Correct Usage of Modal Verbs
the exam now.”
Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb used
to express modality – the speaker’s attitude
towards the likelihood or necessity of an
action. Each modal verb has its own specific
usage and conveys a different level of
certainty or possibility. Here is the correct
usage of each modal verb:
1. Can: is used to express ability,
permission, or possibility in the
present or future. For example:
• Ability: “She can speak
Spanish fluently.”
• Permission: “You can leave
the room now.”
• Possibility: “It can get quite
hot in the summer.”
2. Could: is the past tense of “can” and
is used to express past ability, polite
requests, or conditional statements.
For example:
• Past ability: “When I was
younger, I could run very fast.”
• Polite request: “Could you
please pass me the salt?”
• Conditional statement: “If I
had more time, I could help
you with your project.”
3. Might: is used to express possibility
or uncertainty about a present or
future event. For example:
• Possibility: “It might rain later
today.”
• Uncertainty: “I might go to the
party, but I’m not sure yet.”
4. May: is used to express permission,
possibility, or a wish in a formal
context. For example:
• Permission: “You may begin
• Possibility: “It may snow
tomorrow.”
• Wish: “May you have a happy
birthday!”
5. Should: is used to give advice, make
recommendations, or talk about
expectations. For example:
• Advice: “You should eat more
fruits and vegetables.”
• Recommendation: “I think you
should watch that movie; it’s
really good.”
• Expectation: “He should be
here by now.”
6. Shall: is used to make suggestions,
offer assistance, or make promises in
formal contexts. For example:
• Suggestion: “Shall we go for a
walk in the park?”
• Offer of assistance: “I shall
help you with your
homework.”
• Promise: “I shall do my best to
finish the project on time.”
7. Will: is used to express future
intentions, predictions, promises, or
spontaneous decisions. For example:
• Future intention: “I will call you
tomorrow.”
• Prediction: “I think it will rain
later.”
• Promise: “I will always love
you.”
8. Would: is the past tense of “will” and
is used to talk about hypothetical
situations, polite requests, or
 expressing preferences. For
example:
• Hypothetical situation: “If I
won the lottery, I would travel
around the world.”
• Polite request: “Would you
mind closing the window?”
• Preference: “I would rather
stay home tonight.”
9. Ought: is used to indicate duty,
obligation, or advisability. For
example:
• Duty: “You ought to apologize
for your mistake.”
• Obligation: “We ought to
respect our elders.”
• Advisability: “You ought to
wear a coat; it’s cold outside.”
Prepositions are words that show At
relationships between other words in a
The preposition “at” is used to indicate a
sentence. They indicate location, time,
specific point, location, or time. It can also
direction, and other relationships. The
indicate a place where an action or event
prepositions “on,” “in,” and “at” are commonly
takes place. Here are some examples of its
used and have specific meanings. Here is a
usage:
detailed explanation of their usage:
• The store is at the corner of Main
On
Street and Oak Avenue. (indicating
The preposition “on” is used to indicate a the specific point or location)
surface or a particular place where
• He is at home. (indicating the specific
something rests or occurs. It can also
location where he is)
indicate a time period or a position. Here are
some examples of its usage: • The meeting starts at 3 pm.
(indicating the specific time when the
• The book is on the table. (indicating
meeting starts)
the surface where the book is resting)
• They are playing soccer at the park.
• She is on the phone. (indicating the
(indicating the place where they are
position or activity of the person)
playing soccer)
• The meeting is on Monday.
In summary, “on” indicates a surface or
(indicating the time period or day)
position, “in” indicates an enclosed space or
• The poster is on the wall. (indicating general time period, and “at” indicates a
the surface where the poster is specific point, location, time, or event.
hanging) Understanding these prepositions and their
usage can help you communicate more
In
effectively in English.
The preposition “in” is used to indicate a
container, a space, or a location that
encloses something. It can also indicate a
general time period or a situation. Here are
some examples of its usage:
• The milk is in the refrigerator.
(indicating the container where the
milk is stored)
• He is in the room. (indicating the
enclosed space where he is located)
• She was born in 1990. (indicating the
general time period when she was
born)
• He is in trouble. (indicating the
situation he is in)
Understanding Prepositions and • Whose: is a possessive pronoun
used to show ownership or
Verbs in English Grammar
belonging. For example, “Whose
In English grammar, prepositions such as book is this?”
“in,” “on,” and “at” are used to show the
In English grammar, understanding the
relationship between a noun or pronoun and
correct usage of prepositions and verbs is
other words in a sentence. These
essential for clear communication and proper
prepositions indicate location, time, or
sentence structure.
direction.
• In: is used to indicate being inside
something or within a specific area.
For example, “She is in the house.”
The past tense forms of the verb “to have”
• On: is used to indicate being in are as follows:
contact with a surface or position
above something. For example, “The 1. Have (present): I have a car.
book is on the table.” 2. Has (present): She has a dog.
• At: is used to indicate a specific point 3. Had (past): They had a great time.
or location. For example, “He is
waiting at the bus stop.” The past tense forms of the verb “to be” are
as follows:
Understanding Verb Tenses: Have, Has,
Had, Was, Were 1. Was (singular): He was at the party.

