MODAL VERBS PRACTICE

Can

1. Read the following speech by Harland Green, the director of a small

English language college, to the staff in his college. Look at the
underlined phrases with can, and then list them in the correct column of
the table below.

Can I have your attention, please? Last night, I was tidying up the staff room
and I found an examination essay under the big table, with no name on it.
Im sure you can imagine how worried I was. We have just sent the exam
papers off to be marked, and Im afraid we left that one out of the parcel. I
cant understand how It happened. I was sure we had checked all the
papers and the list of candidates. To be honest, it wasnt a very good essay
in fact the student cant have been very proud of it, or they would have
written their name on it. Now, we can do one of two things: we can ask each
student if they recognize the essay, or we can put the essay on the
noticeboard to see if any student recognizes it. You cant send papers to the
examining board late, but we can ask the examining board to cancel that
persons application to enter them next term, instead. Im sure this student
can do better next time. Can anyone tell me who left that paper under the
table? I know you cant have done it deliberately. You can tell me in private,
if you dont want to admit it in public!

present present permitted or request past

possibility or impossibility not permitted impossibility
ability or inability

Could

1. Rewrite the underlined phrases with a phrase using could or couldnt.

Bob Marham would be able to do a higher degree in veterinary studies if he

wanted to, as he is doing very well in his undergraduate course. He would be
able to choose another course a the university, such as medicine, but he wants
to work with animals. After his degree, it is possible that he will go to work in
Africa for a couple of years, as he is specializing in exotic animals. He says he
would not be able to bear working in a zoo because he doesnt like to see
animals in captivity, even if the animals have large enclosures. He thinks it is
possible that zoos are necessary, as so many animals are in danger of
extinction now; and breeding programs in zoos might be the only way to save
them. But he says he would be able to work in a zoo only if the animals were
able to live in a natural environment.
Why dont you stay on at university and become a teacher like me, says his
dad.

No, dad, says Bob. I really want to work with real animals in the real world.
And I wouldnt be able to teach. Anyway, unless I do some work, I dont even
get my degree! Will you help me with some revision? I have an exam on
virology and Ive forgotten everything!

Yes, of course, says Dad. Will you wait five minutes while I finish my
sandwich?

1 5 9

2 6 10

3 7

4 8

2. Read the following text and 5. When he was older he

write in the phrases with
could from the box in the
correct gaps in the text.
3. couldnt get couldnt have
hopedcouldnt do anything
could come could
never have imagined
couldnt get into
could join couldnt
you try could leave
could achieve
4. Janet Coogan could never
have imagined that her son
Paul would be such a big
success as he is now. When
he was at school, he
.. very well. He was
not very good at sports and
he .. the football
team. She used to say him,
.. a bit harder? If you
got some qualifications, you
.. something in your
life.
.. a job, so he spent
all his time playing football in
the park. One day the
manager of Harrington
Harriers football team saw
Paul playing football in the
park with his friends and
asked Paul if he .. to
London for a trial for
Harrington Harriers. Paul
asked his Mum, and she said
he ..straightaway. He
did the trial and they said he
.. the team the next
week. And now hes a
millionaire. Well, says Mrs
Coogan, I .. for
anything better!
6. May/might
1. Lucy and her boyfriend, Mark,
are having dinner in a
Chinese restaurant. Read
their conversation and put in
the missing phrases with may
and might from the box.
7. MARK: Were a bit late. They
may have given our table to
someone else!
8. LUCY: I hope not! This is a
lovely place. They .. 20.The instructions say, Mark
us another table.
9. WAITER: Good evening, sir.
Good evening, madam.
.. to your table?
mean the same as the
following, using the correct
form of the modal in the
brackets.
the position of the screws.
(have got to)
21.Youve got to mark the
position of the screws.

10.MARK: Oh, thank you very 22.The instructions say, Lay out
much. the pieces on the floor (have
got to)
11.WAITER: .. your
coats? 23.You

12.LUCY: Thank you very much, 24.It is important that we check

but I think Ill keep mine. that all the pieces are there.
.. cold. (must)

13.WAITER: Oh, I do hope not, 25.We

madam! Oh, and Im afraid
.. smoke in the 26.The instructions say, Start
restaurant. with sections 1,2 and 3.
(have to)
14.MARK: Thats fine. .. a
jug of water, please? 27.You

15.LUCY: It .. a bit 28.Dont glue the pieces

warmer in here! together before you are sure
that they are in the right
16.MARK: Never mind. Just keep position. (must not)
your coat on. Lets order.
.. the menu? 29.You

17.LUCY: Hmm I think .. 30.It is necessary to hold the

the chicken chow mein. glued pieces together for 30
seconds. (need)
18.MARK: Yes. I .. have
the same. 31.You

