Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are also called modal auxiliaries. The following are the modal verbs used in English:
Can, could, may, might, will, would shall, should and Must.
A modal is always followed by the base form of the verb.
Ability:-
We use can to talk about someone’s ability in the present.
He can drive a car
We use could to express past ability, that is the ability that one possessed in the past.
Ex. Ravi could play the guitar when he was in college.
Permission / Asking for permission.
The four modal verbs can, could may & might can be used to ask for permission.
Can is quite common and is the most informal.
Ex. Can I use your book?
May is more formal than can and could and is more respectful.
Ex. May I use your book?
Might is the most polite but is rare & least common.
Ex. Might I use your book?
We use two modals can/cannot or may/may not to give or refuse permission in everyday situations.
Ex. You can/cannot use the library.
Offer and invitations
For offering and inviting, we use the phrase “Would you like…?” Ex. Would you like a cup of tea?
Possibility-
There are three modals –may, might and could that can be used to express possibility.
Ex.
1. He may be at home now.
2. He might be at home now.
3. He could be at home now.
We can express the possibility of an event happening by using be + present participle form of the main verb with may, might or could.
a). Rita may be working at home.
b). Ravi might be studying hard.
Requests
We can use can, could, may, might, will & would to make a simple request in an informal manner-
Ex.1. Can I sit with you.
Ex.2. Can I have milk please?
Could is also used to make a request. The use of could is considered more polite than can.
Ex.1. Could I see the doctor please?
May & might are more formal than can and could to make request.
Ex. May I know your name, please?
Will & would can also be used to make polite request for actions in the immediate or distant future. Ex. Will/would you open the door, please?
Suggestions
The most common way to make a suggestion is by using an interrogative sentence beginning with shall and we – Ex. Shall we do this work today?
Shall we go now?
Another way of making a suggestion is to use could/might in a declarative sentence.
We could see this film today.
You might build your house there.
Necessity& Compulsion
We use ‘must’ and ‘have to’ to show that it is necessary to do something – Ex. You must/have to attend the class tomorrow.
We use ‘must’ to talk about the present & future. There is no past tense form of must. Therefore ‘had to’ is used to express past obligation.
Ex. They had to attend the meeting yesterday.
Note: If there is a personal opinion ‘Must’ is used, if it is not a personal opinions, have to is used (not must). Ex. It is a great film. You must see it.
In many countries, men have to do military service.
Exercise (Elementary)
Complete these sentences using can or can’t, could not + one of these verbs: Come, find, hear, see, speak, eat, decide find, go, sleep, go
1. You are speaking very quietly. I __________ you.
2. I like this hotel room. You __________ the mountain from the window.
3. I wasn’t hungry yesterday. I __________ my dinner.
4. Ravi __________ to the class last week. He was ill.
5. Rakesh got the job because he __________ five languages.
6. Have you seen my bag? I __________ it.
7. John doesn’t know what to do. She __________
Exercise (Intermediate)
Put in must / had to / mustn’t / needn’t
1. You __________ go. You can stay here if you want.
2. It’s a fantastic film. You __________ see it.
3. We’ve got enough food, so we __________ go shopping.
4. We didn’t have any food yesterday, so we __________ go shopping.
5. I want to know what happened. You __________ tell me.
6. You __________ tell John what happened. I don’t want him to know.
7. I __________hurry or I’ll be late.
8. Why were you so late? I __________wait half an hour for a bus.
9. We __________ decide now. We can decide later.
10. It’s late. I __________ go now.
Exercise (Elementary)
Complete the sentences. Use you should + one of these verbs.
Clean, go, take, visit, watch, wear.
1. When you play tennis, __________ the ball.
2. It’s late and you’re very tired. __________ to bed.
3. __________ your teeth twice a day.
4. If you have time __________ the library.
5. When you’re driving __________ a helmet.
6. Its too far to walk from here to the station .________ an auto.
 

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