Modals are auxiliary verbs used to form the tenses,moods,voices,etc.ofotherverbs.

Theyare
helping verbs that cannot be used on their own but to be used along with other main verbs
mainly to express attitudes.
1. Whensomethinghappens,theyformatenseofthemainverb.
Examples:

Ishallgo.
Hewasgoing

2. Theyexpresspermission,necessity,orpossibilitytodosomething.
Examples:

● They may go.

● Youmustgo.
● I can’t go.
● I might go.
● She would go if she could.

Observe the highlighted words in these sentences.

● Wecan makeour nationa superpowerbytheyear 2020.

● Kalamsaysthatweneedtodothingsourselves.Wemustnotimportequipment from
other nations.
● In twenty years, each one of us ought to have our destiny worked out.
AllthehighlightedwordsareModalAuxiliariesthatareusedwithanotherverb,and express the
mood of the speaker.
● ThemainMODALSare:can,could;may,might;shall,should;will,would;must; ought
to; need to; have to.
1. Must and have to:
● Must is used for all persons in the present and the future tenses.
● The negative is must not (mustn’t).
● The interrogative form is, must I?
● Musthasnoinfinitiveandnopasttense.Itisfollowedbytheinfinitivewithout ”to’The
negative modals are: couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t, mustn’t, needn’t, oughtn’t.
(i) Must is used to express obligation:

● Youmustobeyyourparents.
● Youmustgotoschoolintime.
(ii) Itisusedtoexpresscompulsion,e.orderingsomeonetodosomethingbecauseitis
necessary or important to do so:

● Youmustanswerallquestions.
● Youmustreturnbytheevening.

(iii) Itisusedforsayingthatsomethingisprobablytruebecausenothingelseseems
possible:

● Youmustbetiredafteryourlongjourney(inference).
● There must be some mistakes.

(iv) The negative form of must (must not) is used for prohibition:

● Youmustnotcomehere.
● Youmustnotusetheofficephoneforprivatecalls.

(v) It is used to give emphatic advice:

● She must consult a doctor at once.

Must and have to:

● Have to, like must, expresses obligation in the present while had to does so in
thepast.Mustexpressesanobligationimposedbythespeaker.Haveto/Hadto
expresses external obligations—an obligation by some authority or
circumstances.
● I must reach there in time (the speaker himself feels so).
 ● Youmustreachintime(orderedtodosobysomeexternalauthority).Youmust work
hard if you want to get good marks.

Had to is used when describing something belonging to the past.

● He had to go early to catch the train.

These two verbs have the following forms:

Have to and had to have alternative negative and interrogative forms:

For example:

Have you to obey his orders?

or

Do you have to obey his orders? Hadyoutoworkon

Sundays?
 or

Did you have to work on Sundays? Doyouhavetomind

your watch every day?

Did you have to pay customs duty on your watch?

2. Have to/Had to:

(i) Have to express obligation and necessity in the present. Had to does so in the past:

She has to look after her mother.

He had to finish his work before 5 p.m

(ii) Have to and had to are used for giving advice: Firstyouhaveto
mix the water and the sugar. She had to take those pills
to get better. (iii) Have to and had to are used to draw a
logical conclusion:

● There has to be some reason for his mischief.

● This has to be a part of the whole plan.

(iv) Havetoisusedforsuppositionortodescribesomethingbasedonpossibleideasor
situations:
 ● Youwillhavetoworkveryhardtostandfirst.
● If she has to choose, she won’t marry him.

(v) Have to is used to indicate that something is very important or necessary:

● Wehaveto bemorecarefulinthe future.

● Theywill have to clear all their debts before December.

3. Should:
(i) Shouldisthepasttenseofshall.Intheindirectformofspeech‘shall’changesinto should:

● I said, “I shall go to school tomorrow.”

● I said thatI should go to school the next day.

(ii) Shouldisusedtoexpressobligation,duty,etc.

● Youshouldlookafteryouroldparents.
● Youshouldpayallyourtaxes.

