FUNDAMENTALS OF

MODULE 1
GRAMMAR

TOPIC 1
References
 English for work
MODAL VERBS
 Flash on English. For LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Mechanics, Electronics &
Technical Assistance After this lesson, students will be able to:
 English for information
technology ▪ Talk about possibility, obligation, and giving some advice using propery
the modal verbs.

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1. READ AND PRACTICE
Read the following conversation. Pay attention to the words in blue.

Raphael: Can you help me? The program is not responding, and I don’t know what to do.
George: Look at the icon in the bottom corner of your screen. Is it flashing?
Raphael: No, it isn’t.
George: OK. Try closing down all the files you’re not using at the moment.
Raphael: But I can’t move the cursor at all. My screen is frozen. What should I do?
George: Have you tried pressing the Escape key?
Raphael: Yes, but nothing’s happened.
George: OK, you’ll need to reboot your machine. Press Control, Alt and Delete at the same time.
Raphael: I’ve never done that before. Will I lose all my files?
George: You might lose the file you were working on, but don’t worry, the help desk can restore it.

Look that in this conversation, people are using different modal verbs. Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb that
expresses possibility, necessity, obligation. They always go with a main verb.

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2. ACTIVITIES
A. Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences. Use CAN/CAN’T or COULD/COULDN’T.
1. I ___________ go to the party last night because I was sick.
2. My sister ___________ swim last year, but now she ___________.
3. They ___________ go shopping yesterday because the store was closed.
4. Ellie ___________ ride a bicycle. She rides it to school every day.
5. I’m very tired, so I ___________ go out to the park to play.
6. A: ___________ you see the moon last night? B: No, I ___________.
7. Most dinosaurs walked on land, but some ___________ fly or even swim.
8. Excuse me, I ___________ hear you right now. The music is too loud.
9. I ___________ drive a truck when I was only sixteen years old.
10. Douglas hit the tree because he ___________ stop his car.

B. Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences. Use SHOULD or SHOULDN’T.
1. It’s almost eight o’clock. You ___________ go to work now.
2. My friend ___________ try to quit smoking.
3. We should stay at home. We ___________ go out.
4. A: ___________ they watch TV all day? B: No, they __________.
5. Stewart looks very sick. He ___________ see a doctor.
6. You ___________ drive a car without wearing your seatbelt.
7. There’s a fire in the kitchen! What ___________ we do?
8. Please be quiet! You ___________ make so much noise in the library!
9. A: ___________ I press the red button? B: No, you ___________!
10. You ___________ cross the street until the light is green.

C. Complete the sentences below by using MAY (NOT) and MIGHT (NOT) to describe possibility.
1. There are some dark clouds in the sky. [may]
___It may rain. ___________________________________________
2. It’s nine-thirty and Jack feels tired. [might]
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. My class starts soon, but I’m not sure where the classroom is. [may not]
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. Sarah has some money and she is at a clothing store. [might]
_______________________________________________________________________________

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5. Kelly and Jenny are friends, but they live in different cities. They are both traveling to Washington this
summer. [may]
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. It’s cold outside, but James isn’t wearing a jacket. [might]
_______________________________________________________________________________
7. My brother is at a restaurant and he feels a little hungry. [may]
_______________________________________________________________________________
8. I should go to work today, but I feel a little sick. [might not]
_______________________________________________________________________________

D. Find the matching sentences below – Be careful: 5 circles don’t match!

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 E. Read the following sentences and complete them with the expressions from the box.

should be put away mustn’t smoke must be paid can flow should always provide

must be scheduled might be can be operated should put must wear

1. You ______________________________ your ear plugs in.

2. You ________________________here. There are flammable liquids.
3. You _______________________ googles in this area.
4. Please, be careful when you walk across the floor. It _____________________ slippery.
5. Car maintenance __________________________________ keeping in mind different factors.
6. Attention _____________________ to safety in order to ensure a safe working practice in factories.
7. A professional electrician _____________________________________ his customers with a map of the
electric circuit in the house.
8. Tools and protective clothing __________________________ when not in use.
9. Machine tools _______________________________ manually, or under automatic control.
10. An electric circuit or network is a pathway through which the electric current ___________________.

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3. VOCABULARY
A. Match the hazard with the possible result.

B. Match illustrations A-F to dangers 1-6 in the leaflet below. Then match dangers 1-6 to the pieces of advice
a-f.

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4. WRITING
A. Write a sentence for each of the illustrations in 3. Use the appropriate modal verb.

Unplug the computer before working inside it.

If you don’t you might get an electric shock.

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