Modal verbs

Can, could, be able to, be allowed to, manage Must(n’t), can’t, have to, should, ought to, needn’t, be supposed to, had better

Possibility Permission Ability Prohibition Advice Certainty Obligation/

PHOTOCOPIABLE
can, could, be able to can, could, be able to, can, could, be able to, mustn’t, can’t should, ought to, must, can’t No obligation
be allowed to manage had better must, mustn’t,
have to, don’t have to,
May, might, can’t, could(n’t), mustn’t needn’t, be supposed to

Possibility Certainty Certainty and possibility

may, might, could
could – used only in
affirmative may and
might – used in affirmative
and negative
(in the past)
mustn’t / can’t / couldn’t +
have + the past participle
Use and form
(in the past)
• Modal verbs always go before another verb
modal verb + have +
• Never change form
the past participle
• Always followed by infinitive without to (exception: ought to)
• Followed by not in negative
• Go immediately before the subject in a question

© Cambridge University Press 2020

be allowed to
be allowed to: to say that we have permission to do something

I am (’m)/ allowed to run.
I am (’m) not allowed to run.
Am I allowed to run? Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
You / We / They are (’re) allowed to run.
You / We / They are not (aren’t) allowed to run.
Are you / we / they allowed to run? He / She / It is not (isn’t) allowed to run.
Yes, you / we / they are. Is he / she / it allowed to run?
No, you / we / they aren’t. Yes, he / she / it is. / No, he / she / it isn’t.
He / She / It is (’s) allowed to run.
Grammar Maps

Own it! 3 – Grammar Maps