USING MODALS IN SENTENCES

Modals are used to add flavour or meaning to verbs.

can Used for present present possibility / future possibility
could Used for things that are absolutely necessary, such as laws, rules or requirements

could not Means something is prohibited

may Used to make a statement less certain
will Used to make a statement about the past sound less certain
should Used to soften opinions that a reader might challenge
must Means something is not necessary
have to Used for giving advice (a suggestion) / expressing expectation
must not Used to express lack of ability in the past
would Used to indicate an assumption about something
do / does / did not have to Used for present ability
can, could, may, might Used to express an unanticipated action in the past
was / were not able to Used for sth necessary: rules and requirements / obligations
was / were not supposed to Used for past ability / present or future possibility
could, may, might + have v3 Used to say sb or sth was not able to do sth, or that sth was not possible in the past
must not have + v3 Used to state strong predictions or strong assertions

1. Marketing experts think that a restaurant in a department store could attract more shoppes. (future
possibility / present possibility)
2. People who live in an earthquake zone should keep an emergency supply kit. (requirement / advice)
3. Until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, East Germans could not travel freely. (not necessary / no past ability)
4. In the Arctic Ocean, whales sometimes have to break through the ice to breathe. (requirement / present possibility)
5. Psychologists know that our body language can show our emotions. (present ability / future possibility)
6. Once the security system is turned on, the user must not open the door. (not necessary / prohibition)
7. In order for a couple to get married in the United States, they must have a marriage license. (law / ability)
8. According to astronomers, Halley's comet should be visible from Earth in 2062. (expectation / possibility)
9. Without certain plants for food, many animals may not adapt to climate change. (possibility / impossibility)
10. Without oxygen, humans could not live on Mars. (possibility / impossibility)
11. Many employers say telecommuting more than twice a week (would not be / would be not) a good
12. Most people surveyed said politicians (should be always / should always be) honest.
13. Humans landing on Mars (might not / might to not) be possible now, but it is likely to happen eventually.
14. Cars in the United States (did not have to / had not to) have seatbelts until 1968
15. A large increase in the price of gas (might result / might be result) in fewer cars on the highways.
16. Meditation (can help often / can often help) reduce anxiety.
17. Teachers (should to use / should use) some games in the classroom because they (can / can to) help
some students learn faster and more effectively.
18. People with diabetes are (not supposed to / supposed not to) eat sugar.
19. Many people think that elementary schools (should / may) provide more instruction on the dangers of tobacco.
20. Early cell phone batteries lasted longer than smartphone batteries. You (were not supposed to / did
not have to) charge them every day.
21. People are living longer these days. More people (could / should) live to be over 100 in the future.
22. Early cell phones (were not able to / must not) connect to the Internet.
23. After the government passes the new carbon emission laws, all businesses (can / will have to) pay
fines if they (cannot / must not) stay within the new limits.
24. I believe that students (should not / could not) wait until middle school to study a foreign language.

