DIRE DAWA UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Grammar: Modal Verbs Compiled by : Kibrom G.( M.A in TEFL)

Modal verbs are a part of the larger category called auxiliary verbs which are verbs that cannot
be used on their own. They need to be accompanied by another (main) verb. Sometimes modal
verbs are called modal auxiliaries.
The following words are modal verbs: Can, Could, May, Might, Must, Shall, Should, Will,
Would.
They are modal auxiliary verbs that provide additional information about the verb that follows it.
Modal verbs are used to express ability, obligation, permission, assumptions, probability and
possibility, requests and offers, and advice. Each modal verb can have more than one meaning
which depends on the context of that sentence (or question).

 You can go now. (= permission)

 I can play the guitar. (= ability)

STRUCTURE WITH MODAL VERBS

A Modal verb is followed by another verb in the base form (the infinitive without the 'To') and
they are not conjugated (we don't add an 'S' in third person). See the following structure:
Subject + Modal Verb + Verb (base form of the infinitive)

 I can speak English (NOT: I can to speak English)

 He can speak Spanish (NOT: He can speaks Spanish)
 She can speak Spanish (NOT: She cans speak Spanish)

Modal Verbs in Negative Sentences

Subject + Modal Verb + not + Verb (base form of the infinitive)

 You must not walk on the grass. (= You mustn't walk on the grass.)
 He cannot speak Arabic. (= He can't speak Arabic.)
 We should not be late. (= We shouldn't be late.)

As you can see in the examples above, contractions of the Modal verb + not are normally
possible.
The negative of can is cannot ('not' is joined to 'can') and the contraction is can't

Modal Verbs in Questions

Modal Verb + Subject + Verb (base form of the infinitive)

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  May I help you?
 Can I have another piece of cake please?
 Would you like to come with us?

List of modal verbs

Here is a list of modal verbs:

can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must

The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave like modal auxiliaries
to a large extent and may be added to the above list

USE OF MODAL VERBS:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

Examples of modal verbs

Here is a list of modals with examples:

Modal Verb Expressing Example

Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
must
logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He's been working all
day long.

must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.

ability I can swim.

can permission Can I use your phone, please?

possibility Smoking can cause cancer.

could ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.

polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?

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 possibility It could rain tomorrow!

permission May I use your phone, please?

may
possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow!

polite permission Might I suggest an idea?

might
possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next year.

lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of

need not
obligation tomatoes in the fridge.

50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a

terrible headache.
should/ought
advice You should / ought to revise your lessons
to
logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's been
working all day long.

had better advice You'd better revise your lessons

Remember
Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to", also called the bare infinitive.

Examples:

 You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.

 You should see to the doctor.
 There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.

What's the difference between must and have to?

Must and have to are modal verbs in English. This page will guide you to the proper use of these
modals.

Must
1. We use must to make a logical deduction based on evidence. It indicates that the speaker is
certain about something:

Examples:

 It has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.

 The weather is fantastic in California. It must be a lot fun to live there.

2. Must is also used to express a strong obligation.

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Examples:

 Students must arrive in class on time.

 You must stop when the traffic lights are red.
 I must go to bed.

Have to
Like must, have to is used to express strong obligation, but when we use have to there is usually
a sense of external obligation. Some external circumstance makes the obligation necessary.

Examples:

 I have to send an urgent email.

 I have to take this book back to the library.

Write the correct meaning of the modal forms in the following sentences

1. May I use your mobile phone?

2. May I help you?

3. You mustn't walk on grass.

4. What do you think I should do?

5. Can you help me with this exercise?

6. I can speak Arabic.

7. I think you should see a doctor.

8. You must stop when the traffic lights are red.

MODALS IN THE PRESENT AND PAST

Generally speaking modals in the past have the following form:

 modal + have + past participle

Example:

 Present:
You should see a doctor.
 Past:
You should have seen a doctor

Except for modals that express obligation, ability and lack of necessity:

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 Obligation:
Present = I must / have to work hard. -- Past = I had to work hard.
 Ability:
Present = I can run fast. -- Past = I could run fast when I was young.
 Lack of necessity:
Present = You don't have to / needn't take your umbrella. -- Past = You didn't have to /
didn't need to take your umbrella.

Modals in the Present Modals in the Past

Obligation You must / have to stop when the traffic You had to stop.
lights are red.

Advice You should see a doctor. You should have seen a doctor

Prohibition You mustn't smoke here. You mustn't have smoked there.

Ability I can run fast. I could run fast. now I am old.

Certainty He has a Rolls Royce. He must be very He must have been rich. He had a
rich. big house and an expensive car.
He can't be American. His English is He can't have written that poem.
terrible. He was illiterate.

Permission Can I go out? She could drive her father's car

when she was only 15.

Possibility It may / can / could / might rain. It's I guess it may / can / could /
cloudy. might have been Lacy on the
phone.

Lack of You don't have to / needn't buy any You didn't have to / didn't need to
necessity tomatoes. There are plenty in the fridge. buy tomatoes.

? WHY ARE MODAL VERBS IMPORTANT

Modal verbs allow us to quickly give more detail about an action in a sentence. As a kind of
auxiliary verb, modal verbs are useful for helping us communicate more clearly.

These words are often used in instructions, rules and guides - all areas where being precise and
commanding are important. Knowing the difference between ‘must’ and ‘might’ will help the
reader make a mental note of the importance of an instruction. This makes us better
communicators in our day-to-day life.

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Not just that, but having full grasp of this topic will allow young language learners to be more
particular about the words they use, which will improve their ability to communicate with
others.

Fill in the blank space with the right modal vebrb.

1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You buy any.

2. This is a hospital. You smoke here.

3. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He be tired after such

hard work. He prefer to get some rest.

4. I speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But
after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot

almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I just say a few things in the
language.

5. The teacher said we read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional.

But we read it if we don't want to.

6. you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I .

7. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you worry. We will help you
become a fluent speaker but you have to work hard.

8. Take an umbrella. It rain later.

9. You leave small objects lying around . Such objects be

swallowed by children.

10. People walk on the grass.

11. Drivers stop when the traffic lights are red.

12. I ask a question? Yes, of course.

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 13. You take your umbrella. It is not raining.

14. you speak Italian? No, I

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