3 You could / must have a licence to drive a car.
1 Decide how the underlined forms are used in
the sentences. Then choose the correct
alternatives.
In the UK, you can learn to drive when you are
seventeen years old. (advice / permission )
1 You have to wear a helmet when you ride a
motorbike. (obligation / ability)
2 You can’t go out until you’ve done your
homework. (absence of obligation /
prohibition)
3 We don’t have to pay for our tickets because
we’re students. (absence of obligation /
recommendation)
4 They ought to ask for directions from the police
officer. (obligation / advice)
5 You must wear a seat belt in the car.
(obligation / ability)
6 He’s allowed to go to the concert if he promises
to be home by midnight. (permission /
possibility)
7 They shouldn’t let their children stay at home
alone. (permission / advice)
8 As a young person, you mustn’t work more than
twelve hours a week during school term time.
(absence of obligation / prohibition)
9 You’re seventeen years old, so you’re able to
tell the difference between right and wrong.
(ability / permission)
10 You broke the law, so you might go to prison.
(possibility / advice)
2 Match the bold forms in sentences 1–5 with A–F.
When I was young, people could leave school at
the age of thirteen. C
1 You can speak three languages. _____
2 If you park here, you may get a fine. _____
3 You needn’t take out the rubbish. I’ve already
done it. _____
4 You must go over there. _____
5 You can make one telephone call. _____
A need to
B might
C were able to
D are allowed to
E don’t have to
F are able to
3 Choose the correct alternatives.
If you’re ill, you ought to / can see a doctor.
1 Needn’t / Can mobile phones be turned on in
the theatre?
2 The criminal may / mustn’t serve a ten-year
prison sentence, but we’re not sure yet.
It’s the law.
4 You mustn’t / don’t have to sign in at the club
if you’re a member.
5 The children mustn’t / don’t need to get up
early tomorrow. It’s a holiday.
6 The prisoner might / needs to get out early for
good behaviour
1 Complete the second sentence with a different
form from the first sentence so that it has a
similar meaning. Sometimes there is more than
one possible answer.
It isn’t a good idea to hang out with those people.
You shouldn’t hang out with those people.
1 There’s no obligation for you to be in court that
day.
You___________________________________
______________________________________
2 It’s possible that the judge will send him to
prison.
The judge
______________________________________
______________________________________
3 It’s against the law for people to burgle houses.
People
______________________________________
______________________________________
4 Billy can speak two languages.
Billy
______________________________________
______________________________________
5 People could hunt wild animals many years ago.
People
______________________________________
______________________________________
6 You must ask for your parents’ permission to go
on the trip.
You
______________________________________
______________________________________
7 They should be more careful when they light
their campfires.
They
______________________________________
______________________________________
3 Complete the second sentence with between
two and five words so that it has the same
meaning as the first sentence. Use the bold words.
We should call the police now. (to)
We ought to call the police now.
1 It’s possible that I took your bag by mistake.
(could)
I ___________________________ your bag by
mistake.
2 Staff can’t make personal calls on this phone.
(allowed)
Staff ___________________________ make
personal calls on this phone.
3 It’s possible that I’ll be absent from court today.
(may)
I ___________________________ from court
today.
4 Eating in the school library is prohibited. (eat)
You ___________________________ in the
school library.
5 We needn’t phone our parents later. (have)
We ___________________________ phone
our parents later.
6 Brad can ride a bike and he’s only three years
old. (able)
Brad ___________________________ ride a
bike and he’s only three years old.
2 Rewrite the sentences. Use suitable forms to
replace the underlined words. Sometimes there
is more than one possible answer.
She ought to be nicer to her parents.
She should be nicer to her parents.
1 In the USA, people are allowed to drive at the
age of sixteen.
______________________________________
______________________________________
2 You may get in trouble if you open that
emergency door.
______________________________________
______________________________________
3 You needn’t help me with my homework
because it’s very easy.
______________________________________
______________________________________
4 You’re not allowed to go out tonight!
______________________________________
______________________________________
5 You have to be twenty-one to get into this club.
______________________________________
______________________________________