(iii) Should is used to give advice or suggestion:

● Youshouldconsultadoctor.
● She should do yoga exercises daily.
● He should learn Englishif he wants to get agood job.

(iv) Should is used to expresspurpose:

● Mohan walked fast sothat he should catch the train.

 ● Satish worked hardso that he should stand firstin the class.

(v) Should is used to state imaginaryresults:

● He should get angryif he had come to know about it.

(vi) Should is used to expresspolite requests:

● I should be thankful if you give me some money.

4. Need:

As a modal verb, need is usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to’:

Themodalverbneedismainlyusedinquestionsandnegatives,whichareformed without ‘do’:

NeedIgonow?Youneednotgo.

The negative need not is often shortened to needn’t in the conversation and informal
writing. Need does not change its form, so the third person singular of the present
tense doesnotendin’—s’:Heneednotgothere.Themodalverbneedhasnopasttense.But it
can be used in the pattern followed by a past participle: Need not have/needn’t
haveYou needn’t have waited for me. The negative and interrogative forms of
the past tense are: Did not (didn’t) need and did I need?In the present
and future tenses, the negative and interrogative can be formed in either of the
two ways:
(i) The negative need expresses absence of obligation:

● They need not send the letter now.

● Youneednotgo.(i.e.,Itisnotnecessaryforyoutogo).
● Heneed not come now.

(ii) Need is used to express obligation or necessity:

● Need I attend the class today?

● Need he solveall the sums?

(iii) Neednot+perfectinfinitiveisusedtoexpressanunnecessaryactionwhichwas
performed:

● Youneedn’thavegonetoseethedoctor.Hewasonleavetoday.
● Youneedn’thavecarriedanumbrellaasitwasnotraining.
Modals are auxiliary verbs used to form the tenses, moods, voices, etc. of other verbs.
Theyarehelpingverbsthatcannotbeusedontheirownbuttobeusedalongwithother main
verbs mainly to express attitudes.
1. Whensomethinghappens,theyformatenseofthemainverb.
Examples:
● I shall go.
● He was going
2. Theyexpresspermission,necessity,orpossibilitytodosomething.
Examples:
● They may go.
● Youmustgo.
 ● I can’t go.
● I might go.
● She would go if she could.

Observe the highlighted words in these sentences.

● Wecan makeour nationa superpowerbytheyear 2020.

● Kalamsaysthatweneedtodothingsourselves.Wemustnotimport
equipment from other nations.
● In twenty years, each one of us ought to have our destiny worked out.

AllthehighlightedwordsareModalAuxiliariesthatareusedwithanotherverb,and express the

mood of the speaker.

● ThemainMODALSare:can,could;may,might;shall,should;will,would; must;
ought to; need to; have to.
● Thenegativemodalsare:couldn’t,wouldn’t,shouldn’t,mustn’t,needn’t,
oughtn’t.

More Resources for CBSE Class 10

 ● NCERTSolutions
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10Science
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10Maths
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10Social
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10English
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10Hindi
● NCERTSolutionsforClass10Sanskrit
● NCERTSolutionsforClass 10Foundationof IT
● RD SharmaClass 10 Solutions

1. Must and have to:

● Must is used for all persons in the present and the future tenses.
● The negative is must not (mustn’t).
● The interrogative form is, must I?
● Musthasnoinfinitiveandnopasttense.Itisfollowedbytheinfinitive without
”to’.

(i) Must is used to express obligation:

● Youmustobeyyourparents.
● Youmustgotoschoolintime.
(ii) Itisusedtoexpresscompulsion,e.orderingsomeonetodosomethingbecauseitis
necessary or important to do so:

● Youmustanswerallquestions.
● Youmustreturnbytheevening.

(iii) Itisusedforsayingthatsomethingisprobablytruebecausenothingelseseems
possible:

● Youmustbetiredafteryourlongjourney(inference).
● There must be some mistakes.