Verbs such as “have,” “has,” and “had” are 2. Were (plural): They were happy.
part of the auxiliary verb group in English
grammar. They are used to form tenses and
to show possession.
• Have/Has: “Have” is used with plural
subjects (I, you, we, they), while “has”
is used with singular subjects (he,
she, it). For example, “I have a car”
(plural) vs. “She has a cat” (singular).
• Had: “Had” is the past tense of both
“have” and “has.” It is used to show
possession or to form past perfect
tenses. For example, “They had
finished their homework.”
Understanding Pronouns: Whom and Whose
• Whom: is an object pronoun used
when referring to the object of a verb
or preposition. For example, “To
whom did you speak?”
Elements of Sentence
Structures
Sentences are the basic units of
communication in any language.
Sentence structure refers to the way words
are organized in a sentence, including the
arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses
to convey meaning.
Here are the key elements:
1. Subject: is the main noun or pronoun
that the sentence is about. It typically
performs the action in the sentence.
For example, in the sentence
“John runs every morning,” “John” is
the subject.
2. Predicate: the part of the sentence
that contains the verb and provides
information about the subject. It can
include verbs, objects, complements,
and other modifiers.
complements: subject complements
and object complements. Subject
complements provide information
about the subject, while object
complements provide information
about the object.
6. Modifiers: are words or phrases that
provide additional information about
other elements in a sentence. They
can include adjectives, adverbs,
prepositional phrases, and clauses.
7. Clauses: are groups of words that
contain a subject and a predicate.
There are two main types of clauses:
independent clauses (can stand
alone as complete sentences) and
dependent clauses (cannot stand
alone as complete sentences).
8. Phrase: is a group of words that
functions as a single unit within a
sentence but does not contain both a
subject and a predicate.

In the sentence “John runs every

morning,” “runs every morning” is
the predicate.
3. Verb: is a word that expresses an
action, occurrence, or state of being.
It is a crucial element in a sentence
as it conveys what the subject is
doing or being.
In the sentence “John runs every
morning,” “runs” is the verb.
4. Object: is a noun or pronoun that
receives the action of the verb. It
answers the question “what” or
“whom” after the verb.
In the sentence “John eats an apple,”
“an apple” is the object.
5. Complement: is a word or group of
words that completes the meaning of
a verb. There are two types of
Types of Sentence Structures
Simple Sentences: A simple sentence
consists of a single independent clause
with a subject and a predicate. It
expresses a complete thought and
stands alone as a sentence.
Example: “She sings.”
Compound Sentences: A compound
sentence is made up of two or more
independent clauses joined by
coordinating conjunctions like “and,”
“but,” or “or.”
Example: “She sings, and he dances.”
Complex Sentences: A complex
sentence contains an independent
clause and one or more dependent
clauses. The dependent clause cannot
stand alone as a complete sentence.
Example: “Although she sings well, she
is shy.”
Compound-Complex Sentences: A
compound-complex sentence combines
elements of both compound and complex
sentences. It has two or more
independent clauses and at least one
dependent clause.
Example: “Although she was tired, she
decided to go for a run, and he joined her
after finishing his work.”
THREE TENSES tense is used for actions that started in
the past and continue up to the present
The past perfect, present perfect, and or have relevance now, and the future
future perfect are three tenses used in perfect tense is used for actions that will
the English language to express different be completed at a specific point in the
time frames and actions. Here’s a future.
detailed explanation of each tense:
Past Perfect (had + Past Participle)
The past perfect tense is used to
describe an action that was completed
before another action in the past. It is
formed by using the auxiliary verb “had”
followed by the past participle of the main
verb.
• Example: She had finished her
homework before going to bed.
Present Perfect (have/has + Past
Participle)
The present perfect tense is used to
describe an action that started in the past
and continues up to the present or its
result is relevant now. It is formed by
using the auxiliary verb “have” or “has”
(depending on the subject) followed by
the past participle of the main verb.
• Example: I have lived in this city for
five years.
Future Perfect (will have + Past
Participle)
The future perfect tense is used to
describe an action that will be completed
at a specific time or point in the future. It
is formed by using the auxiliary verb “will
have” followed by the past participle of
the main verb.
• Example: By this time next year,
they will have traveled to 10
different countries.
In summary, the past perfect tense is
used for actions completed before
another past action, the present perfect