Main characteristics

They are not complete verbs.

They alter or complete the meaning of the main verb;

They express ideas such as capacity, possibility, obligation,

permission, prohibition, probability, supposition, request, and desire.

We don’t use the to-infinitive after modals.

They do not take “s” for the third person singular.

Primary function: What the modal verb means directly

BASIC MEANING EXAMPLES

CAN / COULD Ability

MAY / MIGHT Permission

WILL / WOULD Prediction

SHALL AFTER I / WE Prediction

SHOULD / OUGHT TO Duty

MUST Total obligation

NEEDEN’T No abligation
Secondary function:
To express degrees of CERTAINTY or UNCERTAINTY

Very uncertain Almost certain

MIGHT MAY COULD CAN SHOULD OUGHT TO WOULD WILL MUST

Not SHALL
 MODALS DIFFER FROM 'BE',
as auxiliaries, 'HAVE', 'DO'
be/have/do have
only a grammatical CAN’T BE
function USED AS
INFINITIVES
HAVE A
MEANING OF
ITS OWN DEFECTIVE
DON’T USE TO-
VERBS INFINITIVE

DON’T HAVE
3RD PS
DON’T HAVE
-ING FORM
 MODALS AND RELATED VERBS
EXPRESSING ABILITY - PRESENT 'CAN' + VERB =
'CAN' + VERB =
NATURAL LEARNED ABILITY
ABILITY OR 'KNOW-HOW')

When we are drive, play, speak,

CAN and AM/IS/ARE commenting on sth understand indicate such verbs are
ABLE TO are that is happening at skills or learned generally used in the
generally the time of speaking abilities same way as the
interchangeable simple present tense
 'COULD' / WAS- WERE ABLE TO
COULD / WAS-
WERE ABLE TO CAN BE
NATURAL AND USED TO BE ABLE COULD and WAS INTERCHANGEABLE
LEARNED ABILITY TO to describe past ABLE TO occur after when we refer to the
IN THE PAST abilities reporting verbs acquisition of a skill
(not related to any after effort
specific event)
 'COULD' / WAS- WERE ABLE TO / MANAGED TO
We use WAS/WERE ABLE COULD can be used
TO or MANAGED TO when when we are asking
we are describing the about a specific
successful completion of a action
specific action. If an action was not
successfully
completed, we can use
COULDN’T.
 CAN/COULD' + VERBS OF PERCEPTION
CAN + SEE,
COULD + SEE,
HEAR, SMELL, when conveying the
HEAR, SMELL, with verbs
FEEL, etc.
FEEL, etc. suggesting idea 'beyond (my)
'understanding': control' (impossible):
grammatical
grammatical
function = the
function = the
present simple
past simple
 USES OF MODALS FOR OFFERS,
REQUESTS, SUGGESTIONS
THINGS AND
ACTIONS
SUBSTANCES

1. Offering things and substances 3. Making suggestions, inviting actions

2. Requests for things and substances 4. Requesting others to do things for you

5. Offering to do things for others

6. Suggestions that include the speaker

 COULD + CAN / CAN’T
'COULD' and CAN
NEVER HAVE +
'WOULD BE
PARTICIPLE
ABLE TO'
to express surprise,
'would never making guesses in conditional
anger, etc. in the
in the sense of be able to' or expressing sentences
present uncertainty
'would be able to'
about past action
 ABILITY IN TENSES OTHER THAN PRESENT AND PAST
the appropriate
forms of BE ALE TO, = capability /
MANAGE TO to possibility has the same
COULD effect in the
past
She'll be able to
CAN + BE + ADJ. or
join us for dinner
after her meeting
N = ‘is sometimes’ or
finishes. ‘is often’

I've been trying to

contact him, but I
haven't managed to.
Asking for permission TO EXPRESS PERMISSION AND PROHIBITION
/ responding:
Common
is the most responses with
CAN common and the modals
most informal.
is more when we are not
'hesitant' and sure permission + Of course - No, you
COULD
polite than can. will be granted you can/may. can't/may not.
is more formal,
MAY polite and
'respectful'
is the most
MIGHT hesitant, polite
and 'respectful'
 Granting and
Asking for permission Very polite
with 'CAN’T' and refusing
requests
'COULDN’T' permission

You may/may not carries

when we are Can/Could I (possibly)..? the authority of the
pressing for an Do you think I could/might..? speaker. = 'I (personally)
affirmative answer I wonder if I could/might...? give you permission'

Can't I stay out You can/can’t is

till midnight more general
(please)?
 PERMISSION/PROHIBITION IN OTHER TENSES
Conditionals with
COULD or
MAY and COULD
COULD HAVE
MUST
BE ALLOWED TO may imply
express past to show that
and the more formal 'would be permission was
BE PERMITTED TO 'permission in allowed to' given but not used
general'
I could have an
extra week's holiday
if I asked for it.
Mr James is in hospital
and hasn't been allowed You could have had
to have any visitors
an extra week's
holiday.
 'CAN/COULD' = 'AM/IS/ARE FREE TO':
We use CAN/COULD in the
PRESENT
sense of 'am/is/are free to' We must use WILL
to refer to the FUTURE BE ABLE TO to
describe future ability

The baby will be

able to stand up in
two weeks' time.
 MODALS ON A SCALE OF
VERB ‘BE’ or CERTAINTY VERB ‘BE’ or
any FULL VERB less certain than may any FULL VERB

