MODALS

Identify the modal verbs in the following sentences and signify their
purpose.

1. I can speak a little Russian.

2. Can I open the window?
3. I may be home late.
4. May I sit down please?
5. I must go now.
6. She must be over 90 years old?
7. You should stop smoking.
8. I couldn’t walk until I was 4 years old.
9. Would you like a cup of tea?
10. He had to finish his work before 5 pm.
What are Modals?
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are
special verbs that are different from normal verbs which behave irregularly in
English. They are different from normal verbs like “work, play, visit, etc.” They are
never used alone and are always followed by a principal verb (without ‘to). They
provide additional information about the principal verb. They are used to express
certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, and ability. Modals neither
have ‘s/es’ in third person singulars, nor infinitive and ‘ing-form’. The question form
is created by inverting the subject and the verb.
For example, You will go. Will you go?
NOTE: The modal verbs ‘have to’ , ‘need’, and ‘used to’ are exceptions to many of these rules and often acts like a
normal verb.
Examples:
You must submit your assignment on time.
The doctor ought to see you now.
Raman can modulate his voice to mimic various animal sounds.
You should consult your financial advisor for better investment opportunities.
 Modals and their Positive and Negative Forms
Positive Form Negative Form Positive Form Negative Form
Will Will not/won’t Need Need not/Needn’t
Would Would not/wouldn’t Ought Ought not to
Shall Shall not/shan’t
Dare Dare not
Should Should not/shouldn’t
Used to Used not to/didn’t
May May not used to
Might Might not
Can Can not/can’t
Could Could not/couldn’t
Must Must not/mustn’t
Have to Don’t have to
 WILL (Will not/Won’t)
1. Modal ‘will’ is used to show willingness, intention, promise, determination with
the first person as a subject.
Examples: I will meet you again. (Promise)
I will need your help. (intention)
He will achieve his goals. (Determination)

2. Modal ‘will’ is used to express pure future with second and third person as
subjects.
Examples: You will be late for your appointment. (Future)
The President will hoist the flag. (Future)

3. Modal ‘will’ can also be used to show characteristic, habit, assumption, invitation
or request and insistence.
Examples: A child will usually obey his parents. (Characteristic habit)
He will be here at any moment. (Assumption)
He will not listen to his teacher’s advice. (Insistence)
Will you go with me. (Request)
 Would (Would not/Wouldn’t)
Would is used to express past habits, polite request, wish/ preference or an
imaginary condition.

Examples: My mother would always make me my favourite dishes. (Past habits)

Would you get me a glass of water, please? (Polite request)
I wish you would be here. (Wish)
I would rather have food at home than outside. (Preference)
 Shall (Shall not/Shan’t)
1. ‘Shall’ is used to express pure future with the first person as the subject.
Examples: We shall go to school tomorrow. (Pure Future)

2. ‘Shall’ is used to ask for advice, suggestions, requests, etc. with the first person in
the interrogative.
Examples: Shall I bring a glass of fresh juice for you? (Request)

3. ‘Shall’ is used to express command, threat, warning, promise, assurance,

determination, etc. with the second and third person as the subjects.
Examples: They shall win the match. (Determination)
You shall get a reward for your achievement. (Promise/ Assurance)
You shall go to your room. (Command)
 Should (Should not/Shouldn’t)
1. The modal verb ‘Should’ is used to express duty, obligation, advisability, supposition,
polite request or desirability.
Examples: Rama should go to school every day. (Duty)
You should not be late for work. (Obligation/ Desirability)
We should exercise more often. (advisability)
I should be thankful if you give me some money. (request)
If my father should see me at the restaurant, he will be annoyed. (Supposition)
2. ‘Should’ is also used to express logical inference, supposition, assumption, possibility or
probability.
Examples: He should be at the office by now. (Possibility)
3. The modal verb ‘Should’ is used to express caution or purpose (usually when used after
‘lest’).
Examples: Leave on time, lest you should miss the train. (Caution)
Satish worked hard so that he should stand first in the class. (Purpose)
4. Should is the past tense of shall. In indirect form of speech ‘shall’ changes into should.
Examples: I said, “I shall go to school tomorrow.”
I said that I should go to school the next day.
 May (May not)
The modal verb ‘may’ is used to express possibility/prediction, permission, wish, faith,
hope or a purpose.
Examples: Ann may have failed the exam because she was sick. (Possibility)
May I go now, sir? (Permission)
May God always be with you. (Wish, faith or hope)
He is working hard so that he may get an appraisal. (Purpose)

