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Modals Verbs and Requests

Modal verbs are used to change the meaning of verbs slightly by expressing conditions like ability, permission, or necessity. The most common modal verbs are can, may, might, could, should, would, will, and must. Modal verbs are placed before the main verb in the infinitive form without "to" and are used to indicate possibilities, abilities, requests, suggestions, commands, obligations, and habits.

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264 views5 pages

Modals Verbs and Requests

Modal verbs are used to change the meaning of verbs slightly by expressing conditions like ability, permission, or necessity. The most common modal verbs are can, may, might, could, should, would, will, and must. Modal verbs are placed before the main verb in the infinitive form without "to" and are used to indicate possibilities, abilities, requests, suggestions, commands, obligations, and habits.

Uploaded by

Jorgeluis Flores Mercado
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What are modal verbs?

Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as


advice, capability, or requests (there’s a full list in the next section). They’re
used alongside a main verb to change its meaning slightly. Because they’re
auxiliary verbs, they can’t necessarily be used on their own. (A modal verb
should only appear alone if it’s clear from context what the main verb is.) 

Consider the difference between these two examples: 

I swim every Tuesday. 

I can swim every Tuesday. 

The first example is a simple factual statement. The speaker participates in a


swimming activity every week on Tuesdays. 

The second example uses the modal verb can. Notice how the meaning
changes slightly. The speaker does not swim every Tuesday; they’re saying
they are capable of swimming every Tuesday if they need to. It’s hypothetical. 

Modal verbs are quite common in English, and you’ve probably seen them
hundreds of times without actually knowing their name. The most frequently
used ones are: 

 can

 may

 might

 could 

 should

 would

 will

 must

There are more modal verbs, although the ones above are the most common.
Some modal verbs are outdated and rarely used—like shall and ought to—
while others are more colloquial—such as got to, need to, or have to. Some
express very specific conditions that don’t come up often, like dare, for
example, “I dare say.” The phrase used to, as in “I used to be an English
student, too,” also behaves like a modal verb. 

Possibility

In situations when something is possible but not certain, use the modal
verbs could, may, or might. 

Judging by the clouds, it might rain today. 

She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever. 

Ability

The modal verb can shows whether or not the subject is able to do something,


such as perform an action or demonstrate an ability. Likewise, the negative
form, cannot or can’t, shows that the subject is unable to do something. 

She can speak three languages, but none of them well. 

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. 

Asking permission

If you want to ask permission to do something, start your question


with can, may, or could. Traditionally, in more formal and polite usage, may is
better for permission; if you ask “can I go to the bathroom?” it could be
misinterpreted as, “do I have the ability to go to the bathroom?” (However, in
modern usage may and can are both perfectly acceptable options when
describing possibility or permission.)

May I leave early today? 

Could I play too?

Request

Similarly, if you want to ask someone else to do something, start your question
with will, would, can, or could. 

Would you get that box off the top shelf? 

Will you turn that music down? 


Suggestion/advice

What if you want to recommend something, but not command it? If you’re giving
suggestions or advice without ordering someone around, you can use the
modal verb should. 

You should try the lasagna. 

That guy should wear less cologne. 

Command

On the other hand, if you want to command someone, use the modal
verbs must, have to, or need to. 

You must wash your hands before cooking. 

You need to be here before 8:00. 

Obligation or necessity

Modal verbs can express a necessary action, such as an obligation, duty, or


requirement. Likewise, the negative form expresses that an action
is not necessary. Use the same modal verbs as with commands: must, have
to, or need to. 

We have to wait for our boss to arrive before we open. 

You don’t need to come if you don’t want to. 

Habit

To show an ongoing or habitual action—something the subject does regularly—


you can use the modal verb would for the past tense and will for the present
and future. The phrase used to is also acceptable if you’re talking about a habit
that no longer exists. 

When I lived alone, I would fall asleep with music. 

I will arrive early and leave late to every meeting. 

How to use modal verbs (with examples)


Luckily, using modal verbs in a sentence is pretty simple. For basic sentences—
the simple present tense—just remember these rules: 

 Modal verbs always come directly before the main verb (except for questions).

 With modal verbs, use the infinitive form of the main verb without “to”.

So, if you want to brag about your ability to eat an entire pizza, you take the
infinitive form of “eat” without “to”—which is simply “eat”—and add the modal
verb “can” in front of it. The rest of the sentence continues as normal. 

Requests with “will” and “would”


How’s it going everyone?
Making requests in a language which is not your mother tongue can sometimes
be nerve wracking as you always want to make sure that you are polite when
making the request.
Don’t worry though! Today, we are going to be talking about a couple of ways
which you can make requests in English but still be polite. Using “will” to make
requests “Will” is the auxiliary verb for the future simple tense but can also be
used when requesting someone to do something.
It is important to bear in mind that “will” is a more casual way of making the
request than using the conditional. Examples:
Will you close the door, please?
Will you help me cook dinner, please?
Will he do his homework before we go out, please?
“Will” can also be used in a similar fashion to “can” when requesting someone
to do something.
Using “would” to make requests “Would” is the auxiliary verb in conditional but
may also be used when we make requests in English.
Unlike “will”, using “would” is a much more polite way to make your request to
someone in English. Examples:
Would you close the door, please?
Would you help me cook dinner, please?
Would he do his homework before we go out, please?
What is the best one to use?
You can obviously use “will” and “would” at your discretion, although it is much
more recommendable to use “would” when you are making request to people
who you are not familiar with. “Will” would be more with people who you have a
comfortable, common relationship with.

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