1 Complete the sentences with the forms in the 6 In some countries, you can get married at the
list. age of sixteen if you have your parents’
are allowed to can can’t don’t have to permission.
is able to might mustn’t needn’t ought to ______________________________________
shouldn’t ______________________________________
Did you know that you don’t have to wear a
swimming hat at the pool?
1 You _____________________ watch TV after
you’ve tidied the kitchen.
2 They _____________________ leave the police
station until their parents come to collect them.
3 If you wrote graffiti on that building, you
_____________________ go and remove it.
4 The police _____________________ attack
students during the protest march.
5 You _____________________ park on the
yellow line. It’s against the law.
6 Joey is four years old and he
_____________________ read.
7 Students _____________________ leave the
classroom once they’ve finished the exam.
8 You _____________________ wake me up in
the morning. I’ve got an alarm clock.
9 My father _____________________ shout at
me for not washing the car, so I’ll do it today.
Translate Into English. Use Modal verbs.

1.- No sé hablar ruso, pero podré hablar ruso dentro de 5 años.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

2.- Quizás vayamos a la discoteca

…………………………………………………………………

3.- Debe haber gente muy trabajadora en tu empresa

…………………………………………

4.- No deberías contar esas mentira

s………. ……………………………………..………………

5.- Tuve que ducharme con agua fría porque no había agua caliente.

……………………………………………………………………………………..………………

6.- Seguro que Mariano gana mucho dinero

………..……………………………………………

7.- No hace falta que te levantes tan temprano.

…..………………………………………………

8.- A lo mejor estoy equivocado, pero la gente debería tener más cuidado

……………………………………………………………………………………..………………

3 Complete the sentences using may, may not, might or might not.

1. Alice is ill. She ……………………………… go to school.

2. The doctor thinks that I’ve a got a broken shoulder, but he ……………………………… be wrong.

3. Josh has fallen off his horse. He ……………………………… have a broken leg.

4. Mr Carter has lost his memory. He ……………………………… recognize us.

5. That woman has got a very rare disease. There ……………………………… be a cure.

6. I feel sick. ……………………………… I leave the room?

4 Complete the sentences with the verbs below and the correct form of can or could.

hear walk drive call

1. Last week, Emily …………………… , but now she doesn’t need her wheelchair.

2. Do you want to speak to the nurse? I …………………… her for you.

3. Leo was lucky that he …………………… his car to hospital.

4. Speak more loudly, please. I …………………… you.

5 Complete the mini-dialogues with the correct form of be able to.

 1. A: Hi, Jane. Why didn’t you go out with us yesterday?

B: I’ve got an upset stomach, so I 1. …………………… go out last night.

A: 2. …………………… you …………………… go to the cinema on Sunday?

B: Yes, I’m sure I’ll be OK by then.

2. A: Good morning, Mrs Smith. How is your mother?

B: Unfortunately she 1. …………………… get out of bed till next week.

A: I see. 2. …………………… she …………………… sit up in bed?

B: Yes, she can do that.

5 Complete the sentences using the modals below.

can ■ could ■ might ■ must ■ ought to

1 We____________ go to the match tomorrow, but we’re not sure.

2 I____________ draw really well when I was young.

3 I think you ____________ call him first. He doesn’t like unexpected visitors.

4 Sharon ____________ take her medicine or she’ll never get better.

5____________ I have some sugar for my coffee, please?