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25. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people who lost their homes (had to / could) move to temporary housing
outside of New Orleans.
26. After getting a speeding ticket, you (could / must) pay a fine within a specified amount of time.
27. We might / must / should have taken off our shoes before we entered their house. Unfortunately, we
didn’t know this is a custom in that country.
28. We don't have to / had better not / must not be on time for the party. Many people are usually thirty
minutes late.
29. You must not / don’t have to / might not smoke in restaurants in this country. It’s a law here.
30. Ought to / Should / Shall he bring a gift back for his co-workers from his vacation?
31. Women are to / are allowed to / are supposed to drive in America. In some other countries, they can’t drive.
32. The etiquette in Korea is to bring a gift when you visit a person’s house for the first time. You could /
must / have to bring a box of fruits.
33. Lisa has got to / might / is supposed to stop coming to our meetings so late. Her bad habit is affecting our
group project.
34. A study determined that popular Wikipedia pages ______________ be as accurate as an encyclopaedia
because hundreds or even thousands of readers have checked and edited them.
a. should not b. must not c. may d. will not
35. Effective advertisements ____________________________ inform and educate as well as be memorable.
a. might b. could c. may not d. should
36. Pablo Picasso _______________________ finish his art school entrance examination in only one day, although
he had one month to complete it.
a. was able to b. did not have to c. could to d. must not
37. Sleep experts say that people ________________ sleepwalkers up, as it can cause them to feel confused and
disoriented. It is best to simply lead them back to bed
a. should not wake b. not should wake c. should do not wake d. do not should wake
38. According to new brain imaging studies, intense exercise __________________ help people who suffer from
some forms of depression.
a. might b. might be able c. might able d. might have
39. It is estimated that by 2025, Tokyo ___________ a population of roughly 40 million people.
a. could to have b. must have c. will have d. maybe has
40. A shortage of trained pilots ____________________ cause some smaller airlines to cut flights and reduce
service to smaller airports.
a. should b. might be c. will maybe d. could soon
41. Some people say that the extensive flood damage following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 ___________
prevented if the flood walls had been double-checked.
a. was supposed to be b. might have been c. might be d. was able to be
42. The World Health Organization recommends that healthy adults __________________ eat less than 2,000
mg of sodium and at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day.
a. should b. would c. will d. maybe
43. Various studies tried to show that ancient people _________ blue as a distinct colour, separate from green.
a. should not have seen b. did not have to see c. were not able to see d. will see
44. When I lived in China, I _____ how to use chopsticks. Now, I use them really well.
A had to learn B have got to learn C must have learned D should have learned
45. I can’t believe he quit without giving any notice. He _____________ have told the boss that he was leaving
two weeks in advance.
A must B would C may D should
46. I _________ do a lot of group classwork activities in my English language classes in America. We always
did individual work in class in my country.
A could B should C have to D ought to
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47. I ________ copy information without paraphrasing in my writing classes. If my teacher finds out that I
plagiarized, there will be big consequences.
A mustn’t B don’t have to C had better not D am not allowed to
48. In Thailand, you ______ touch the top of people’s heads because it’s considered very rude.
A mustn’t B don’t have to C couldn’t D had better not
can could did not have to has to may have have to were able to will must not were not supposed to
1. This paper ______________________ examine the life of Malcolm X, an American civil rights leader in the
1960s.
2. King Tut's mother __________________________ been one of his father's sisters. Researchers are not
completely sure. The evidence ___________________________ more definitively prove this theory.
3. Recent surveys show that high school __________________________ often be very stressful for students.
Students ___________________________ learn to let go of the stress. They _________________________ be afraid to
talk to a counsellor if their stress becomes unbearable.
4. Laptops started becoming mainstream in the 1990s, giving rise to increased mobility. An office worker
________________________ work in an office anymore. The laptop meant that a person _______________________
work anywhere.
5. Although some of the children in the 2002 study did eat the sweets, they ________________________. Some of
them _______________________________ control their impulses better than others.
ought to must am supposed to shall be allowed to should have to
Jon: When you travel to another country, you (1) ____________________________ bring your passport. If you
don’t, you won’t (2) ____________________________ enter the country.
Mike: Really? My brother didn’t (3) ___________________________ bring a passport when he went to Puerto Rico.
Jon: Puerto Rico is considered an American territory, so it’s not necessary for Americans to bring a passport.
