MODAL VERBS

1. Complete the sentences with the correct modal verb:

should / ought to (x2) can / have to (x2) mustn’t / don’t have to could
1 You ______________ smoke in public places.
2 We ______________ learn Chinese in our school.
3 You ______________ wear a crash helmet when you are riding a motorbike.
4 You ______________ eat a healthy diet.
5 I ______________ study hard all weekend.
6 You ______________ respect other people’s opinions.
7 She ______________ always sing really well.
8 ______________ you leave us alone now?

2. Put in 'can' / 'can't' / 'could' / 'couldn't'. If none is possible, use 'be able to' in the correct tense.
1. _________________ you swim when you were 10?
2. We _________________ get to the meeting on time yesterday because the train was delayed
3. He _________________ arrive at the party on time, even after missing the train, so he was pleased.
4. He's amazing. He _________________ speak 5 languages including Chinese.
5. I _________________ drive a car until I was 34, then I moved to the countryside so I had to learn.
6. I looked everywhere for my glasses but I _________________ find them anywhere.
7. I searched for your house for ages. Luckily, I _________________ find it in the end.
8. She's 7 years old but she _________________ read yet – her parents are getting extra lessons.
9. I read the book three times but I _________________ understand it.
10. James _________________ speak Japanese when he lived in Japan, but he's forgotten it now.
11. I _________________ understand the chapter we had to read for homework. It was so difficult.
12. I _________________ lift this box – it's too heavy! Would you help me?
13. Lucy _________________ make it to our meeting after all. She's stuck in traffic at the moment.
14. John _________________ play tennis really well. He's champion of his club.
15. Unfortunately, I really _________________ sing at all! No-one in my family is musical either.
16. When the car broke down, I was really pleased because I _________________ solve the problem.
17. Julian _________________ play excellent golf when he was only ten.
18. My grandmother _________________ use a computer until last month. Since then, she's been taking
lessons at the library.
19. I _________________ open this window. I think it's stuck!
20. Gill _________________ play the piano. She's never studied it.

3. Give two pieces of advice for the situations below. Use an appropriate modal verb.
1 Your teacher is working too hard and is exhausted.
He / She __________________________________________________________________
2 Your father wants to learn how to use a computer.
He __________________________________________________________________
3 One of your friends is very bossy and nobody wants to spend time with them.
He / She __________________________________________________________________
4 Your friend wants to get married. You think she’s too young.
She __________________________________________________________________
5 Your brother wants to leave school and become a mechanic.
He __________________________________________________________________

4. Circle the correct option.

1 I’m not sure where Jane is. She could / must be at the office.

2 Sally has to / doesn’t have to pass all her exams because she wants to go to university.

3 You ought to / can check you have all the ingredients before you start making the cake.

4 The letter should / couldn’t arrive tomorrow. It was sent by express delivery.

5 You mustn’t / have to book the tickets soon, otherwise they’ll be sold out!

6 You don’t have to / mustn’t smoke at a petrol station. You can’t / could cause an explosion.

7 That painting is obviously a forgery. It mustn’t / can’t be by Van Gogh.

8 That doesn’t have to / can’t be right! The answers must / can be wrong.

5. Match the sentence beginnings (1-4) with the endings (a-d).

1. 1 You have to watch a that programme if you don’t want to.

2 You must watch b that programme – you’ll love it!

3 You mustn’t watch c too much TV. It’s bad for you.

4 You don’t have to watch d a lot of TV if you want to become a TV critic

2. 1 You have to buy a any more books or you’ll spend all your money.

2 You must buy b the new book by Dan Brown. It’s incredible.

3 You mustn’t buy c the books – you can get them from the library.

4 You don’t have to buy d all the books before the course starts. It’s a
university regulation.

6. Choose the correct modal verb.

1 A John! Your room’s filthy! You absolutely must / should / can clean it now.

B You love giving orders! You ought to / can / must be in the army.
 2 A What are you doing here? You have to / must / should be in your maths class.

B I don’t have to / mustn’t / shouldn’t go to class if I don’t want to.

A You mustn’t / don’t have to / couldn’t miss class or you’ll never pass your exam.

3 A What documents do I have to / must I / can I get if I want to work in Australia?

B No idea. Maybe you should / must / have to ask Pete. He lived there for a while.

4 A Can I / Must I / Should I have another coffee please? I couldn’t / mustn’t / shouldn’t order

before because you were too busy.

B I’m sorry but the restaurant’s closed. Can / should / must you leave now please?

7. Rewrite these sentences in your notebook using an appropriate modal verb.

1 Last year, I didn’t know how to use Power Point. ______________________________________

2 Is it necessary for me to have a passport? ______________________________________

3 I suggest that you try the shop round the corner. ______________________________________

4 It’s my personal obligation to speak to her. ______________________________________

5 Would you mind helping me with these bags? ______________________________________

6 You’re not allowed to eat in class! ______________________________________

8.Complete these sentences with must, mustn’t or the correct or the correct form of have to.

1.- At our school we __________ wear a uniform.

2.- You __________ cross the roads without looking. It’s dangerous.

3.- You _______ turn on the central heating. It’s automatic.

4.- The exams are next week. I __________ work harder.

5.- You ________ forget your umbrella. It’s going to rain.

6.- Students _________ listen to the teacher or they won’t understand.

7.- You _____ cross the road when the red light is showing.

8.- We __________ leave now or we’ll miss the plane.

9.- Soldiers ____________ obey orders.

10.- Sorry, I ___________ go now. I don’t want to be late.

11.- Shop assistants __________ deal with the public.

12.- You __________ come with us if you don’t want to.

13.- I was late this morning because I _________ wait a long time for the bus.
14.- In Spain, teachers __________ wear uniforms.

15.- You ___________ take food in your room.

16.- You __________ use the elevators in case of fire.

17.- I _________ wear glasses because I can’t see very well.

18.- You ___________ read this book. It’s really good.

19.- You __________ go shopping today. We don’t need anything.

20.- You __________ a mobile phone in class.

21.- We ___________ feed the animals. It’s forbidden.

22.- We _________ book the tickets before it’s too late.

23.- In Spain, teachers _________ work on Saturdays.

24.- In Britain you __________ drive on the left.

25.- Every player in a football team __________ have a number.

26.- You ___________ forget his birthday again.

27.- Doctors sometimes ___________ work at the weekend.

28.- Nowadays in Spain pupils ____ learn Latin at school.

29.- You __________ smoke on public places.

30.- My wife __________ go to work today. It’s a holiday.