1. You don’t have to wear a tie in our office.
You can wear a tie if you want to but it’s OK if you don’t.
2. It’ll be nice if you do but you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.
3. You don’t have to dress up for the party.
Wear whatever you feel comfortable in.
 Auxiliaries, Modals and Main verbs
be, have and do can be auxiliaries(helping verbs) and main verbs. They have
grammatical functions and are used for forming tenses, questions, the passive, etc.

Modals are can, could, may, might, must, ought
to, shall, should, will, would and need (need can also be a main verb).

Examples:

 We can play football.

 We could play football.

 We may play football.

 We might play football.

 We must play football.

 We mustn't play football.

 We needn't play football.

 We ought to play football.

 We shall play football.

 We should play football.

 We will play football.
 We would play football.

  What to keep in mind when using modals

Explanation Sample sentences

Do not use modals for things which happen The sun rises in the east. - A modal
definitely. can't be used in this sentence.

They have no -s in the 3rd person singular. He can play football.

Explanation Sample sentences

Questions are formed without do/does/did. Can he speak Spanish?

It follows a main verb in its infinitive. They must read the book.

There are no past

He was allowed to watch the film.
forms (except could and would).

When you use the past participle you tell about

You should have told me.
things which did not happen in the past.

3. Long and contracted forms of modals

Affirmative Negative

Long forms Contracted forms Long forms Contracted forms

can -- cannot can't

could -- could not couldn't

may -- may not --

might -- might not --

ought to -- ought not to oughtn't to

 Affirmative Negative

Long forms Contracted forms Long forms Contracted forms

need -- need not needn't

shall 'll shall not shan't

should 'd should not shouldn't

will 'll will not won't

would 'd would not wouldn't

WHERE TO USE :

1. can

Use Examples

ability to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to

I can speak English.
be able to)

permission to do sth. in the present (substitute

Can I go to the cinema?
form: to be allowed to)

request Can you wait a moment, please?

 Use Examples

I can lend you my car till

offer
tomorrow.

Can we visit Grandma at the
suggestion
weekend?

possibility It can get very hot in Arizona.

when the auxiliary can is not grammatically possible

We often use to be able to or to be allowed to instead of can. We can only form the
Past of can (could). To put can into other tenses we need the phrases to be able
to or to be allowed to.

1. Affirmative sentences

Tense Modal Form

I am able to play football.

Simple Present I can play football.

I am allowed to play football.

I was able to play football.

Simple Past I could play football.

I was allowed to play football.

will-future not possible I will be able to play football.

 Tense Modal Form

I will be allowed to play football.

The modal auxiliary can is not grammatically possible in other tenses, too.

Here are some more examples:

 Present Perfect → I have been able to play football.

 Past Perfect → I had been able to play football.

 going to-future → I am going to be able to play football.

2. could

Use Examples

ability to do sth. in the past (substitute form: to

I could speak English.
be able to)

permission to do sth. in the past (substitute form:

I could go to the cinema.
to be allowed to)

polite question * Could I go to the cinema, please?

polite request * Could you wait a moment, please?

 Use Examples

I could lend you my car till

polite offer *
tomorrow.

Could we visit Grandma at the
polite suggestion *
weekend?

possibility * It could get very hot in Montana.

3. may

Use Examples

possibility It may rain today.

permission to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be May I go to the

allowed to) cinema?

polite suggestion May I help you?

4. might

Use Examples

possibility (less possible than may) * It might rain today.

hesitant offer * Might I help you?

5. must

Use Examples

force, necessity I must go to the supermarket today.

possibility You must be tired.

advice, recommendation You must see the new film with Brad Pitt.

6. must not/may not

Use Examples

You mustn't work on dad's computer.

prohibition (must is a little stronger)

You may not work on dad's computer.

7. need not

Use Examples

sth. is not I needn't go to the supermarket, we're going to the restaurant

necessary tonight.

8. ought to
similar to should – ought to sounds a little less subjective
 Use Examples

advice You ought to drive carefully in bad weather.

obligation You ought to switch off the light when you leave the room.

9. shall
used instead of will in the 1st person

Use Examples

suggestion Shall I carry your bag?

10. should

Use Examples

advice You should drive carefully in bad weather.

obligation You should switch off the light when you leave the room.

11. will

Use Examples

wish, request, demand, order (less polite

Will you please shut the door?
than would)
Use Examples

prediction, assumption I think it will rain on Friday.

promise I will stop smoking.

Can somebody drive me to the station? -

spontaneous decision
I will.

She's strange, she'll sit for hours without

habits
talking.

12. would

Use Examples

wish, request (more polite than will) Would you shut the door, please?

habits in the past Sometimes he would bring me some flowers.