Unit 5- Modal verbs

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Modal verbs= helping verbs
They help in passing messages about:
{Ability- Possibility- permission- Advice- necessity}- obligation- logical
assumption(conclusion)- Request.

Remark:
To express the : - Present/future: Modal + infinitive
- Past: Modal + present perfect (in most cases)
A- Ability [ CAN- Be able to]
• Present: can+ inf/ (am-is-are) able to + inf
• Past: Could+ inf/ (was/were) able to + inf
• Future: will be able to + inf ( the only form)

• E.g.: - I can speak French/ I am able to speak French fluently

- I could speak French /was able to speak French when I was 3.
- I will be able to speak French fluently at the end of this year.
B- Possibility [ May=Might=Can=Could]
• Present/future: May/Might/Can/Could + infinitive
e.g.: It may/might/can/could rain today.
Remark : here ‘could’ is just a synonym of ‘can’ not its past form.

• Past: May/might/could + present perfect(have + past participle)

e.g.: it may/might/could have rained yesterday.

Practice ( possibility)[ May/might/can/could]
• Use the Modal verb+ inf / Modal+ present perfect depending on the
time expression/meaning.
1. Why didn’t Sally show up last Saturday?
. She ……………………………………………………….………(be) sick.
2. If the weather remains hot, we…………………………………………………(go)
to the pool soon.
3. I………………………………..…………………….(ride) my bike but I preferred to
walk instead.
4. She hasn’t called yet. She……………………………….…………(be) on her
way.
C- Permission [can- could- May/would]
• Choosing the right modal verb for asking for permission depends on
the person I’m talking to:

(for Details, check your personal notes)

D- Advice - verb : to advise
- we can’t say ‘an advice’,
[ Should- ought to] we say ‘ a piece of advice’ or ‘ some advice’

• Both ‘should’ and ‘ought to’ are used for Giving advice in the Affirmative.
• E.g.: You should/ought to stop using your phone a lot.

Note:- ‘Ought to’ has NO INTERROGATIVE or NEGATIVE FORM.

- ‘should’ has all forms: Negative  Shouldn’t
: Interrogative Should I/Should they?/etc.
To express advice about the past :
Should/ ought to + present perfect.
e.g.: you should have said the truth from the beginning.
you ought to have said the truth from the beginning.
Practice (advice)
• Complete the sentences with the proper form of advice using modal
verbs. Write all possibilities.
• 1. You……………………………………(call) the police in case of any danger.
• 2. They ………………………………….(not/use) such disrespectful terms.
• 3. ………………………………………(we/reschedule) the meeting?
• 4. I believe what you did was wrong. You
………………………………………………… (be) more careful during the past
Interview.
E- Necessity [ Must- Need to]
• Necessity is about something really important to do; however, if the
person doesn’t do it, there’s no direct danger.
• In most cases the speaker decides what is necessary for him/her to
do.
-Must is not used in the INTERROGATIVE.
Must in the negative is Mustn’t (the ‘t’ is not pronounced)
- Need to has all forms: interrogative Do I need to/Does he need to..?
Negative Don’t need to/doesn’t need to
& NEEDn’t + infinitive
e.g.: You don’t need to ask call me in advance
you needn’t call me in advance.
• To express necessity in the past:
Must + present perfect You must have locked the door.
Needed to + infinitive You needed to lock the door

Negative ( past):
- Mustn’t + present perfect You mustn’t have forgotten the rules
- Needn’t + present perfect You needn’t have forgotten the rules
- Didn’t need to + infinitive you didn’t need to call me in advance.