19. Must, have to, need to 32.Do the instructions say I

should put this section here?
1. Andrew and Phyllis are trying (have got to)
to put together a desk from a
pack. Make sentences which 33.Have I
34.Is it necessary to glue the form. If you ..
back on before the front? your clothes, they send you
(have got to) to a dressing room on the
second floor.
35.Have you
44.JAKE: Yes, the letter says, All
36.Theres a piece missing! Must candidates ..
I phone the manufacturer and loose, comfortable clothing
complain? (have to) and soft shoes.
37.Do 45.RUPERT: Thats right! You
38.Having a cup of tea would .. to take
help us to work better! (need) some soft shoes. The first
thing you .. is
39.We move around the room to
some music, and the panel
2. Read the following text and sits around the edge making
look at the words in the box. notes.
Choose which word or phrase
goes in each gap. 46.JAKE: Oh, that
.. really
40.have to do must have been embarrassing!
mustnt forget
need to choose 47.RUPERT: No, because you all
has to do do it together, its OK. Then
you .. a
41.neednt come partner to do some
must be have to improvised acting. Thats
show must wear worse! And have you
have to go need to prepared a speech?
change must be
go to wait have to do 48.JAKE: Yes. Everyone
.. that. Then
42.JAKE: My audition is youve just ..
tomorrow. Im so scared! You in the waiting room, and if
must be really happy your they dont call out your name
adition is over! Tell me what after that, you
you .. in the .. back in the
audition. afternoon!
43.RUPERT: Well, when you 49.RUPERT: I know. Thats
arrive you .. exactly what happened to
your letter of invitation for me!
the audition, and then you
.. to the 50.JAKE: Oh, Im sorry. That
reception desk and fill out a .. horrible!
 51. Review modals
1. Read the following
conversation and look at the
verbs in brackets. Some of
the modals should be
negative and some of them
should be positive. Put them
in the correct form in the
gaps.
56. BOB: Do you think I
.. (should/cancel)
the booking if the weather goes
on like this?
57. STEVE: No, I think it
.. (might/be) nice
anyway. Well, maybe not nice,
but at least it ..
(will/be) boring.

52.BOB: I .. 58. BOB: You

(can/believe) how horrible the .. (should/come)
weather is! Its the middle of along too!
summer and it
.. (should) be 59. STEVE: Oh, no thanks! I
wet and cold! .. (have to/stay)
here and work. Also, I
53. STEVE: And you .. (need to/save)
.. (be supposed money for my holiday in Ibiza!
to) to be going on an adventure
holiday in Wales next week. Oh 60. Now read the
dear! The weather conversation between Bob and
.. (could/get) Steve two weeks later. Bob has
better next week. If it doesnt, come back from his holiday.
Im afraid your holiday Complete the gaps with the
.. (may/be) a correct forms, positive or
great success. negative, of the words in
brackets.
54. BOB: Oh I dont know;
even if the weather is bad, it 61. STEVE: How was your
.. (could/be) holiday in Wales?
wonderful, staying in round 62. BOB: It was great. I
stones huts in the mountains, .. (could) believe
with no electricity and just open how wonderful the weather was.
wood fires at night. My holiday ..
55. STEVE: Do you think (could/be) a bigger success. Im
you .. glad that I didnt cancel the
(might/have to) cook over an booking.
open fire? It .. 63. STEVE:
(would/be) great fun if the .. (you/have to)
weather was good, but I wouldnt cook over an open fire?
like to try and fry an egg in the
rain!
64. BOB: Yes, I did. But I listen to them,
burnt my fingers a bit. he..(need/used
to) say.
65. STEVE: You
..(should/be) 73. He ..
more careful; you (might/used) to come along to all
.. (could/hurt) the home matches and the team
yourself badly. and the fans ..
(will/be able) miss him a lot.
66. BOB: Oh, it was nothing
serious. Anyway, what have you 74. James Thompson, the
been doing? goalie, says every team
.. (should/may)
67. STEVE: Oh, nothing have someone like him.
much, except saving money. But
I got a big pay rise last week, so I 75. Footballers sometimes
.. (need to/try) to ..(need/must) to
save money. talk to someone, just like anyone
else.
68. BOB: You
..(should/come) 76. You ..
to Wales and enjoyed the (supposed to/ should) have seen
sunshine. him when we lost to Riverton
Rovers in the final last year!
2. Read the following text and
choose which modal or semi- 77. He was so upset but he
modal is best in each gap. .. (had/was able
to) support us and help us.
69. You ..
(could/have to) not hope to meet 78. His family say he
a nicer man than Rev.Michael ..(may/should)
Balry, the chaplain of Witherton be in the great football club in
United football team. the sky.

