Modal Auxiliaries

Can We use can to: talk about possibility and ability make requests ask for or give permission

Modal Auxiliaries

Examples: I can drive a truck. (ability) Can I come in? (request) Can I use your cell phone? (permission)

Modal Auxiliaries

Use of Could could: Past Possibility or Ability could: Requests

Modal Auxiliaries

May & Might May Talking about things that can happen in

certain situations Might Saying that something was possible, but did

not actually happen

Modal Auxiliaries

Examples: The sky is very dark. It may (or might) rain

today. John is tight-fist, but he might lend you

some money. May I come in? (request – polite) May your dreams come true.

Modal Auxiliaries

Must Necessity and obligation Strong advice and invitations Saying you think something is certain

Must not / mustn’t Prohibition

Modal AuxiliariesExamples:

Obligation

We must drink water to survive.

She must pay this bill today.

Deduction

John hasn’t drunk water for 10 hours. He must be thirsty.

Prohibition: You mustn’t smoke in the elevator.

Modal Auxiliaries

Should = ought to Giving advice Obligation: weak form of must Things which didn't or may/may not have

happened

Modal Auxiliaries

Ought to Ought to usually has the same meaning as should, particularly in affirmative statements in the

You should/ought to get your hair cut. Should is much more common (and easier

to say!), so if you're not sure, use should.

Modal Auxiliaries

Notes: Modal verbs do not accept other auxiliares Eg.Do,does,did, will They do not receive an “s” in the 3rd person

of singular. Eg. He cans. – Completely wrong.

Modal Auxiliaries

Therefore, if you want to say something that you can do or must do in the future or in the past you have to do the following:

Can = to be able to I will be able to swim well in two months. I was able to dance well when I was young.

Modal Auxiliaries

Must = have to You will have to talk to Sue tomorrow first

thing in the morning. They had to stay at home all last weekend

long because the weather was terrible. It snowed all the time.

Today is Sunday. I don’t have to go to school.

Primary helping verbs

To have is also in combination with other modal verbs to express probability and possibility in the past.

As an affirmative statement, to have can express how certain you are that something happened (when combined with an appropriate modal + have + a past participle)

Primary helping verbs

Examples: I should have bought that car that I saw in

the agency last Sunday. I can’t find my keys. I must have left them in

the restaurant while we were having lunch. Why didn’t you help that old lady cross the

street. You could have helped her.

Primary helping verbs

As a negative statement, a modal is combined with not + have + a past participle to express how certain you are that something did not happen:

“George might not have known about the gifts."

Prepared By:

Mansor Bin Esa English Language Teacher SK Padang Jawa, Shah Alam