Modals
Modal Verb Meaning / Usage Examples
Can Ability / Permission She can swim. / Can I take your pen?
Could Past ability / Polite request / Possibility When I was a child, I could dance. / Could you
help me? / It could rain.
May Permission / Possibility (formal) May I come in, sir? / It may rain today.
Might Weak possibility She might be at the library.
Should Advice / Moral duty / Expectation You should study well. / The train should arrive
soon.
Must Strong obligation / Necessity / You must wear a uniform. / He must be tired
Certainty (certainty).
Have to External obligation / Rule Students have to submit homework.
Need to Necessity You need to drink more water.
Need not / Don’t Lack of necessity You need not come early.
need to
Shall Promise / Suggestion / Future (formal) I shall help you. / Shall we go?
Will Future / Promise / Determination She will win the prize. / I will always support you.
Would Polite request / Imaginary situation / Would you like some tea? / When we were kids,
Habit in the past we would play for hours.
Ought to Strong advice / Duty (moral) You ought to respect elders.
Has to / Had to Compulsion according to situation / She has to follow the rules. / He had to leave early.
Past obligation
Used to Past habitual action They used to live in London.
Be able to Ability (all tenses) I was able to finish the task on time.
Not allowed to Prohibition You are not allowed to use a phone in school.
Function Modals Points to Remember
Possibility may, might, could 1. Modals are always followed by the base form of the verb.
Permission may, can, could 2. Modals do not change with the subject.
Ability can, could, be able to 3. Modals never take -s, -es, -ed, or -ing.
4. Modals do not use "to" before the main verb, except ought
Advice should, ought to
to / have to / used to.
Obligation must, have to 5. The negative of modals is formed by adding not after the
No obligation need not / don’t need to modal.
Prediction / Future will, shall 6. Questions are formed by placing the modal before the
Polite request could, would subject.
7. Past probability or duty is expressed using modal + have +
FOR SINCE V3.
Starting time / since 8. “Must” expresses strong obligation, whereas “should”
Duration / how long expresses advice.
when
Period of time Exact point of time 9. “May” expresses strong possibility or permission, while
“might” expresses weak possibility.
Example: for 2 hours Example: since 8 AM
10. “Must not” means prohibition, whereas “need not” means
Example: for 10 no necessity.
Example: since 2014
years
I have been working in this school for 5 years,
but I have been the English coordinator since
2022. Use FOR = time period / duration
Use SINCE = exact time / point when it started
Exceptional / Confusing Cases
1. “Must” shows personal responsibility, while “have to” shows responsibility due to rules or situations.
2. “Should” and “ought to” both express advice, but “ought to” is stronger than “should.”
3. “Can” is used for informal permission, while “may” is used for formal permission.
4. “Could” expresses general ability in the past, while “was able to” shows successful ability in one particular
situation.
5. “Need not” means something is optional, while “must not” means something is strictly forbidden.
6. “Would” expresses past repeated actions, while “used to” expresses past habits or past states.
7. “Shall” is mainly used with I and we for promises, suggestions, and offers.
8. “Might have + V3” expresses weak possibility about the past.
9. “Must have + V3” expresses a strong logical conclusion about the past.
10.“Should have + V3” expresses regret or duty that was not fulfilled in the past.