Modals

 auxiliary verbs that provide specific meaning to the main verb of the sentence
 verbs combined with other verbs to indicate mood or tense
 used to express functions such as ability, permission, possibility, obligation, strong belief, advice, request or
offer, improbability or impossibility
 cannot stand alone as main verbs

Modal Function Present Form Past Form

I can run 10 miles.
- To show
ability/capability Students can pre-
enroll in different classes.
- To suggest I could run 10 miles when I
possibility or give Can you call me? was young.
an option You can leave now.
Can
It cannot be Jim standing
- To ask for or give there. He went away for the
permission weekend.
The speaker who is against
- To show death penalty says, “Lost lives
impossibility can never be brought back
again.”
- To show past
Could I call you?
ability/capability I could run 10 miles when I
was young.
Why is Mary here?
- To ask polite
She could be busy.
question
Why wasn’t Mary here last
He could not be there at the
- To show possibility night? She could have
party. He is out of town.
been busy.
- To show He could not have been
You could try going this way.
impossibility there at the party last
night. He was out of town.
You could personally talk to
Could - To suggest You could have tried going
your teacher regarding your
opportunity or give this way.
academic concern.
an option
- To ask or give
May I call you?
permission (formal)
May
The instructor may come to
- To show
class today.
possibility/prediction
The instructor might have
The instructor might come to
Might - To show possibility come to class late
class late today.
yesterday.
- To show advisability You should try the new
You should have tried the
restaurant downtown.
new restaurant downtown.
- To should
I should have renewed my
duty/obligation/ I should renew my driver’s
Should driver’s license.
certainty license.
You should have received
- To show You should receive the letter
the letter in two days.
expectation in two days.
You ought to have
exercised regularly.

I ought to have registered

- To show advisability
You ought to exercise to vote by October.
regularly. You ought to have
- To show obligation
I ought to register to vote. received my letter two
Ought to
days ago.
- To show
You ought to receive my letter
expectation
in two days.
 - To show probability Janice must be out this
Janice must have been out
or to make a logical evening. She does not answer
last evening. She did not
assumption the phone.
answer the phone.
Must
- To show I must call my parents tonight.
I was late for the meeting
necessity/advice/str
because I had to call my
ong belief You must not cross the street
parents last night.
- To show prohibition on red light.
- To express She must be done with her
Must be
deduction project by now.
- To show necessity Mike has to make up the class Mike had to make the
he missed. class he missed.
Have to - To show lack of
necessity I am glad that I do not have to I did not have to cook last
cook tonight. night.
He will leave for the plane at 7
- To indicate future a.m.
time
The federal government will
- To make a promise provide assistance to the
- or show willingness hurricane victims.
Will
- To state a general The new car they have
truth developed will run on either
gasoline or ethanol.
- To ask a polite
question Will you help me with these
boxes?
- To ask a polite
question

- To indicate a
repeated action in When I lived in LA, I would
Would you help me with these
the past go to the beach every day.
boxes?
Would
- To indicate future Mark promised that he
If I were you, I would ask for
time in the sentence would help me with my
apology.
in the past Math homework.

- To express
suggestion or
conditionality

I would rather go to summer

Would rather - To show preference
school than graduate late.

I would like to go to medical I would have liked to go to

Would like - To express desire
school. medical school.

Would have, could have, and should have, must have, might have plus the main verb are modals used
hypothetically to talk about things that did not happen. They are also used to express regret or conditions contrary to
fact.

 I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.

 He could have studied harder, but he was too lazy; that’s why he failed in the exam.
 Had I been permitted, I would have gone to the party.
 He should have told the truth about what he saw.

Modals can also be used to express degrees of possibilities

 To express impossibility or near impossibility, use cannot.

 To express low possibility, use may/may not; might not; or could/could not.
 To express moderate possibility, use should/should not.
 To express high possibility, or probability, use must.
 To express certainty or human intentions, use will/will not.
 In the past context, use would/would not.