English B2
Teacher: Dr. Aurelija Daukšaitė-Kolpakovienė
VMU Institute of Foreign Languages
MODAL VERBS
Past
Ability Positive: could, was/were able to
– general possibility/ ability in the
past
e.g. 1.When I was young I could
run for miles without getting tired.
2. Years ago people were able to
drive without taking a test.
Single action in the past: was/
were able to
Possibility e.g.There was a bus strike, but I
was able to get a lift with a
colleague.
To talk about someting you did
that was difficult: manage to
+V1/ succeed in (-ing)
e.g. 1.Our flight was cancelled,
but we managed to get seats on
the next one.
2. After several phone calls we
succeeded in speaking to the
manager.
Negative possibility: couldn’t
(could not), wasn’t able to
/weren’t able to (was not able to/
were not able to)
e.g. 1. I lost my key and I couldn’t
find it.
2. When I was young I wasn’t able
to stay out late.
Obligation Positive: had to
e.g. I had to get a visa when I
went to the USA last summer.
A lack of obligation: didn’t have
to
e.g. At my old school we didn’t
have to wear a uniform.
Prohibition Couldn’t
(a negative e.g. We couldn’t use calculators in
obligation) class when I was at school.
Based on David Cotton, David Favley and Simon Kent. (2015). New Language Leader Upper
Intermediate Coursebook. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. p.134.
Future
Positive: will be able to
e.g. After I pass my driving test
I’ll be able to drive a car on my
own.
Negative ability: won’t be able to
(will not be able to)
e.g. She’s going on holiday so she
won’t be able to see you next
week.
Positive: could, may, might
e.g. 1. In the future cars might
contain high presure hydrogen
tanks.
2. We could go to Greece next
summer.
3. They may be able to help you
with your problem.
Negative possibility: might not
/may not
e.g. The weather forecast is good
so we might not need our
umbrellas tomorrow.
Positive: will have to, will need
to
e.g. There’s an admission charge
so we’ll have to take some money
with us.
A lack of obligation: will not have
to (won’t have to), will not need
to (won’t need to)
e.g. They’re going to give us lunch
so we won’t need to take any food.
Can’t
e.g. We should eat something
now. You can’t take food into the
theatre.