Modal Verbs / Verbos Modales

Área Lectura y Escritura, Inglés

Resultados de aprendizaje
Conocer el uso de los modal verbs en contextos de escritura formal.
Conocer los diferentes contextos en los que pueden ser aplicados cada uno de estos modal verbs

Contenidos
1. Modal verbs/Verbos modales

Debo saber
Para desarrollar esta guía de mejor manera, es necesario que el estudiante deba tener
conocimientos de:

-Infinitive verbs/Verbos Infinitivos

Modal Verbs / Verbos Modales

The modal verbs are also called, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries or just modals. These, as
auxiliary verbs, cannot be used without a main verb.

Modal Verbs include: can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to
express ability, obligation, possibility, etc... For example, some of the modal verbs (and their usage)
are:

Can – Can’t
Indicates an ability or a posibility (or the denial of any of those) and it’s also used to request
permission. E.g.:

- I can climb mountains

- I can’t allow you to enter to this house
- You can use this special pot to cook faster
- Can Freddie come to play with us?
- Can’t you read the signals?

Would – Wouldn’t
We use it as the past form of will, in conditional sentences that is to say, to express a condition for
something to happen (if-sentences), and to formaly request something. E.g.:
- I will see you tomorrow / I told you that I would see you tomorrow.
- If I were you, I would not forget that thing
- If he had found his wallet, he would have paid for the pizza

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- Would you tell me where the restroom is?

May
Just as “could”, this verb is used to indicate a possibility in the present or future, as to request
permission. E.g.:

- I may be a little dizzy after accident.

- It may be better to finish this now, rather than wait until tomorrow
- May I have your attention please?

Must
It indicates an obligation, a necesity, a condition, a prohibition or a pressumption. it may also refer
to present or future time.

- I must check the inventory before we close.

- My brother must take his medicine
- Humans must drink water in order to survive
- You must not drink and drive after that.
- Bob is not in his seat. He must be sick because he never misses class

Have to
Have to is often grouped with modal auxiliary, but in fact it is not a modal verb. Actually, in the
“have to” structure, "have" is a main verb. Anyway is considerate as a semi-modal verb. It’s normally
used to express a necesity or an extern obligation (imposed by others). E.g.:

- I have to study for the exam.

*But it also obeys to the rules of the Simple Present, thus, we also have to consider the singular
third form.

Also,
For the interrogative and negative form, it needs to be accompanied by the auxiliar verbs. E.g.:

-She doesn't have to study for the exam.

-Does she have to open the window?

Finally, some important points:

-Modal Verbs don't use an “s” for the third person singular.

E.g.: She can climb s the stairs

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-They make questions by inversion

E.g.: “she can go” becomes “can she go?”

-They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to').

E.g.: I would eat an entire cow

-Also,
they do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I
must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke). Except for ‘have to’.

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 Exercises
Complete the sentences by entering the correct modal verb in the gaps: can’t | must | may not |
may | wouldn’t | can’t | have to | would |may |could |

1. When you have a small child in the house, you ________ leave small objects lying around.

2. Miss Sunshine said that we ________ read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional.

3. He had been working for more than eleven hours. He ________ be tired after such hard work.

4. Do you ________ chew with your mouth open like that?, it's making me sick!

5. I would bring an umbrella, it ________ rain later.

6. You ________ fail me, would you?

7. ________ I leave the room now?

8. You _______ leave this room without my authorization .

9. Teresa ________ love to go to New York someday

10. I _______ give you the location of the treasure

11. Does she _______ open the window?

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 Key
1. When you have a small child in the house, you can’t leave small objects lying around.

2. Miss Sunshine said that we could read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional.

3. He had been working for more than eleven hours. He must be tired after such hard work.

4. Do you have to chew with your mouth open like that?, it's making me sick!

5. I would bring an umbrella, it may rain later

6. You wouldn’t fail me, would you?

7. May I leave the room now?

8. You may not leave this room without my authorization.

9. Teresa would love to go to New York someday

10. I can’t give you the location of the treasure

11. Does she have to open the window?

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