6 Complete the sentences using the correct form of can, could or be able to. There may be more than one
possible answer.

1 I____________ skate when I was younger, but it hurts too much when I fall these days.

2 Charlie____________ go to school this morning because he was at the dentist.

3 Andy____________ do that for you – he’s not doing anything else at the moment.

4 Theo____________ go on holiday since he left home.

5 We ____________ buy anything because we don’t have any money.

7 Choose the best answer.

1 We would / should / can / could book a table at the restaurant, just to be on the safe side.

2 She mustn’t / can’t / should / might have taken her bike. It’s got a flat tyre!

3 You don’t have to / couldn’t / ought to / mustn’t let the dog off the lead here. It’s not allowed.

4 The mayor needs / must / should / would do something about the parking problem in this city.

5 They should / must / don’t have / ought to leave their dogs outside. It is a children’s playground, after all.

6 We don’t have to / wouldn’t / can’t / shouldn’t go in yet. They don’t open for another half an hour.

7 I’m glad we took the earlier train. We would / must / should / can’t have been late.

8 We needn’t / could / must / can have gone to the cinema yesterday, but we didn’t feel like it.
 9 Will you can / could / be able to / ought to go to the bank in the morning?

10 You don’t have to / ought to / mustn’t / may not do the dishes. We’ve got a dishwasher.

Complete the passage with the modals below.

couldn’t ■ shouldn’t ■ must have ■ can ■ must ■ might ■ needn’t ■ ought to ■ should have

Times have changed. Nowadays you 1.............................. rush off to a travel agent to book tickets for a journey.

You 2.............................. sit at home and book them over the Internet. However, the experience of one British

couple 3.............................. be a warning to everyone. You 4.............................. assume that if you book on the

Net, mistakes won’t happen. That’s why you 5.............................. always check bookings carefully. If you don’t,

you 6.............................. find yourselves in the wrong part of the world. That’s exactly what happened to Emma

Dunn and Raoul Sebastian. They set off from London in a large plane, thinking they were on their way to Sydney,

Australia. They 7.............................. understand what was happening when they landed at an airport and were

asked to transfer to a much smaller plane. It 8.............................. been quite a shock when they finally discovered

they were in Canada. They 9.............................. read their tickets more carefully because they were booked for

Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Rewrite the sentences

1. It’s forbidden to walk on the grass.

You .................................... walk on the grass.

2. It’s not possible that these diamonds are real.

These diamonds .................................... be real.

3. It’s not necessary to bring food with you on the trip.

You .................................... bring food with you.

4. I’m certain that Dan is at work.

Dan .................................... be at work.

Choose the correct modal verb

1) Sorry, I __________________ eat that vegetable. I 3) If you continue eating so much fatty food, you
don't like it. __________________ have cardiovascular problems.
[ ]shouldn't [ ]must
[ ]mustn't [ ]may
[ ]can't [ ]should

2) The doctor told me: “You __________________ eat 4) __________________ I eat as many fruit and
less sugar. vegetables as I want?
[ ]should [ ]must
[ ]can [ ]can
[ ]may [ ]could
5) Your child is too fat. He __________________ eat 8) 250 kg! You __________________ lose weight.
fewer sweets. [ ]shouldn't
[ ]should [ ]must
[ ]may [ ]may
[ ]could
9) You __________________ use less salt when you
6) To be in good health, you __________________ cook. It's bad for your health.
walk at least half an hour. [ ]mustn't
[ ]can [ ]could
[ ]should [ ]can't
[ ]must
10) You __________________ eat more fruit and
7) You __________________ suffer from heart vegetables to be in good health.
diseases because you eat too much junk food. [ ]should
[ ]must [ ]must
[ ]should [ ]can
[ ]may

G) Complete the sentences with may, might, can't or must.

1 No-one answered the door, so they ……................. be at home.

2 He was born in Australia so he ……................. speak English.

3 You slept for twelve hours last night. You ……................. be tired now.

4 He always gets top marks in his tests - he ……................. study very hard.

5 Take your umbrella because it ……................. rain later.

6 They've got thousands of books. They ……................. love reading.

7 Helen came to school today so she ……................. be ill.

8 I ……................. go to my friend's party but I'm not sure.

9 You ……................. be hungry because you didn't have any lunch.

10 Don't wait for me because I ……................. be late.

H) Complete the text with the modal verbs in the box.

