Modal verbs and their meaning

What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.
Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...
They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e.i. the bare infinitive.)
They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability

List of modal verbs

Here is a list of modal verbs:

can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must

The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave like modal auxiliaries to a large extent and my be added to the above list

Use of modal verbs:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

Permission
Ability
Obligation
Prohibition
Lack of necessity
Advice
possibility
probability

Examples of modal verbs

Here is a list of modals with examples:

Modal Verb	Expressing	Example
must	Strong obligation	You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
must	logical conclusion / Certainty	He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
must not	prohibition	You must not smoke in the hospital.
can	ability	I can swim.
	permission	Can I use your phone please?
	possibility	Smoking can cause cancer.
could	ability in the past	When I was younger I could run fast.
	polite permission	Excuse me, could I just say something?
	possibility	It could rain tomorrow!
may	permission	May I use your phone please?
may	possibility, probability	It may rain tomorrow!
might	polite permission	Might I suggest an idea?
might	possibility, probability	I might go on holiday to Australia next year.
need not	lack of necessity/absence of obligation	I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge.
should/ought to	50 % obligation	I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache.
	advice	You should / ought to revise your lessons
	logical conclusion	He should / ought to be very tired. He's been working all day long.
had better	advice	You 'd better revise your lessons

Remember

Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to", also called the bare infinitive.

Examples:

You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
You should see to the doctor.
There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.

Modals in the Present and Past

Modals in the present and past

Generally speaking modals in the past have the following form:

modal + have + past participle

Example:

Present:
You should see a doctor.
Past:
You should have seen a doctor

Except for modals that express obligation,ability and lack of necessity:

Obligation:
Present = I must / have to work hard. -- Past = I had to work hard.
Ability:
Present = I can run fast. -- Past = I could run fast when I was young.
Lack of necessity:
Present = You don't have to / needn't take your umbrella. -- Past = You didn't have to / didn't need to take your umbrella.

	Modals in the Present	Modals in the Past
Obligation	You must / have to stop when the traffic lights are red.	You had to stop.
Advice	You should see a doctor.	You should have seen a doctor
Prohibition	You mustn't smoke here.	You mustn't have smoked there.
Ability	I can run fast.	I could run fast. now I am old.
Certainty	He has a Rolls Royce. He must be very rich. He can't be American. His English is terrible.	He must have been rich. He had a big house and an expensive car. He can't have written that poem. He was illiterate.
Permission	Can I go out?	She could drive her father's car when she was only 15.
Possibility	It may / can / could / might rain. It's cloudy.	I guess it may / can / could / might have been Lacy on the phone.
Lack of necessity	You don't have to / needn't buy any tomatoes. There are plenty in the fridge.	You didn't have to / didn't need to buy tomatoes.

Uses of Need

August 18, 2010 -

Need is used both as an ordinary verb and as an auxiliary verb. As an ordinary verb need is used in the sense of require. The ordinary verb need has -s in the third person singular. Questions and negatives are made with do.

Do you need any help?
We need more volunteers.
We have got what we needed.
I need more time to decide the question.
He needs our help.

The auxiliary verb need remains unchanged, whatever be the number or person of the subject. It is common in negative clauses. It does not have -s in the third person singular.

You need not wait.
He need not ask my permission.
They need not make such a fuss over it.

The auxiliary need is sometimes used with hardly.

We need hardly say that we are very grateful.
I need hardly say that you are always welcome.

It can also be used with only.

You need only sign this paper and I will do the rest.

The auxiliary need is usually used in questions without ‘not’.

Need we wait any longer?
Need I come again?

If the answer is in the negative, say ‘No, you need not.’ If the answer is in the positive, say – ‘Yes, you must.’
When referring to past time, need is followed by the perfect infinitive (have + past participle).

We need not have waited for them.
We need not have wasted our time and energy on that project.
You need not have lost your temper.

Modality: forms

from English Grammar Today

Modal verbs

Core modal verbs have only one form. They have no to-infinitive form, -ing form, past form or -ed form. We have to reword what we want to say by using other expressions:

I’d love to be able to see the Taj Mahal one day.

Not: ~~I’d love to can see the Taj Mahal one day~~.

