MODAL VERBS
1. Complete the sentences with the correct modal verb: should / (x2) can / have to (x2)
mustn’t / don’t have to /could
1 You ______________ smoke in public places.
2 We ______________ learn Chinese in our school.
3 You ______________ wear a crash helmet when you are riding a motorbike.
4 You ______________ eat a healthy diet.
5 I ______________ study hard all weekend.
6 You ______________ respect other people’s opinions.
7 She ______________ always sing really well.
8 ______________ you leave us alone now?
2. Give two pieces of advice for the situations below. Use an appropriate modal verb.
1 Your teacher is working too hard and is exhausted.
He / She __________________________________________________________________
2 Your father wants to learn how to use a computer.
He __________________________________________________________________
3 One of your friends is very bossy and nobody wants to spend time with them.
He / She __________________________________________________________________
4 Your friend wants to get married. You think she’s too young.
She __________________________________________________________________
5 Your brother wants to leave school and become a mechanic.
He __________________________________________________________________
3. Circle the correct option.
1 I’m not sure where Jane is. She could / must be at the office.
2 Sally has to / doesn’t have to pass all her exams because she wants to go to university.
3 You ought to / can check you have all the ingredients before you start making the cake.
4 The letter should / couldn’t arrive tomorrow. It was sent by express delivery.
5 You mustn’t / have to book the tickets soon, otherwise they’ll be sold out!
6 You don’t have to / mustn’t smoke at a petrol station. You can’t / could cause an explosion.
7 That painting is obviously a forgery. It mustn’t / can’t be by Van Gogh.
8 That doesn’t have to / can’t be right! The answers must / can be wrong.
4. Match the sentence beginnings (1-4) with the endings (a-d).
1. 1 You have to watch a that programme if you don’t want to.
2 You must watch b that programme – you’ll love it!
3 You mustn’t watch c too much TV. It’s bad for you.
4 You don’t have to watch d a lot of TV if you want to become a TV critic.
2. 1 You have to buy a any more books or you’ll spend all your money.
2 You must buy b the new book by Dan Brown. It’s incredible.
3 You mustn’t buy c the books – you can get them from the library.
4 You don’t have to buy d all the books before the course starts. It’s a
university regulation.
5. Choose the correct modal verb.
1 A John! Your room’s filthy! You absolutely must / should / can clean it now.
B You love giving orders! You ought to / can / must be in the army.
2 A What are you doing here? You have to / must / should be in your maths class.
B I don’t have to / mustn’t / shouldn’t go to class if I don’t want to.
A You mustn’t / don’t have to / couldn’t miss class or you’ll never pass your exam.
3 A What documents do I have to / must I / can I get if I want to work in Australia?
B No idea. Maybe you should / must / have to ask Pete. He lived there for a while.
4 A Can I / Must I / Should I have another coffee please? I couldn’t / mustn’t / shouldn’t order
before because you were too busy.
B I’m sorry but the restaurant’s closed. Can / should / must you leave now please?
6. Rewrite these sentences using an appropriate modal verb.
1 Last year, I didn’t know how to use Power Point. ______________________________________
2 Is it necessary for me to have a passport? ______________________________________
3 I suggest that you try the shop round the corner. ______________________________________
4 It’s my personal obligation to speak to her. ______________________________________
5 Would you mind helping me with these bags? ______________________________________
6 You’re not allowed to eat in class! ______________________________________