MODALS
AND
SEMI
MODALS
WHAT ARE THEY ?
shall may might
should can
will
could
would
must
ought to
have to have got to
We use Modal verbs to talk about an ability/a duty/
a need /a necessity/wanting
WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT
THEM?
Modal verbs behave very differently from
normal verbs.
Here are some important differences:
HOW?
1. Modal verbs are always followed by a verb in
its base form.
EXAMPLES:
He can speak Chinese.
Compare: I speak Chinese.
He speaks Chinese
You may take the book to school.
She may take the book to school.
Compare: You take the books to school.
She takes the books to school.
?How
2. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third
person in the present simple.
EXAMPLES:
▪ He speaks Chinese.
▪ He can speak Chinese. (NOT- He cans speak…)
▪ She eats a sandwich at 9:30
▪ She may eat a sandwich at 9:30.
?How
3. You use "not" to make modal verbs
negative, even in Simple Present and
Simple Past.
(We don’t use the helping verb “do”)
EXAMPLES:
He should not be late.
They might not come to the party.
Compare: I don’t like to be late.
I cannot eat any more cake.
I don’t eat carrot cake.
?How
Many modal verbs cannot be used in the .4
.past tenses or the future tenses
EXAMPLES:
He will can go with us. WRONG
She must studied very hard. WRONG
MODAL VERBS AND THEIR
SUBSTITUTES
▪ Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why
we need to know their meaning and the substitute for these modal verbs.
WILL- WILL NOT - WON’T
We use this modal to speak about future actions that we are sure/
convinced about.
WILL- WILL NOT(=WON’T)
Today is Tuesday. Tomorrow will be
Wednesday.
= I know it because this is a known fact.
We will not be in the office
tomorrow.
= I know it because he is going on vacation.
CAN – COULD –BE ABLE TO
We use these modals to express:
▪ General ability/ disability
▪ possibility / impossibility
▪ opportunity
▪ Permission
▪ request
CAN
I can walk.
= I have the general ability to do
the action of walking.
I can’t hear you, it is too noisy.
=I don’t have the ability to hear what you are saying
because of the noise.
CAN
I have some free time. I can help her now.
=I have the opportunity to help her.
I can't help her now because I don't have any time.
=I don’t have the opportunity to help her.
CAN COULD
In the past, can changes to could.
He could speak only German when
he was a kid. He couldn’t speak to
his neighbor who speaks only English.
(General ability)
MAY
=future possibility/get permission
MAY
▪ I may choose to wear the red dress to the party.
=I have two dresses. There is a chance that I will choose to wear
the red dress and not the blue one.
▪ Today, he may come on time.
=Although usually he comes late,
There is a possibility that today he will come on time.
MAY
▪ May I come to visit you at 5 o’clock?
=I want to come to you but I’m not sure that you want me to
come/that you will be at home/that you will let me enter .
▪ You may take only one candy.
=Although there are more candies, I permit you to take only one
of them!
MIGHT
=possibility
MIGHT
▪ We may come on time, but if you miss the bus, we might be late.
=I plan to come on time and this is why I I want to catch the
7:15 bus.
If I catch the 7:30 bus, I can come on time or not, I’m not sure.
▪ If you advertise on the Internet you might get a lot of spam to your e-mail
box.
=Although you don’t want to get spam, there’s a risk that you
will get it.
SHOULD
= advice or a strong suggestion.
▪ If you want to be a champion you should practice every day.
=You don’t have to practice but then, you will
not get better.
▪ When you make a cheese cake, you should first check that you have cheese.
-or else, it will not be a cheese cake
MUST - MUST NOT
Must – very strong advice/ obligation
Must not – things you're not allowed to do.
▪ She is sick. She has high fever. She must take a pill.
= very strong advice/ obligation
▪ You must not ride your bike without a helmet!
= you're not allowed to do.
SEMI MODALS
HAVE TO - HAS TO
HAD TO – WILL HAVE TO
= it is necessary
=shows obligation and giving advice.
have to/has to –in the present/near future
had to –in the past
will have to –in the future
▪ I have to clean my room.
(My mother forces me to do it.)
▪ She has to finish the test before the bell rings.
(After the bell rings, you can’t go on answering the
questions.)
▪ she had to take radiation therapy for her illness.
(…to get well.)
▪ At the end of the 8th grade we will have to leave our school.
(…and go to high school.)
DON’T HAVE TO
DOESN’T HAVE TO
Don't have to / Doesn't have to
= it isn't necessary
OUGHT TO – BE SUPPOSED TO
– BE ALLOWED TO
▪ Ought to
▪ be supposed to= we expect him/her to
▪ be allowed to = permission someone will let/permit him to do it.
▪ That’s a great movie. You ought to see it! (or You
must see it.)
▪ The teacher is supposed to base the grades on the
tests and assignments.
▪ On Friday, the students in our school don’t have to
wear the school uniform. They are allowed to wear
any color they want. (They are permitted to / They can
even wear a pink shirt with yellow shoes.)
(BE) ABLE TO
be able to show an ability.
-I don’t know when I will be ready. I will be able to give you an answer later.
-Is he able to do it? Yes, he knows how to do it and has time to do it.
(=Can he do it?)