Modals
Auxiliaries
(Modal Verbs)
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
Modals
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.
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
Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third .2
.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 cakes.
I don’t eat carrot cakes.
?How
Many modal verbs cannot be used in .4
.the 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 Hebrew when
he was a kid. He couldn’t speak to
his neighbor who speaks only English.
(General ability)
Practice time-can/could
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. סיכוי
יכולת עתידית
• 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 .
מתן רשות/ בקשת רשות
• 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 - mustn’t
Must – very strong advice/ obligation
Mustn't – things you're not allowed to
do.
• She is sick. She has high fever. She
must take a pill.
= very strong advice/ obligation
• You mustn’t 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.)
• Gail Devers had to take radiation
therapy for her decease.
(…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
Practice time-have/has to
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 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 stripes.)
able to )be(
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?)
negative contractions
(short form)
[Link]
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.
Practice time
• Exercise on modal verbs and their substitutes
• Exercise - modal verb or substitute
• Exercise on 'must not' and 'need not' (for soccer fans)
• [Link]
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• [Link]
verbs/exercises
• [Link]