They had to sell their house.

Not: ~~They musted sell their house~~.

Affirmative (+) forms

Modal verbs are placed first in the verb phrase (after the subject) and are followed by a verb in the base form. The next verb may be a main verb or an auxiliary verb (be, have):

Modal verbs do not change form for tense or person. Modal verbs can be followed by the substitute verb do:

We thought he might sell the house

Yes, he could do.

Modal verbs cannot be used with another modal verb:

Windsurfing can be difficult.

Not: ~~Windsurfing can might be difficult~~. or ~~Windsurfing might can be difficult~~.

Modal verbs always go before other verbs in a verb phrase:

[in a restaurant after a meal]

I think the bill could be expensive.

Not: ~~I think the bill could expensive~~.

You can go swimming, go for a long walk or visit the exhibition.

Not: ~~You can swimming, go for a long walk or visit the exhibition~~.

Modal verbs can only be used alone when the main verb is clearly understood:

She could take the bus.

Yeah, that’s true. She could. (She could take the bus.)

He may be wrong, you know.

Yes, he may. (Yes, he may be wrong.)

Negative (−) forms

Warning:

Negatives are formed by adding ‘not’ after the modal verbs. We don’t use don’t/doesn’t/didn’t with modal verbs:

We can’t hear very well at the back.

Not: ~~We don’t can hear very well~~ …

Question (?) forms

Warning:

The subject and the modal verb change position to form questions. We don’t use do/does/did:

Could you help me?

Not: ~~Do you could help me?~~

Will it be a problem?

Not: ~~Does it will be a problem?~~

Why can’t you come too?

Not: ~~Why don’t you can come too?~~

We use modal verbs in question tags:

You can’t live like that, can you?

It could be any of those things, couldn’t it?

modal verb	uncontracted negative	contracted negative
can	cannot (usually written as one word not two)	can’t /kɑnt/
could	could not	couldn’t /ˈkʊdənt/
may	may not
might	might not	mightn’t /ˈmaɪtənt/
will	will not	won’t /wəʊnt/ or ’ll not*
shall	shall not	shan’t /ʃɑnt/ or ’ll not*
would	would not	wouldn’t /ˈwʊdənt/ or ’d not*
should	should not	shouldn’t /ˈʃʊdənt/
must	must not	mustn’t /ˈmʌsənt/

Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

Modal	Meaning	Example
can	to express ability	I can speak a little Russian.
can	to request permission	Can I open the window?
may	to express possibility	I may be home late.
may	to request permission	May I sit down, please?
must	to express obligation	I must go now.
must	to express strong belief	She must be over 90 years old.
should	to give advice	You should stop smoking.
would	to request or offer	Would you like a cup of tea?
would	in if-sentences	If I were you, I would say sorry.

Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form (spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). The modals must and can need substitute verbs to express obligation or ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simple	Sorry I'm late. I had to finish my math test.
Present perfect	She's had to return to Korea at short notice.
Future	You'll have to work hard if you want to pass the exams.
Infinitive	I don't want to have to go.

Past simple	I couldn't/wasn't able to walk until I was 3 years old.
Present perfect	I haven't been able to solve this problem. Can you help?
Future	I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.
Infinitive	I would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).
Important: The explanations and examples on this page are just an introduction to this extensive and complex area of English grammar. Students of English who want to learn more should consult a good reference work, such as Swan's Practical English Usage.

Modal verbs

This lesson has two parts. Part 1 explains the grammar of modal verbs and where they are placed in a sentence or question. Part 2 explains the meaning of each modal verb and provides example sentences.

Read lesson
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Modal verbs are also called modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries, or simply modals. These verbs are a subcategory of auxiliary verbs , which means they cannot be used without a main verb. English has ten modal verbs.

can		could
may		might
shall		should
will		would
must		ought

While the meaning and usage of modal verbs is complicated, the grammar is simple. Modal verbs are not conjugated: they have no tense and no person, so they never change.

