ENGLISH GRAMMAR HERE'S A LIST OF THE MODAL VERBS IN ENGLISH
can could may might will
would must shall should ought to MODALS ARE DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL VERBS • 1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular. • 2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?'). • 3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to'). P R O B A B I L I TY: • They can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability’. • For example:
• It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.
• I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train. • This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee! ABILITY • We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.
• For example: • She can speak six languages. • My grandfather could play golf very well. • I can't drive. O B L I G AT I O N A N D A D V I C E • We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.
• For example: • Children must do their homework. • We have to wear a uniform at work. • You should stop smoking. PERMISSION • We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed.
• For example: • Could I leave early today, please? • You may not use the car tonight. • Can we swim in the lake? HABITS • We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past.
• For example: • When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat. • John will always be late! MODAL ACTIVITIES • Ability - https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-of-ability-exercise- 1.html • Obligation - https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-of-obligation- exercise-1.html • Probability - https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-of-probability- exercise-1.html PA S T M O DA L S ( M O DA L P E R F E C T ) • The past modals 'could have + past participle', 'should have + past participle' and 'would have + past participle’ • These past modal verbs are all used hypothetically, to talk about things that didn't really happen in the past. C O U L D H AV E + PA S T PA R T I C I P L E • Something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it. I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early. • Something wasn't possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it. I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam (= it was impossible for me to have arrived any earlier). • When we want to make a guess about something that happened in the past. • Why is John late? He could /might have got stuck in traffic. He could / might have forgotten that we were meeting today. He could / might have overslept. S H O U L D H AV E + PA S T PA R T I C I P L E • Should have + past participle can mean something that would have been a good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like giving advice about the past when you say it to someone else, or regretting what you did or didn't do when you're talking about yourself.
• I should have studied harder! (= I didn't study very hard and so I failed the exam. I'm sorry about this now.) • I should have gone to bed early (= I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired). • I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (= I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't feel good.) W O U L D H AV E + PA S T PA R T I C I P L E • 1: Part of the third conditional. • If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy a car). • 2: Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or not (volition), we can also use would have + past participle to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third conditional, but we don't need an 'if clause’. • I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy. • (= I wanted to go to the party, but I didn't because I was busy. If I hadn't been so busy, I would have gone to the party.) MODAL PERFECT ACTIVITIES • https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/could-have-should-have-would-have- exercise-1.html
