ARIHANT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Modals
Grade: 10th Subject: English
Date: ………………. Notes & Worksheet

Modals • They hired a taxi lest they should miss the train.

May is used
Uses of Modals To express possibility:
• Sophia may turn up today.
Will is used • It may rain today.
To express the pure future: To express permission:
• You will see me at the mall. • You may go now.
• The Chairman will deliver the speech. • May I come in, Sir?
To express willingness, intention, promise, To express wish, faith, hope:
Determination • May God bless you!
• I will write the letter for you. (Promise) • May you live long!
• I will help you. (Willingness/Intention) To express a purpose:
• They will win the match. (Determination) • She is working hard so that she may win a
Note: will is never used with the first person in the scholarship.
interrogative.
Might (Past form of May) is used
Shall is used To express less possibility:
To express pure future: • She might come today.
• We shall overcome someday. • It might rain tonight.
• I shall help you. To express permission:
To ask for advice, suggestion, request etc. with • Might I raise a question?
the First person (I, We) in the interrogative:
• Shall I bring a cup of coffee for you? (Request) Can is used
• Shall I open the door? (Advice) To express permission:
• Shall we meet tomorrow? (Suggestion) • You can go now.
• He can stay here as long as he wishes.
Would (past form of will) is used To express possibility:
To express a habit: • This can be true.
• He would rise early in the morning and go for a • Anyone can make mistakes.
walk. To express ability or capacity:
• He would sit for hours reading this book. • I can climb this mountain.
To express a polite request: • Hritik can dance very well.
• Would you open the door, please?
• Would you mind standing here? Note: Can never indicates past time. In the sense
To express a wish, preference: of ability, the past and the future tense forms are
• I wish you would come with us. was/were able to and shall/will be able to:
• Would that (I wish) he were here. • He was not able to cross the road. (Past)
• I would rather have a coffee than milk. • I hope I shall be able to solve this problem.
• I would like to come with you. (Future)
To express an imaginary condition:
• I would do it, if I were allowed. Could (past form of can) is used
• I would buy a bike if I won a lottery. To express ability/capacity in the past:
• She could dance very well in the youth.
Should (Past form of shall) is used • I could give him an answer if he had asked me.
To express duty/obligation or advice or To express a polite request:
desirability: • Could I borrow your book?
• We should obey our parents. (Duty) • Could you wait for some time?
• You should exercise daily. (Advise) To express possibility under certain conditions:
Should often implies a mild suggestion or advice. • If we had money, we could buy a car.
It is milder form of must and ought to. • It could not be true.
To express purpose after lest (in expression of
fear):
Must is used
• Work hard, lest you should fail. To express obligation or duty:
• You must work hard. Marginal Auxiliary Verbs
• Soldiers must obey the orders of their officers.
• We must not cheat others. Need (not) is used
To express necessity or compulsion: Chiefly to show absence of necessity or
• The letter must be written today. compulsion in the negative or interrogative:
• She must do as I say. • The negative is formed by need not and the
To express emphatic advice or determination: interrogative by inversion.
• You must see a doctor at once. • He need not pay your fees right now.
• You must not leave before you finish your • Need I speak to him?
breakfast. It does not take‘s’ in the third person singular
To express assumption, conclusion/inference, present tense. Its past is had to in the affirmative,
Certainty/strong probability: need not have in the negative and need have in
• The Postmaster must be in his office at this time. the interrogative.
• She must be twenty one. • You need not have wasted your time in this
• He must have reached by now. useless activity.
Prohibition (Must not) • Need I have to see my doctor?
• Visitors must not park in the staff car parking.
Dare is used
In the negative and interrogative. The negative is
Ought (always followed by a ‘to’ infinitive) is used formed by dare not and the interrogative by
To express the subject’s obligation or duty: inversion.
• We ought to respect our parents. It does not take‘s’ in the third person singular
• We ought not to deceive anyone. present tense.
NOTE • I dare not kill this snake.
There is no external authority in ought as there is • How dare you come here?
in must which expresses the speaker’s authority. • Dare we interrupt him?
Must compels action on the part of the subject. Both dare and need can be used as main verbs.
Ought expresses duty, inner conscience, a Then they take‘s’ in the third person singular
sensible action or advice. It has the same sense present tense. They form their negative and
as should to give advice: interrogative with do and are followed by to
• You ought to mediate for mental peace. infinitive.
NOTE
Would, should, could, might, must, ought to before Used (to) is used
have refer to past. To express past habit:
• I used to carry a lunch box to school. (I don’t
carry now)
• I used to sing in my young age. (I don’t sing now)
To express the existence of something in the
past:
•There used to be a big mansion over here.

ARIHANT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Modals
Grade: 10th Subject: English
Date: ………………. Notes & Worksheet

Modals
1. Complete the slogan, by filling in the blank with the like.”
correct option. (a) may (b) can
When it gets really hot, rain _____ a blessing. (c) shall (d) should
(a) should be (b) will be
(c) must be (d) ought to be 11. He prayed that God _____ give me prosperity.
(a) must (b) could
2. Select the option that identifies the error and (c) should (d) might
supplies the correction for the opening line, from a
Terms and Conditions document. 12. Identify the error and supply the correction for the
Though all efforts have been made to ensure the following advertisement of an antivirus software.
accuracy of the content on this website, the same A properly installed and maintained antivirus program
could not be construed as a statement of law or used may wipe out any malware attack, be it a bot, a virus,
for any legal purposes. a Trojan or even ransomware.
Option No. Error Correction Use the given format for your response.
a) efforts effort
Error Correction
b) ensure ensuring
c) could should
d) of for 13. Read the given sentence from an article on Yoga.
Identify the error and supply the correction in the
Directions: In the following questions, sentences are sentence:
given with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate Yoga should help lower blood pressure, cholesterol,
and suitable Modal Auxiliary. Four alternatives are and blood sugar, all of which are not good for your
suggested for each question. Choose the correct heart and blood vessels.
alternative out of the four alternatives. Use the given format for your response.
3. I _____ rather die than join the gang of terrorists.
Error Correction
(a) could (b) should
(c) would (d) can
14. Read the given sentence from a science journal.
4. I _____ go on with the work, cause what may. Identify the error and supply the correction in the
(a) may (b) will sentence.
(c) shall (d) can ‘When nutrition therapy is provided by a qualified
professional, people could learn how to make better
5. You _____ tell the truth. food choices.’
(a) must (b) would Use the given format for your response.
(c) might (d) can
Error Correction
6._____ you post this letter for me, please?
(a) Must (b) Will 15. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply
(c) Shall (d) Need the correction.
The news I heard just now is so strange that you
7. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply could not believe it.
the correction. Use the given format for your response.
You could not disturb him during his work.
Use the given format for your response.
Error Correction
Error Correction

8. Fill in the blanks with correct modal.

i. He knew that he _____ (would/must) be able to reach
office in time.
ii. You _____ (dare/could) not enter my house again.
iii. I thought he _____ (should/would) be at school.
iv. Raman _____ (can/should) speak in two voices.
v. You _____ (should/can) have told me earlier.
9. Your sister is seriously injured. You _____ consult a
good doctor.
(a) can (b) would
(c) might (d) must

10. The teacher said to Hari, “you _____ go where you