Mike: I didn’t know that! I don’t have a passport yet. (4) ____________________________ I try to get one today?
Jon: Absolutely!
Mike: Okay, I (5) ____________________________ meet my girlfriend, but I guess I will cancel the date!
My dad got angry with me for upsetting my mom tonight. He said she was about to call the police because
I was late. At first, I thought that she was overreacting because I was only a couple of hours late. But my
dad told me that they had just seen a news report about a missing woman. Then I understood how she
felt—she (1) had to / might / could have been worried sick! I would have called, but I (2) may / could /
have got to not have imagined that she would get so worried. Next time, I’ll (3) must / might / have to
call if I’m not going to be home on time.
But I also need to tell her how it bothers me that she worries so much about me, even though she (4) might
not / should not / must not understand. Moms always worry. It's difficult to find a good time to talk
because of our busy schedules, but both of us (5) must be / could be / should be home tomorrow evening.
I'll try to talk to her then.
1. A: The detectives say they’re not sure where the debris came from, but that it _____ have been from the bomb.
B: Well, I hope they know more about the explosion soon.
A must B could not C may D might not
2. A: I don’t think Columbus ___________ have been the first European to go to America. There is so much
evidence to suggest that the Vikings were the first ones there.
B: I completely agree. But his voyage certainly had the biggest impact on world history.
A will B must C could D might
3. A: Who do you think is going to win the championship this year?
B: Hmm, good question. The Barracudas ________ win because they have some of the best players in the league.
A may B must C could D should
4. A: Where’s Adam? He was supposed to be here by now.
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 B: He ________________ be stuck in traffic.
A may B must C should D ought to
5. A: Wow! You are at least three days ahead of schedule on that project. Are you almost done?
B: Just about. I ________________ be done by the end of the day at the latest.
A may B must C should D have got to
6. A: I left my cell phone at work. I remember having it on my desk, but I ______________ have forgotten to
put it back in my bag because it’s not here now.
B: That’s the worst. Can you go back to work to get it?
A should B might C may D must
7. A: Hiro has reached his final destination. He’s going to spend the night there before returning home.
B: That’s great news! He _________________ be home soon.
A ought to B has to C might D should
be able / speak can / bring have better / get up might / go must / see not need / say shall / carry suppose / stay
1. A: I’m going to say goodbye to them tomorrow morning before they leave.
B: I think you should do it now. They ________________________________________ when you wake up.
2. A: Where have you been? You ________________________________________in bed for as long as you can.
B: Oh, I just wanted to go for a stroll. I’m feeling much better now. Don’t worry.
3. A: Thanks for the lift. I really appreciate the gesture.
B: You really _________________________________ that. You’d have done the same for me.
4. A: Your Polish has improved a lot since the last time we talked.
B: I hope it has. I remember only _____________________________________ a few words the last time I saw you.
5. A: Oh no! I left my bag at work.
B: It’s a pity you didn’t realize sooner. I ________________________________________ it home for you.
should(n’t) have, could(n’t) have, or would(n’t) have
1. We _______________________________ (lose) the match. We played better and had most of the chances. We
were so unlucky!
2. I ________________________________ (go) to the match if I had known that five of our best players were injured.
3. You had so many different options. You _______________________________ (choose) to play tennis or golf, for
example. So, why did you choose boxing?
4. That was a really bad decision. You ________________________________ (decide) to give up playing badminton
when you did.
5. I’ve been waiting for an hour. You _________________________ (phone) and told me you were going to be late.
6. Patrick _______________________ (leave) the party early without me. I’m angry with him. Why did he do that?
7. Driving so fast without a helmet was a stupid thing to do. You ________________________________ (be killed).
8. What _____________________________________ (you / do) if you’d missed the plane?
must have + past participle; must+ bare infinitive; must be+ -ing; or must have (had) to
1. When I left my laptop on the train, I thought I'd never see it again. But someone __________________________
it and handed it into the lost property office. (find)
2. Luisa owns a big car and a yacht. She ________________________________________ incredibly rich. (be)
3. Without things like washing machines and dishwashers our grandparents _________________________________
much harder in the kitchen than we do today. (work)
4. I didn't think Rob was coming to the meeting. He ________________________________________ his mind. (change)
5. A: I wonder how you get past security.
B: I suppose you _________________________________________________ some form of ID. (show)
6. A: I thought Paul would be home.
B: He __________________________________ Lotta to work. He said he would. (take)
7. Matt wasn't at home when I went round. He ___________________________________ to go out unexpectedly.
8. I was wrong about the meeting being today. It ______________________________________ next Friday. (happen)
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