MODAL VERBS

1. WRITE THESE SENTENCES IN THE PAST

1. She can speak Italian.
_______________________________________ when she was 6.
2. Simon may be here.
_______________________________________ yesterday.
3. You must fill in the form.
_______________________________________ last year.
4. They can’t sell their car. It’s too old.
_______________________________________. It was too old.
5. He should eat less and do more exercise.
_______________________________________ when he was younger.
6. He must be in now.
_______________________________________. The light was on.
7. You needn’t take a tent. We’ll stay at the village hotel.
_______________________________________. We stayed at the
village hotel.

2. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE CORRECT MODAL VERB

1. This is a wonderful essay. You________________________ worked
really hard.
2. I failed my driving test. I__________________________ stopped at the
traffic lights.
3. You’re right. I_____________________________ said it better myself.
4. It’s a pity you couldn’t come to the party. Everybody missed you. You
_______________________________ stayed at home.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci___________________________left a hidden
message in his paintings.
6. Thanks a lot! You __________________________ bought such an
expensive present.
7. I can’t see their car. They___________________________ stopped at
the gas station.
8. It’s only 9 o’clock. They __________________________ have gone to
bed so early.
3. MAKE DEDUCTIONS ABOUT THESE SENTENCES
1. I hadn’t seen him for a week when his mother told me he had just left the
hospital.
_________________________________________________________.
2. Paul and Janet have bought a new car and a new house in the last two
months!
_________________________________________________________.
3. What ever happened to John? We all miss him.
_________________________________________________________.
4. Fred was late today. When he arrived the class had already begun.
_________________________________________________________.
5. The Spanish streets are packed with cheering football fans.
_________________________________________________________.
6. Jean came back from her holidays with a very nice tan.
_________________________________________________________.
 KEY
1. WRITE THESE SENTENCES IN THE PAST
1. She can speak Italian.
SHE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK ITALIAN when she was 6.
2. Simon may be here.
SIMON MAY HAVE BEEN HERE yesterday.
3. You must fill in the form.
YOU HAD TO FILL IN THE FORM last year.
4. They can’t sell their car. It’s too old.
THEY COULDN’T SELL THEIR CAR. It was too old.
5. He should eat less and do more exercise.
HE SHOULD HAVE EATEN LESS AND DONE MORE EXECISE when he was
younger.
6. He must be in now.
HE MUST HAVE BEEN IN THEN. The light was on.
7. You needn’t take a tent. We’ll stay at the village hotel.
YOU NEEDN’T HAVE TAKEN A TENT. We stayed at the village hotel.
2. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE CORRECT MODAL VERB
1. This is a wonderful essay. You MUST HAVE worked really hard.
2. I failed my driving test. I SHOULD HAVE stopped at the traffic lights.
3. You’re right. I COULDN’T HAVE said it better myself.
4. It’s a pity you couldn’t come to the party. Everybody missed you. You
SHOULDN’T HAVE stayed at home.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci MIGHT HAVE left a hidden message in his paintings.
6. Thanks a lot! You NEEDN’T HAVE bought such an expensive present.
7. I can’t see their car. They MUST HAVE stopped at the gas station.
8. It’s only 9 o’clock. They COULDN’T have gone to bed so early.
3. MAKE DEDUCTIONS ABOUT THESE SENTENCES (students own answers,
these are some suggestions)
1. I hadn’t seen him for a week when his mother told me he had just left the
hospital.
He must have been in hospital
2. Paul and Janet have bought a new car and a new house in the last two months!
They must have won the lottery
3. What ever happened to John? We all miss him.
He must have been ill
4. Fred was late today. When he arrived the class had already begun.
He must have missed the bus// He must have overslept
5. The Spanish streets are packed with cheering football fans.
The Spanish football team must have won the world cup
6. Jean came back from her holidays with a very nice tan.
It must have been sunny// She must have been sunbathing