(iv) The negative form of must (must not) is used for prohibition:

● Youmustnotcomehere.
● Youmustnotusetheofficephoneforprivatecalls.

(v) It is used to give emphatic advice:

 ● She must consult a doctor at once.
● Youmustworkhardifyouwanttogetgoodmarks.

YoucanmasterinEnglishGrammarofvariousclassesbyourarticleslikeTenses, Clauses,
Prepositions, Story writing, Unseen Passage, Notice Writing, etc.

Must and have to:

Have to, like must, expresses obligation in the present while had to does so in the past.
Mustexpressesanobligationimposedbythespeaker.Haveto/Hadtoexpresses external
obligations—an obligation by some authority or circumstances.

● I must reach there in time (the speaker himself feels so).

● Youmustreachintime(orderedtodosobysomeexternalauthority).

Had to is used when describing something belonging to the past.

● He had to go early to catch the train.

These two verbs have the following forms:
Have to and had to have alternative negative and interrogative forms:
For example:
Haveyoutoobeyhisorders? or
Do you have to obey his orders? Hadyoutoworkon
Sundays?
or
Did you have to work on Sundays? Doyouhavetomindyour
watch every day?
Did you have to pay customs duty on your watch?

YoucanmasterinEnglishGrammarofvariousclassesbyourarticleslikeTenses, Clauses,
Prepositions, Story writing, Unseen Passage, Notice Writing etc.

2. Have to/Had to:

(i) Have to express obligation and necessity in the present. Had to does so in the past:
 ● She has to look after her mother.
● He had to finish his work before 5 p.m.

(ii) Have to and had to are used for giving advice:

● First you have to mix the water and the sugar.

● She had to take those pills to get better.

(iii) Have to and had to are used to draw a logicalconclusion:

● There has to be some reason for his mischief.

● This has to be a part of the whole plan.

(iv) Havetoisusedforsuppositionortodescribesomethingbasedonpossibleideasor
situations:

● Youwillhavetoworkveryhardtostandfirst.
● If she has to choose, she won’t marry him.
(v) Have to is used to indicate that something is very important or necessary:

● Wehaveto bemorecarefulinthe future.

● Theywill have to clear all their debts before December.

3. Should:
(i) Shouldisthepasttenseofshall.Intheindirectformofspeech‘shall’changesinto should:

● I said, “I shall go to school tomorrow.”

● I said thatI should go to school the next day.

(ii) Shouldisusedtoexpressobligation,duty,etc.

● Youshouldlookafteryouroldparents.
● Youshouldpayallyourtaxes.

(iii) Should is used to give advice or suggestion:

 ● Youshouldconsultadoctor.
● She should do yoga exercises daily.
● He should learn Englishif he wants to get agood job.

(iv) Should is used to expresspurpose:

● Mohan walked fast sothat he should catch the train.

● Satish worked hardso that he should stand firstin the class.

(v) Should is used to state imaginaryresults:

● He should get angryif he had come to know about it.

(vi) Should is used to expresspolite requests:

● I should be thankful if you give me some money.

4. Need:
As a modal verb, need is usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to’:
Themodalverbneedismainlyusedinquestionsandnegatives,whichareformed without ‘do’:
NeedIgonow?Youneednotgo.

The negative need not is often shortened to needn’t in the conversation and informal
writing.Needdoesnotchangeitsform,sothethirdpersonsingularofthepresenttense does
not end in’ —s’ :
He need not go there.
Themodalverbneedhasnopasttense.Butitcanbeusedinthepatternfollowedbya past
participle:
Need not have/needn’t have
Youneedn’thavewaitedforme.
The negative and interrogative forms of the past tense are:
Did not (didn’t) need and did I need?
Inthepresentandfuturetenses,thenegativeandinterrogativecanbeformedineither of the
two ways:

(i) The nigtive need expresses absence of obligation:

● They need not send the letter now.

● Youneednotgo.(i.e.,Itisnotnecessaryforyoutogo).
● Heneed not come now.
(ii) Need is used to express obligation or necessity:

● Need I attend the class today?

