Grammar Worksheet – Using Modal Verbs:
Part 1 - What Are Modal Verbs?
Modal verbs are verbs that indicate likelihood, ability, permission or obligation. For example, words
like:
can/could/may/might/must
will/would/shall/should
Here are additional examples for each modal verb:
Use Modal Verb Example
Likelihood May, Might He may arrive late due to traffic.
Will, Would They might go to the concert if they can get tickets.
I will finish my project by Friday.
I would love to travel to Japan someday.
Ability Can, Could She can speak three languages fluently.
He could run fast when he was younger.
Permission Can Can I borrow your book for a week?
May, Might May I use your phone to make a call?
You might want to ask the teacher for help.
Obligation Must Students must submit their assignments on time.
Should, Shall You should practice regularly to improve your skills.
We shall discuss the plan in our next meeting.
Form:
These verbs have certain differences from the rest of the verbs:
o They are followed by a bare infinitive; this means an infinitive without ‘TO’
o They don’t add an –‘S’ in the present for the 3rd singular person
o They don’t have any auxiliaries for the negative
Activity 1:
The modal verb has been highlighted. Identify whether the sentence is describing likelihood,
ability, obligation or permission. Some sentences can be identified as more than one or have
multiple uses (9-11, only one has been highlighted).
1. You must wear a helmet when riding a bike.
2. She can solve complex math problems.
3. They might go to the beach this weekend.
4. May I leave early today?
5. He will probably finish his work by noon.
6. You should check your answers before submitting the test.
7. I could swim across the lake when I was a child.
8. You may use my laptop if you need it.
9. She might go to the gym later, but she should finish her project first.
10. I can help you with your homework, but you should try it on your own first.
11. If the team practices hard, they might improve their performance, and they could win the
championship.
Activity 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct modal verb.
1. You ____________ finish your homework before playing.
2. ____________ I borrow your pen, please?
3. She ____________ be at home; her lights are off.
4. She _________ play the guitar quite well.
5. They _________ go to the concert if they can find tickets.
6. May I _________ you a question about the assignment?
7. He __________ arrive late due to the traffic.
8. You _________ practice more if you want to improve your skills.
9. We _________ meet at the café at 3 PM.
10. You _________ visit the museum tomorrow, but you ___________ check the opening hours first.
11. They ___________ take a trip to the mountains next weekend, if the weather ___________ be
nice.
Activity 3: Choose 5 modal verbs and create sentences.
Part 2 - Negative Form of Modal Verbs:
Can → (Can Not) Could → (Could May → May Not Might → Might Not
Can’t Not) Couldn’t
Must → (Must Will → Will Not Would → Would Shall → Shall Should →
Not) Mustn’t (Won’t) Not (Wouldn’t) Not (Shan’t) Should Not
(Shouldn’t)
Activity 1: Change the meaning of the modal verbs to the negative form. Last two boxes come
up with two sentences of your own.
Example –
Positive form: We can explore the city tomorrow.
Negative form: We can’t explore the city tomorrow.
Positive Form Negative Form
She can join us for dinner.
They might go to the concert tonight.
He must finish his report tomorrow.
You will enjoy the movie.
We should visit the museum this weekend.
Activity 2: Correct the Mistakes
Identify and correct any mistakes in the use of modal verbs in these sentences.
Sentence: Correction:
He can plays football very well.
You mustn’t forget to call your mother.
May I borrow your pen?
She should to study for her exams.
They might arrives late due to traffic.
She must learn the lyrics to the Jay Chou song
for the competition.
They should to try the traditional Cantonese
dish at the festival.
He may plays in the final match this weekend.
The team can win the championship if they
practice hard.
Activity 3: Change the sentences into questions.
1. She could have finished her performance earlier, but she wanted to make it perfect.
2. You can join us for the game.
3. They might play in the tournament.
4. She should participate in the competition.
5. We will attend the concert next week.
6. He could win the match if he practices.
7. He might have played in the final if he hadn’t been injured last week.
8. The concert should start at 8 PM, so let’s arrive early.
Create 2 or 3 of your own sentences and turn them into questions using
modal verbs.
Questions and Discussion:
Can you think of a situation where you might use "might" instead of "may"?
How do modal verbs in English compare to those in your native language?
o Main modal verbs in Chinese include:
o 可以 (can, may)
o 能 (can, be able to)
o 會 (will, know how to)
o 應該 (should, ought to)
o 必須 (must)
o 想 (want to)
Create a dialogue or situation using at least five different modal verbs.