All modal verbs must be followed by a main verb in the base form except for ought which is followed by an infinitive.

subject	modal verb	main verb (base form)
They	can	come
Mike	should	walk.
You	must	go
We	will	wait.
She	ought	~~study~~.	incorrect

Attention: many English learners make the mistake of placing an infinitive after every modal verb. This is incorrect.

subject	modal verb	main verb (infinitive)
They	can	to come.	incorrect
Mike	should	to walk.	incorrect
You	must	to go.	incorrect
We	will	to wait.	incorrect
She	ought	to study.

In statements, the word order is subject + modal + main verb.

subject	modal verb	main verb
Tom and Sue	might	arrive	later.
Everyone	can	swim.

In questions, the word order changes to modal + subject + main verb. Here are some examples with Yes / No questions.

modal verb	subject	main verb
Can	they	come?
Should	Mike	drive?

Here are some examples with Wh– questions.

Wh– word	modal verb	subject	main verb
When	can	they	eat?
How	could	he	walk?

When forming negative statements, the negative adverb not is placed between the modal verb and the main verb.

subject	modal verb		main verb
You	must	not	disturb	the baby.
They	should	not	drive	at night.

When asking questions in the negative, the modal verb and a negative adverb not are always contractions.

modal + not (contracted)	subject	main verb
Couldn’t	Tom	come	to the party?
Shouldn’t	you	rest?

To learn more details about modal verbs and how they express moods such as ability, possibility, necessity or other conditions, go to page 2.

English grammar lesson on-line for advanced level students or teachers - Complete overview of modal auxiliary verbs.

Introduction - Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Modal Auxiliary Verbs are a very rich area of the English language. They are used with great frequency and with a wide range of meanings.

can	could	may	might	will
would	shall	should /ought to	must	need

All of them (except for NEED) can express degress of certainty, probability or possibility of an event. But they can also express ideas such as willingness and ability, permission and refusal, obiligation and prohibition, suggestion, necessity, promise and intention.

Modal Verbs expressing certainty, probability or possibility

In order of certainty:

WILL and WON'T are used to predict a future event or action which are seen as certain. The truth or certainty of what is asserted is more or less taken for granted.

I will see you later.
His latest book will be out next month.

WILL and WON'T are also used to express what we believe or guess to be true about the present. They indicate an assumption based on our knowledge of people and things, their routine, character and qualities.

Don't take the meat out of the oven. It won't be ready yet.

MUST is used to assert what we infer or conclude to be the most logical or rational interpretation of a situation or event. As we do not have all the facts, it is less certain than will. The negative form is CAN'T.

He walked across the Sahara desert! You must be joking!.
She can't have a ten-year old daughter! She's only twenty-five herself!

SHOULD expresses what may reasonably be expected to happen. Expectation means believing that things are or will be as we want them to be.This use of SHOULD carries the meaning of "if everything goes according to the plan, then something should happen"; therefore it doesn't suggest negative or unpleasant ideas.

You have worked hard. You should pass the exam.
If the flight was on time, he should have arrived in Jakarta early this morning.

MAY expresses the possibility that something will happen or is already happening.

We may go to Spain this year. We haven't decided yet.
A - "Where's Sandra?" B - "I don't know. She may be having a bath".

MIGHT, like may, expresses possibility, but is more tentative and slightly less certain.

I might not be back in time for supper, so don't wait for me.
It might rain. Take your umbrella.

CAN is used to say that something is possible and actually happens.

It can be expensive to keep a dog (it can be and sometimes is).

We also use CAN to indicate that there is a very real possibility of a future event happening.

We can stay with Jessica in London (we will be able to stay)

COULD expresses the theoretical possibility of something happening. It is used in a similar way to might.

It could be expensive to keep a dog (if we had one, it could or it may not be expensive)

It also suggests that something is less likely or that there is some doubt about it.

We could stay with Jessica in London (it's possible, if she's there)

Could not is not used to express a future possibility. The negative of could is MIGHT NOT.

It might not be right.

Couldn't has a similar meaning to can't, but only slightly weaker. Compare it to the previous example.

She couldn't have a ten-year old daughter! She's only twenty-five herself!

OUGHT TO, as well as SHOULD, + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE are used to talk about an expectation that something happened, has happened, or will happen.

If the flight was on time, he should/ought to have arrived in Paris early this morning.
The builders should/ought to have finished by the end of the week.

