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•comes before another verb and adds to the meaning of that verb;
can / could
may/ might
shall/ should
ought to
must
have to
need
When using modals (except for “have to” it
is important to remember the following rules:
A modal always has the same form. There is no –s ending, no –ing or
–ed forms.
e.g. Paul can speak English fluently.
Most modals have more that one meaning, depending on the context
they are used.
1. To talk about what you are 2. To talk about a general possibility
able to do "The weather here can get really bad."
"He is so strong! He can lift "These chairs can be folded."
that car!" "Such things can happen."
"She can't come before four
o'clock."
"Can he teach?"
3. To say that something is 4. To make a request
allowed (this is an informal use, "may" is the
"He can borrow my book if he needs formal version)
it." "Can you help me with my homework?"
"You can't smoke in here". "Can you make some tea?"
"You can pay with a credit card." "Can you come here, please?"
As the past form of "can"
"HeAs saidthe past form
he couldn't comeof "can"
so early."
"I"He said he
couldn't couldn't who
remember comehesowas."
early."
"I couldn't
"They remember
couldn't who
pass the he was."
border."
"They couldn't pass the border."
"Must not" (or "mustn't") is used to show you are not allowed to
do"Must not" (or "mustn't") is used to show you are not allowed to
something
do something
"You mustn't steal."
"You mustn't
"He mustn't talksteal."
to his parents like that."
"He mustn't talk to his
"The fruit of this bush parents
must likeeaten
not be that."
because it is toxic."
"The fruit of this bush must not be eaten because it is toxic."
Past Simple did not/ didn’t .He did not have to go to work yesterday
have to
To say something is forbidden / prohibited / not allowed, we use “mustn’t”
e.g. You mustn’t smoke in public places. – Smoking in public places is forbidden.
“Mustn’t” does not mean the same as don’t have to.
Compare the sentences:
You mustn’t go out in the interval. (You are not allowed to smoke)
You don’t have to go out in the interval. ( it isn’t necessary…)
“Needn’t” means the same as “not have to”. We use “needn’t” to mean
there is no necessity to do something.
e.g. You must be tired. You have been working all day long. (I’m sure that…)
There are no lights on. They must be sleeping. (Obviously…)
We use can’t and couldn’t to say that something is definitely not true
or unlikely to be true.
e.g. This story can’t / couldn’t be true. (I’m sure it’s not true)
e.g. You should do more exercise.
She shouldn’t work so hard.
Should we do all this work?
We can use “ought to” instead of “should”.
e.g. You ought to practice more if you want to succeed.
Positive Negative Past Negative
should shouldn’t should have + V3 shouldn’t have +V3
ought to oughtn’t to ought to have + V3 oughtn’t to have + V3
Often “should” and “ought to” are used to show that something is not
what we expect, and needs to be changed.
e.g. Why does this cost so much? It should/ ought to cost less.
We use should have or ought to have + V3 to express regret or to say
that someone did the wrong thing.
e.g. You shouldn’t have said that . It sounded insulting.
The phrasal modal “had better” has a similar meaning to “should” (it is
advisable that…). The contracted form “ ‘d better” is mostly commonly used.
e.g. I want to be home in the afternoon. I’d better go now or I’ll be late.
“Had better” is often stronger than “should”; it can sound like a threat.
e.g. You’d better study harder for the test or you’ll fail.
The negative of “had better” is “had better not”.
e.g. You’d better not speak to me like that.
Remember! The form is always “had better” but it does not refer to
the past. It refers only to the present and future.
e.g. You’d better go.= You should go.
past form of "can" She said she could pay for us as well.
must not/
you are not allowed to do it You mustn't smoke in here.
mustn't
Modal verb Usage Example
future for "I" and "we" I shall see him tomorrow.
shall questions and suggestions for "I"
Let's continue, shall we?
and "we"
the right thing to do She should call the police.
- What should I do?
advice
should - You should stop thinking about it.
what is likely or
We should be back by midnight.
expected to happen
possibility
can It can rain sometimes.
(general)
possibility
It could rain, but it is not very common in this
(weaker than could
part of the country.
"may" and "might")
possibility
might It's not very cloudy yet, but it might rain.
(weaker than "may")
possibility
may It starts getting cloudy – it may rain soon.
(stronger than "might")