What Are Modals?
Modals are helping (auxiliary) verbs that express ability, possibility, permission, necessity,
obligation, or advice.
Common Modals:
Can / Could – ability, permission, possibility
May / Might – permission, possibility
Shall / Should – suggestion, obligation
Will / Would – future, polite requests
Must – necessity, strong obligation
Ought to – advice
Need to – necessity
Have to – external obligation
Structure
Modal + base verb (V1)
✅She can swim.
✅You must wear a mask.
Examples by Function
Function Modal Verbs Examples
She can dance. / He could sing
Ability can, could
well.
May I leave early? / Can I borrow
Permission can, could, may
your pen?
Possibility may, might, could It might rain today.
Advice should, ought to You should eat healthy food.
Necessity must, need to, have to You must wear your ID card.
Polite Request could, would, can Could you help me with this?
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with suitable modals
(Use: can, could, may, might, must, should, would, will)
1. You ___ not use your phone during the exam.
2. She ___ speak five languages fluently.
3. ___ I leave early today?
4. You ___ drink more water; it's good for you.
5. He ___ be at home now; his car is not in the garage.
6. We ___ go to the museum this weekend. What do you think?
7. I ___ help you with your homework if you like.
8. Students ___ carry their ID cards at all times.
Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the correct modal
1. It is necessary for you to wear a seatbelt.
→ You ___ wear a seatbelt.
2. I request you to close the door.
→ ___ you close the door?
3. It is possible that he is late.
→ He ___ be late.
4. It's a good idea for her to take rest.
→ She ___ take rest.
Exercise 3: Match the modal to its function
Modal Function
must a. advice
can b. ability
might c. strong obligation
should d. possibility
Exercise 4: Speaking Practice Prompts (Use modals in
answers)
1. What should a person do if they have a headache?
2. What can you do to help the environment?
3. What must not be done in a library?
4. What would you do if you won a lottery?
5. What could you do better in school?
Exercise 5: Error Correction
Find and correct the mistakes in modal usage:
1. You must to study for the test.
2. She can sings beautifully.
3. May you help me with this?
4. He shoulds take medicine.
Answers
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with suitable modals
1. You must not use your phone during the exam.
2. She can speak five languages fluently.
3. May I leave early today?
4. You should drink more water; it's good for you.
5. He might be at home now; his car is not in the garage.
6. We could go to the museum this weekend. What do you think?
7. I can help you with your homework if you like.
8. Students must carry their ID cards at all times.
Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the correct modal
1. You must wear a seatbelt.
2. Could you close the door?
3. He might be late.
4. She should take rest.
Exercise 3: Match the modal to its function
Modal Function
must c. strong obligation ✅
can b. ability ✅
might d. possibility ✅
should a. advice ✅
Exercise 4: Sample Speaking Answers
(Answers will vary — here are some model responses)
1. A person should take some rest and drink water.
2. I can recycle, plant trees, and avoid plastic.
3. You must not speak loudly or use mobile phones.
4. I would travel the world and donate to charities.
5. I could improve my time management and focus more.
Exercise 5: Error Correction
1. ✅ You must to study for the test.
✅ Youmust study for the test.
2. ✅ Shecan sings beautifully.
✅ Shecan sing beautifully.
3. ✅May you help me with this?
✅Could you help me with this? (“May” is rarely used to ask for help informally)
4. ✅ Heshoulds take medicine.
✅ Heshould take medicine.
