Modal verbs: general points

• Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs (they are used with other main verbs).

• Modal verbs are: can, could, will, would, may, might, should and must.

• Two modal verbs cannot be together. He can will meet you tomorrow.

• Modal verbs are followed by infinitive without to. He must to meet you tomorrow.

• Modal verbs do not have the third person -s. He cans meet you tomorrow.

• Modal verbs do not form tenses with -ing, -ed, ... He is musting to study..

• Modal verbs use inversion in questions. Do you can meet me tomorrow ?

• Negatives are made by putting NOT after the modal. I can't (cannot)
 ABILITY ADVICE, NECESSITY POSSIBILITY AND
AND OBLIGATION CERTAINTY

Can, Could, Must, Have to, Need, Should, May, Might, Can,
Be able to Ought to Could, Must.

MUST.
MAY, MAY NOT, MIGHT,
CAN. (Or Have to) to talk about obligation.
MIGHT NOT and COULD.
To talk about ability in When something is
the present. MUSTN'T.
possible. MUST.
To talk about prohibition.
When we are certain
COULD NEED. (Negative and interrogative).
that something is true.
To talk about ability in NEED TO (Affirmative)
CAN'T.
the past. To express necessity.
When we are certain
NEEDN'T.
that something is impossible.
BE ABLE TO (Or Don't Have to) when there is
To talk about ability in no obligation.
the rest of tenses. SHOULD, OUGHT TO and
SHOULDN'T.
To give advice and
recommendations.
 Modals + perfect infinitives

• We use some modal verbs with HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE to talk about past events.
• MUST HAVE + past participle . To express certainty or to make a logical deduction
about the past.
• CAN'T HAVE + past participle. To express an impossibility in the past.
• MIGHT / MAY / COULD HAVE + past participle. To express a possibility in the past.
• COULD HAVE + past participle. To suggest an alternative past action , even though it is
now too late.
• SHOULD HAVE + past participle. When we wish something had happened in the past
(but it didn't)
• SHOULDN'T HAVE + past participle. When we wish something had not happened in
the past ( but it did)