could didn’t have to (x 3) can had to (x 2) couldn’t (x 2) have to

A few years ago I saw an advert for an art course. It said that beginners were welcome and that you (1) ........
have any experience in art. I (2) ............. draw or paint, so I thought I would do the course. The first ten
classes were free, so I (3)......... pay for the first term. I was quite nervous before the first class, but the
teacher, Anna, was very nice. In the first three classes, we looked at different styles of art, so we (4) …....
produce a picture ourselves. In our first project, we (5) ............. draw simple shapes and study colour. Then
we (6) ……..... work with abstract images. At the end of the course, which lasted a year, I (7) ....... draw
landscapes and still lifes quite well.
I was pleased with my progress, but I still (8) …........ draw portraits very well. Anna said, ‘You have learnt
a lot but now you (9) …...... practise doing portraits.’ I took her advice and now I (10) ……..... draw and
paint people very well – in fact I’m a professional portrait painter.
I) CORRECT THE MISTAKES IN THESE SENTENCES.

1 I will go out at the weekend, but I’m not sure.

2 When I was younger, I use to watch cartoons.

3 The demonstration organized by animal rights groups.

4 She’s an only child, so that must be her brother.

5 Paint is a good way to relax.

6 She speaks very slow.

7 There were nobody there.

8 Who did draw that picture? Simon did.

9 I must to stay in last night.

10 They have already planned their holiday. They will fly to the Caribbean.

11 Who did bring this box? Alan did.

12 Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since 3 months ago!

13 You haven’t already finished this test

14 A lot of money is spent in designing modern TVs

15 To do any activity too often can be dangerous

16 Dominic is 23. He lives with his parents yet.

17 Nick told his friend Rosy about the ghost, and she laughed of him

18 When I was a children, I used to play with toy soldiers

19 My uncle Gilbert teached me to ride a bike.

20 I’m afraid I have forgoten to bring my notebook

J) Translate into English:

1- Debo apresurarme. No debo llegar tarde.

2- No tienes que traer el diccionario al colegio todos los días, pero puedes traerlo si quieres comprobar el significado
de una palabra.

3- ¿Puedes ayudarme? Tengo que ir a la catedral, pero no sé dónde está.

4- Opino que ella no debería comer tanto.

5- Quizás te visite mañana, pero no sé si tendré tiempo.

6- ¿Sabías leer cuando tenías 4 años?

7- Debe de ser tarde. Tengo que irme a casa.

8- Eso no puede ser verdad. Debes de estar equivocado.

Choose the correct option

1. ____________ I borrow your dictionary? B. ? couldn't / can
A. ? Am I able to
C. ? couldn't / can't
B. ? May
8. My cat ____________ jump, but it
C. ? Might ____________ talk.
A. ? can / can't
2. ____________ you play the piano when you
were a child? B. ? can't / can
A. ? Can
9. The little girl asked, "Mommy, ____________ I
B. ? May have a cookie?" The mother said, "Yes, you
____________."
C. ? Could A. ? can / are able to

3. When Vera was young, she ____________ type B. ? can / can

quickly. She took a typing class and now she
____________ type very quickly! C. ? may / might
A. ? could not / can
10. Sara ____________ Italian food and she
B. ? can / could ____________ French food too!
A. ? can cook / is able to cook
C. ? could not / can to
B. ? can cooks / can cooks
4. ____________ dogs fly? No, of course not!
A. ? Do can C. ? can cooking / can cooking

B. ? Can 11. The family can't decide where to go on vacation.

They ____________ go to Los Angeles or they
C. ? May ____________ go to Hawaii.
A. ? could / couldn't
5. George is absent from class today. He
____________ be sick. B. ? might / may
A. ? could
C. ? may / are able to
B. ? is able to
12. Kevin was disappointed because he
C. ? can ____________ get tickets for the football game.
A. ? weren't able to
6. She ____________ understand Korean very
well, but she ____________ speak it perfectly. B. ? wasn't able to
A. ? be able to / cannot
13. I'm going to bring an umbrella today because it
B. ? is able to / is able to ____________ rain.
A. ? is able to
C. ? is able to / cannot
B. ? can
7. Peter ____________ swim when he was a child,
but now he ____________. In fact, he swims C. ? might
every day!
A. ? could / can't