Other uses of modal auxiliary verbs

Obligation and Advice: MUST / HAVE TO / SHOULD / OUGHT TO / HAD BETTER

MUST and MUST NOT are used in formal rules and regulations and in warnings. They express strong obligation, the opinion of the speaker and are associated with a more formal, written style. We can also use it to remind ourselves to do something.

Bookings must be made at least seven days before departure (formal rule)
You mustn't steal. It's very naughty (strong negative obligation, opinion of the speaker)
I must phone Steve when I get home. I said I'd call him last night, but I forgot (to remind ourselves to do something)

HAVE TO expresses a general obligation based on a law or rule, or based on the authority of another person.

Children have to go to school until they're sixteen (It's the law)

DON'T HAVE TO expresses the absence of obligation.

You don't have to go to England if you want to learn English.

Sometimes we can use either HAVE TO or HAVE GOT TO. But we use HAVE TO with frequency adverbs such as always, never, normally, rarely, sometimes, etc.

I often have to work at the weekend to get everything done.

With the past simple HAD TO is used especially in questions and negative sentences.

When did you have to give it back?
We didn't have to wait too long for an answer

If HAVE is contracted, then we must include GOT. It is often preferred in informal speech.

The experiment has failed twice before, so it's got to work this time.
Don't have a late night. We've got to get up early tomorrow.

Sometimes it is possible to find MUST and HAVE TO together. In this case MUST signifies a logical interpretation and HAVE TO an obligation. For a present situation:

Now John's mother is nearly 90 she must have to be looked after.

For a past situation:

I don't know where Sarah is. I presume she must have had to go out to meet someone.

We can often use either SHOULD or OUGHT TO to talk about obligations and recommendations, although SHOULD is much more common. They describe a sort of obligation where you have a choice.

I think you should wear your glasses whenever you feel like watching TV.
I haven't heard from Evelyn for ages. Do you think I should give her a ring?
I don't think parents should/ought to give their children sweets

We can use HAD BETTER instead of SHOULD/OUGHT TO, especially in spoken English, to say that we think it is a good idea to do something. We prefer it if we want to express particular urgency and in demands and threats.

If you are not well, you'd better ask Ann to go instead (good idea to do something)
There's someone moving about downstairs. We'd better call the police, quickly. (urgency)

The negative form is HAD BETTER NOT. In question forms the subject comes after HAD.

He'd better not be late again or he'll be in trouble.
Hadn't we better get a taxi?

Permission: MAY / MIGHT / CAN / COULD

They are used asking for permission, or saying whether we or other people have it. To talk about permission generally, or permission in the past, we use CAN or COULD. MAY is used to ask for and give permission but it sounds very formal.

Can/Could I borrow your car tonight?
May I help you?

Ability: CAN / COULD

CAN expresses ability or is used to say what someone knows how to do, or what is possible. The past is expressed by COULD.

I can speak three languages.
Thanks to his new glasses, he could make out what was written on the notice.

In these sentences we can also use ABLE TO without any important change of meaning. To express a fulfilled ability on one particular occasion in the past, COULD is not used. Instead, we use WAS ABLE TO or MANAGED TO.

She was able to survive by clinging onto the wrecked boat.
The prisoner managed to escape by climbing onto the roof.

There is a useful difference of meaning between COULD and WAS/WERE ABLE TO: the latter form says not only that you could do something (it was possible for you), but also that you did it.

a) The door was open and he could go into the room.
b) The door was open and he was able to go into the room.

In sentence a) (COULD) we only know for sure that it was possible; Sentence b) (WAS ABLE) tells us also that he managed to get in, he succeeded in getting in.

If you wanted to practice with more exercise Please Click Lick below:

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2229#a

Exercises for Modal Verbs

You don’t need to* dress smartly.*	You needn’t* dress smartly.*
We don’t dare (to)* tell him.*	We daren’t* tell him.*

Bonnhara Chun

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Modal verbs

Modal verbs and their meaning

What are modal verbs?

List of modal verbs

Use of modal verbs:

Examples of modal verbs

Remember

Examples:

Modals in the Present and Past

Modals in the present and past

Example:

Uses of Need

Modal verbs

Modal verbs

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