● Need he solve all the sums?

(iii) Neednot+perfectinfinitiveisusedtoexpressanunnecessaryactionwhichwas
performed:

● Youneedn’thavegonetoseethedoctor.Hewasonleavetoday.
● Youneedn’thavecarriedanumbrellaasitwasnotraining.

5. Ought
Ought is usually followed by‘to’ and an infinitive:

● Yououghttotellthetruth.

It does not change its form so that the third person singular form does not end in ‘-s’:
 ● She ought to work a little harder.

It can be used as apresent, past, or future tense.

Thenegativeisoughtnot(oughtn’t)andtheinterrogativeisoughtI?,Oughtyou?, Ought
he?, etc:Ought I do it at once?

● He ought not disobey his teachers.

(i) Oughttoisusedforexpressingwhatistherightorsensiblethingtodo,ortheright way to

behave:

● Yououghttogetupearlier.
● Weoughttoexercisedaily.
● Teachersoughtnotsmokebeforestudents.

(ii) Ought to is used when we believe strongly or expect thatsomething will happen:

● The Indian team ought to win.

● Satish ought to pass.
● The meeting ought to have finished by2 o’clock.

(iii) Oughttosee/hear/meet,isusedforemphasisinghowgood,impressiveorunusual
something or someone is:

● Yououghttoseetheirnewhouse.
● Yououghttomeethiselderbrother.
(iv) Ought to have is used when we realise thatwe did not do the right thing in the past:

● Yououghttohavelistenedtomyadvice.
● She ought to have taken the money.

Ought, must, have to, and should

Note:Oughtisusedtoexpressthesubject’sobligationorduty.Butitindicatesneither the
speaker’s authority as with must nor an outside authority as with have to. The
speakerisonlyremindingthesubjectofhisduty.Besidesthis,heisgivingadviceor indicating a
correct or sensible action.

Ought can be used in exactly the same way as should:

● Yououghtto/shouldobeyyourparents.
● Have to and must:
● Youhavetoberegular.(Thesearetherules.)
● Youmustobeyyourteachers.(Thespeakerinsistsonit.)
● Youhavetotakethismedicine.(Thedoctorinsistsonit.)
● Youmusttakethismedicine.(ThespeakerinsistsonitorItisthespeaker’s
emphatic advice.)
● Youmustn’tdrinkthis,itispoison,(prohibition)
● Yououghtn’ttosmokesomuch.(Itisnotrightorsensible.)

Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals:

1. We…............................obey our teachers, (have to, must)

2. She….....................................pass thistime, (ought to, has to)
3. He….........................notbuyacar.(hasto,need)
4. He works hard lesthe….............................fail,(should, must)
5. Do you….............................cook your own meal? (should, have to)
6. The villagers….........................usekerosene lamps afew years ago. (must,
had to)
7. The oldlady….................take a bath every day before taking meals, (ought
to, should)
8. She…......................finish thiswork before I go. (has to, must)
 9. Ramesh said that they…..................reportfordutyonMonday,(should,
ought to)
10.We…......................................prepare our lessons well before the
examination. (ought to, must)

Answer:

1. must
2. ought to
3. need
4. should
5. have to
6. had to
7. should
8. must
9. should
10.ought to

Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals:

1. We…..........................pay attention to our studies, (ought to, should)

2. You…...................................notlitter the classroom, (should, could)
3. Italktoyouimmediately,(needto,oughtto)
4. They will…........................clear all the doubts before the starting of meeting,
(have to, had to)
5. He…..........................takethosemedicinestogetbetter,(hasto,hadto)
6. You….....................consult a physician, (should, ought to)
7. You…..........................exercisedaily,(oughtto,need)
8. They….....................notsendtheletternow.(need,would)
9. Sahil ran fast so that he…........................catchthe train, (should, needs)
10.You…...................................notusethe officephonefor privatecalls, (must,
have to