Might (Might not)

The modal verb ‘might’ is used to express a lesser degree of possibility/prediction,
permission or a guess.
Examples: It might rain today. (Lesser degree of possibility)
Tom might win this game. He’s been playing very well recently. (Prediction)
Might I go to get the files? (Permission)
That might be the new guard. (Guess)
NOTE: MAY or MIGHT in combination with ‘as well’ can be used to mean you should do something
because there’s no better alternative.
Example: The cinema is close. We might as well walk.
 Can (Can not/Can’t)
The modal verb ‘can’ is used to express permission, possibility, ability or capacity.
Examples: Can I go to the market? (Permission)
Anyone can be the thief. (Possibility)
He can stay awake for 2 days. (Ability/ Capacity)

Could (Could not/Couldn’t)

The modal verb ‘could’ is used to express ability or capacity in the past, polite request
or a possibility under certain circumstances.
Examples: He could run very fast in his youth. (Ability/ Capacity in the past)
Could you wait for him? (Polite request)
If we had money, we could have bought a house. (Possibility under specific conditions)
 Must (Must not/mustn’t)

The modal verb ‘must’ is used to express obligation/ duty, necessity, compulsion,
prohibition, emphatic advice, determination, assumption, conclusion/ inference,
certainty/ strong probability. We can use ‘must’ to talk about the present or the future,
but it doesn’t have a past tense form and ‘had to’ is used instead.

Examples: You must submit your project this week. (Obligation)

Parents must raise their children to be kind and compassionate individuals. (Duty)
You must answer all questions. (Compulsion)
You must be tired after your long journey. (Inference)
You must not use the office phone for private calls. (Prohibition)
You must see a doctor at the earliest possible. (Emphatic advice)
 Have to (Don’t have to)

The modal verb ‘have to’ and ‘has to’ are used to express some compulsion, necessity
or obligation in the present or future tenses, ‘had to’ does so in the past. These are also
used to give advice or to recommend something, to show supposition, to draw a logical
conclusion and to indicate that something is important or necessary.

Examples: She has to look after her mother. (Obligation)

You have to take these pills to get better. (Advice)
This has to be a part of the whole plan. (Logical Conclusion)
If she has to choose, she won’t marry him. (supposition)

NOTE: In negatives and questions, ‘have to’ and ‘had to’ are used with ‘do’, ‘does’ and ‘did’.
Example: She doesn’t have to finish these drawings.
 Need (Need not/Needn’t)
The modal verb ‘need’ is used to show obligation or necessity. The negative need not
expresses absence of obligation. The modal verb need is mainly used in questions and
negatives, which are formed without ‘do’: Need I go now? You need not go.
Examples: You need not worry about her. (Absence of obligation)
Need I attend the class today? (Obligation)
Ought (Ought not to)
The modal verb ‘ought to’ is used to express the subject’s obligation or duty and also it
is used to give advice and show a strong belief or possibility. It is also used for
emphasising how good, impressive or unusual something or someone is. It can be used
with present, past, or future tense forms. Its negative is ought not and the
interrogative is ought I?
Examples: We ought not to cheat anyone. (Duty)
You ought to practise for more than 2 hours a day if you want to clear the exam.
(Advice)
You ought to see their new house. (Emphasis)
The meeting ought to have finished by 7 pm. (Strong Belief)
He ought not use informal expression during the interview.
Ought I do it at once?
Note: Ought is used to express the subject’s obligation or duty. But it indicates neither the speaker’s
authority as with must, nor an outside authority as with have to. The speaker is only reminding the
subject of his duty. Besides this, he is giving advice or indicating a correct or sensible action.
Examples: You must abide by the law. (external authority)
You must listen to your teachers. (speaker’s authority)
You ought to work well with your team mates. (subject’s obligation)
 Dare (Dare not)
The modal verb ‘Dare’ is used to show courage. It is generally used in negative and
interrogative statements.
Examples: I dare not fail in my exams. (Negative)
How dare you interrupt us? (Interrogative)

Used to (Used not to/Didn’t used to)

The modal verb ‘used to’ is used to express past habits and show the existence of
something in the past.
Examples: I used to go swimming every morning. (Past Habits)
There used to be a door at this place long ago. (Existence of something in the past)