COULD BE it's a certain fact, non-modal be CAN’T BE

less certain than may not

SHOULD BE COULDN’T BE

it's nearly certain

OUGHT TO BE MAY NOT BE
more 'tentative' than can't
MAY BE MIGHTN’T BE
it's possible, but uncertain

MIGHT BE doubtful possibility

We express certainty EXPRESSING DEDUCTION WITH
with BE or any FULL 'MUST BE' AND 'CAN'T BE',
VERB
CAN’T BE
MUST BE
PRIMARY SECONDARY
PRIMARY SECONDARY FUNCTION FUNCTION
FUNCTION FUNCTION
 USES OF MODALS FOR OFFERS,
REQUESTS, SUGGESTIONS
THINGS AND
ACTIONS
SUBSTANCES

1. Offering things and substances 3. Making suggestions, inviting actions

2. Requests for things and substances 4. Requesting others to do things for you

5. Offering to do things for others

6. Suggestions that include the speaker

 EXPRESSING WISHES WITH 'WISH',
We go one tense
we can express hypothetical back
- Can be followed by ‘TO’
wishes and desires with:
- Can be used like ‘want
to’ in FS to express an ‘it's (high) time’ and ‘it's about
the verb WISH:
immediate desire ‘IF ONLY’ time’ to express future wishes
often for sth that
often to and impatience that a course of
might happen
express longing action is overdue
or regret
It's about time you
started being more
responsible.

It's high time they

fixed that broken
fence.
 PRESENT REFERENCE: 'WISH/IF ONLY'
WITH 'BE' + COMPLEMENT
After ‘wish’ and ‘if only’ we may use

SIMPLE PAST OF ‘BE’ PAST CONTINUOUS

(present reference) (present reference)
 PRESENT: 'WISH/IF ONLY' +
VERBS OTHER THAN 'BE'

.
PAST REFERENCE
If only (not wish) will
also combine with the
be + complement verbs other than be
S present

If only he gets this job.

it will make a great
deal of difference.
 'WOULD' AND 'COULD' AFTER
'WISH' AND 'IF ONLY'
often functions like WOULD expresses
a polite imperative We must use willingness, COULD
COULD after ‘I’ expresses ability
and ‘We’
 THE POSITION OF 'ONLY' AFTER 'IF 'IT'S (HIGH) TIME' AND 'IT'S ABOUT TIME!

ONLY can be separated Are used with the past tense or the subjunctive
from IF and can be placed to refer to the present and future

- After BE If he was/were It's (high) time he It's about time he

only here now! was (or were) learnt to look after
taught a lesson himself
- Before the If I had only
past participle known!

- After the If you would

modal only try harder!

You should have

- In short come with us - I
responses wish/If only I had!
 EXPRESSING PREFERENCES WITH 'WOULD RATHER' AND
'WOULD SOONER
Would + rather/sooner
+ bare infinitive In - responses we Using "Far" or
can omit the "Much"
expresses personal or sb infinitive
else's preferences

The present The past Do you want to go

to the concert?
I'd rather not.
 'WOULD RATHER/SOONER' + CLAUSE
when we want to say what we would prefer
sb or sth else to do or to be different
Present or Future Preferences the past perfect with past reference

- preferences we use DIDN’T

- preferences we use HADN’T
 ‘NEED' AS A MODAL

‘Need’ + ‘Have’ + combined with negative adverbs

is mostly used in - statements
Past Participle (hardly, never, etc.) to make
and ? to express lack of
necessity or expectation negative statements.
to talk about past
unnecessary actions.
She need never
You needn't Need you leave
know the truth.
worry about it. already?

We needn't have
gone to the store.
 ADVISABILITY/NECESSITY: THE PRESENT AND FUTURE

SHOULD and OUGHT TO can be used Can refer to the future, especially
to express things that are advisable when combined with time words
or necessary right now. like tomorrow, this afternoon,
next week,
Present
Future
 ADVISABILITY/NECESSITY: THE PERFECT AND PAST
SHOULD HAVE and OUGHT TO HAVE HAD TO is used to talk about sth
are used to talk about past advice or that was necessary in the past and
regret. that was actually done

Perfect Past

She ought to have I should have left I had to leave He had to take the
studied harder for the London before 9, London before 9, train because the
exam, but she didn’t. but I didn’t and I did. bus was late

This construction shows Sth I had to do in the Past neccessity

regret or a missed past and actually did
opportunity.
 LACK OF NECESSITY

NEEDN’T + present infinitive DON’T HAVE TO

(present or future) = DON’T NEED TO
it isn’t necessary to do
means sth isn't necessary,
sth
but you can still choose to means you don’t need to do sth
do it if you want. (it’s not a requirement), but you
can still do it if you want.
 LACK OF NECESSITY
NEEDN’T + BARE
DIDN’T HAVE TO
PERFECT
DIDN’T NEED TO
INFINITIVE

It was nos necessary It was nos

to do sth necessary to do sth,
but it was done.
 INADVISABILITY / PROHIBITION (WHAT YOU
SHOULDN’T DO OR CAN’T DO)
SHOULDN’T Mild advice, not a good idea,
but not an absolute rule

Slightly stronger than shouldn't,

OUGHTN’T TO
sometimes used for rules or duties
Strong advice, with a hint of
HAD BETTER NOT
urgency or warning

AM/IS/ARE NOT TO Used in instructions or orders

Very strong prohibition,

CAN’T
almost like a law or rule

MUSTN’T The strongest form of prohibition,

meaning you must not do sth