70. If he had lived, he 79. The passive

.. (may/would)
have been 80 this week. 1. Read the following passage
and change each underlined
71. He was very popular active verb phrase into a
with the players, as you passive phrase.
.. (can/able to)
see from all the condolence 80.On Wednesday evening there
cards here. was a talk about China. About
100 people attended the talk
72. I dont think in the village hall.
.. (should/may)
tell anyone what to do, but just
81.The talk was attended by
about 100 people in the
village hall.
82.Bob Michaels gave the talk
he was a young traveler who
had recently returned from a
cycling trip in Gansu province
in China.
where people looked after
giant pandas in the forests.
91.Giants pandas
92.The local people were very
friendly, he said, and
welcomed them wherever
they went.

83.The talk 93.They

84.The local paper had published 94.The buildings and decorations

an article about him and his
traveling companions.
85.An article about him
86.He said the experience had
amazed him and he wanted
to share his excitement with
us.
87.He said he
88.His favorite place was the
Mogao caves, where people
had painted hundreds of
pictures on the walls.
89.Hundreds of pictures
90.He also talked about the
enormous nature reserves,
fascinated him.
95.He
96.He showed us some amazing
photographs of villages in the
mountains and the desert.
97.We
98.Before he left, they offered us
a tiny cup of green tea and a
delicious sweet cake.
99.We
100. His talk really inspired
me, and I plan to go to China
as soon as I can afford to!
101. I

2. Read the text and write the form of the verb in brackets which is best,
either active or passive.

102. Caviar is a great delicacy, especially in Russia, and it

. (often/eat) as an hors doeuvre. It . (consist)
of the eggs of the sturgeon, which . (know) as roe. To make
caviar, the eggs . (salt) and thoroughly .
(wash). The sturgeon is a large bony fish, similar to a shark. It
. (lay) its eggs in fresh water. There are 24 known species,
and the largest can . (be) up to 8.4 meters long. The
Beluga is the largest member of the sturgeon family and it
. (find) in the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the river
Volga in Russia. It produces more eggs than any other type of sturgeon.
The roe of the Beluga sturgeon . (consider) the best, but
caviar can . (obtain) from other types of sturgeon. Real
caviar is very expensive, but a substitute can . (be) made
from lump fish roe, which is not as expensive.
3. Look at what people are saying about Delias party. Rewrite the following
sentences changing the underlined words to passive forms.

103. Delia has invited me to a dinner party.

104. Ive been invited by Delia to a dinner party.

105. They are holding the party at the health club where she works.

106. Delia is celebrating because her boss has promoted her

107. Do you think they will expect us to dress formally?

108. I dont know what guests usually wear at these kinds of things.

109. I dont know. No one has ever invited me to a party at the health
club!

110. Has anyone asked Mr Dayton to come to the party too?

111. I donthink anyone has ever introduced Delia to Mr Drayton

112. Maybe they will serve us lettuce leaves and carrot juice!

113. I hope we wont offend them if we refuse.

4. Choose the correct verb form from the brackets and write it in the gap in
the correct passive infinitive form.

114. was inhale use pierce avoid expose

keep spray

115. protect follow

116. Clearitall

117. Drain clearing product

118. Warning! This product must be kept out of reach of children.

119. The product must .. only as directed.

120. Contact with the skin must .. by wearing gloves

and covering the arms. If contact with the skin occurs, the skin must
.. in plenty of warm water.

121. If contact with the eyes occurs, a doctors advice must

.. immediately.

122. The product must not .. through the mouth or

nose.
123. The container must .. from strong sunlight and not
.. to temperatures above 50 degrees.

124. The tin must not .. or burnet even after use. It

must no .. near a naked flame or any hot material.

5. Rewrite the underlined phrases in this report using the passive.

125. When we got home, we saw that someone had left the door open.
It was soon clear that someone had burgled our house. They had stolen
all the electrical equipment from the living room, and they must have
dragged it into the garden. They had crushed the flowers in the flowers
beads and they trodden mud into the hall carpet. The sight of my
bedroom shocked me. They had thrown all my clothes on the floor and
opened all my drawers. They had taken all my jewelry and my favorite
silver clock. I really hope that the police catch the criminals and the
courts punish them soon.

126. The door had been left open

6. Read the following sentences and rewrite each one in a more informal
style, using the words in brackets.

127. The big house in the village has always been lived in.

128. (someone) Someone has always lived in the big house in the
village.

129. The walls in the hall had been painted pale blue.

130. (they)

131. The garden had been planted with roses and honeysuckle and lots
of traditional British plants.

132. (people)

133. The kitchen has recently been modernized.

134. (they)

135. The carpets have been taken out, and the floorboards have been
polished.

136. (they)

137. The last owners paid someone to build some wardrobes.

138. (get)
139. They are arranging for someone to clear the garden.

140. (get)

141. Now the new owners are having the roof repaired.

142. (get)

143. Its very sad, but graffiti has been written on the front door.

144. (someone)

145. Peoples names have been scratched into the paint.

146. (they/their)

147. The owners have arranged for someone to repaint the door next
week.

148. (get)

7.