MODAL VERBS - theenglishclassroomredin.files.wordpress.com€¦ · WHAT IS A MODAL VERB Modal verbs are AUXILIARY verbs that give additional information to a sentence Modal verbs

MODAL VERBS

WHAT IS A MODAL VERB

Modal verbs are AUXILIARY verbs that give additional information to a

sentence

Modal verbs are followed by INFINITIVE (WITHOUT TO)

Josh can speak four languages.

Modal verbs DO NOT CHANGE:

He can (NOT “He cans”)

There are verbs/phrases with similar meanings to modal verbs but can

change and may be followed by TO INFINITIVE (for example, HAVE TO, BE

ABLE TO, BE ALLOWED TO)

ABILITY CAN ability in the present (PODER / SABER)

I can play the piano.

COULD ability in the past (PODÍA / SABÍA)

I could play the piano when I was six.

BE ABLE TO ability in any tense (SER CAPAZ DE).

If we use it in the past, we use it to talk about the ability to do something on A SINGLE OCCASION in the past:

We weren’t able to win the match last Saturday happened only once

People will be able to travel to outer space in a few years. (NOT ‘We will can travel)

POSSIBILITY & PROBABILITY

COULD / MAY / MIGHT (+ inf) possibility now/in the future (PUEDE

QUE / PODRÍA):

It MAY / MIGHT / COULD rain later today.

COULD + HAVE + -ED/3rd COLUMN something was possible in the

past but it didn’t happen (PODRÍA HABER PASADO, pero no lo hizo):

John COULD HAVE BEEN an actor,

but he decided to become a doctor instead.

SHOULD / OUGHT TO something is likely/probable, but we aren’t

completely sure (DEBERÍA):

You SHOULD / OUGHT TO know the answer to that question,

we have studied that in class.

OBLIGATION & LACK OF OBLIGATION

MUST: present obligation, when we feel sth is NECESSARY (DEBER)

It’s later than I thought. I must go.

HAVE TO: similar to MUST, but can be also used to talk about PAST

OBLIGATION.

It’s later than I thought. I have to go.

I had to go to the dentist yesterday.

MUSTN’T vs. DON’T HAVE TO

- MUSTN’T prohibition: ‘You have to keep this a secret. You

mustn’t tell anyone.’

- DON’T HAVE TO no obligation: ‘I’m not working tomorrow, so

I don’t have to get up early.’

NECESSITY & LACK OF NECESSITY NEED TO: necessity in ANY TENSE

I need to do some shopping.

DON’T/DOESN’T NEED TO: lack of necessity (similar to DON’T HAVE TO)

We’ve got plenty of time, so we don’t need to hurry.

NEEDN’T: This form is followed by INFINITIVE without TO.

We’ve got plenty of time, so we needn’t hurry.

DIDN’T NEED TO vs. NEEDN’T HAVE + -ED / 3RD COLUMN:

- DIDN’T NEED TO something was unnecessary, so I didn’t do it:

‘He didn’t need to get up early, so he stayed in bed till late.’

- NEEDN’T HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN sth was unnecessary, but I did it anyway:

‘He needn’t have got up so early, he could have stayed in bed longer.’

PERMISSION & REQUESTS

CAN / CAN’T: permission and requests

You can’t speak during the exam.

Can you wait a moment, please?

COULD / COULDN’T: permission (more polite) and requests

Could I borrow your phone, please?

Could you help me with this?

MAY: permission (formal)

May I come in?

BE (NOT) ALLOWED TO: permission in all tenses

We weren’t allowed to use our cameras at the museum last week

ADVICE & RECOMMENDATIONS

SHOULD / SHOULDN’T: advice (DEBERÍAS)

You look tired. You should go to bed.

OUGHT (NOT) TO: advice, the same as ‘should’, but always followed

by TO INF (DEBERÍAS)

You look tired. You ought to go to bed.

SHOULD (NOT) HAVE + -ED /3RD COLUMN = OUGHT (NOT) TO HAVE + -ED

3RD COLUMN: criticise something that has (not) happened (DEBERÍA

HABER PASADO)

You went to bed very late last night. You should have gone to bed

earlier.

You went to bed very late last night. You ought to have gone to bed

earlier.

HAD BETTER + INFINITIVE (without TO): strong advice or warning

You’d better stop at a petrol station soon. The tank’s almost empty.

CERTAINTY & SPECULATION (1)

MUST: we are sure something is true

It’s getting dark. It must be late.

CAN’T: we are sure something is impossible

That can’t be Alex. He’s on holiday.

MAY / MIGHT / COULD: we think something is possible

John may / might / could be in the cafeteria. He said we was hungry.

CERTAINTY & SPECULATION (2)

MUST + HAVE + -ED / 3RD COLUMN: when we’re sure something happened

in the past.

My keys aren’t in my pocket. I must have left them at home.

CAN’T + HAVE + -ED / 3RD COLUMN: when we’re sure something didn’t

happen in the past.

We can’t have missed the train. It isn’t due for another ten minutes.

MAY (NOT) / MIGHT (NOT) / COULD + HAVE + -ED / 3RD COLUMN: when we

think it’s possible something happened in the past.

WATCH OUT! We cannot use COULDN’T in this case, as it expresses

impossibility

I can’t find Mark. He may have gone out.

The police say that the fire couldn’t have been an accident

(it was impossible that it was an accident)

PERFECT MODALS (PAST) [1]

CAN’T HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN impossibility

You can’t have seen Mary, she’s in Italy at the moment

COULD HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN possibility (didn’t happen)

He could have been a doctor but decided to become a lawyer.

COULDN’T HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN impossibility

He couldn’t have heard the phone because he was listening to music.

NEEDN’T HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN sth was unnecessary, but I still

did it

You needn’t have got up so early this morning, you could have stayed in bed.

PERFECT MODALS (PAST) [2]

MAY/MIGHT + HAVE + ED/3RD COLUMN possibility

He might have called, but I’m not sure.

MUST HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN certainty or deduction (muy seguros)

She’s never this late. She must have lost her way.

SHOULD/OUGHT TO + HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN criticism or regret

I failed my geography exam. I should have studied harder.

WOULD HAVE + -ED/3RD COLUMN something we wanted to do, but

we didn’t do

I would have called you, but I didn’t have your number