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Modal verbs - Easy Learning Grammar

Modal verbs are a particular kind of auxiliary.

Look, I can do it! – Oh yes! So you can.

Can I use your phone? – Of course you can.

Do you think she will come? – I’m sure she will.

I must get our tickets today.

Modal verbs are used when you need to add special elements of meaning to a main verb, e.g.:

to express different degrees of doubt and possibility about the action of the main verb.

I may not be able to do it.

I think that I might have caught your cold.

I could ask for you, if you like.

You couldn’t do it, could you?

to express degrees of future possibility, ranging from the definite future, will, to the possible future, may, and the conditional future, could.

You will be seeing her on Friday at Jackie’s house.

I may be late home tomorrow evening.

I could bring some more bread home with me tonight.

to request or give permission for an action to take place.

May I come in?

You can borrow my car tonight if you like.

to make a prohibition, when used with a negative.

You shouldn’t use this computer without permission.

You cannot borrow my car tonight.

He must not see this letter.

to speculate.

The weather’s so bad the flight could be late.

It might be all over by the time we get there.

He may be very cross about all this.

to express obligation and duty.

I must give in my essay today.

Helen ought to tell the truth.

to refer to typical behaviour.

She can be very kind on occasions like this.

to add politeness to a request which might otherwise sound abrupt.

Would you please close the door.

to make conditional sentences (see Conditional clauses).

in reported speech (see Reported speech).

Modals can refer to a time range that reaches from the immediate present to some future time, so that they can all be used for future reference, especially when they are used with a time adverbial. See Future reference.

You will be seeing her on Friday at Jackie’s house.

I may be late home tomorrow evening.

I could bring some more bread home with me tonight.

Some modals can refer to a time range that goes back from the immediate present to some indefinite past time. They can refer to habitual action when they are used with a time adverbial.

When I was little, I would ride my bike round and round the lawn.

Form

Unlike other verbs, modal verbs have only one form, the base form, and only one tense, the present simple.

You will be seeing her on Friday at Jackie’s house.

I may be late home tomorrow evening.

I might go to visit Grandma on Saturday.

They do not have a to infinitive. They have no -s inflection in the 3rd person singular.

He will be seeing her on Friday.

She may be late home.

Since modal verbs do not have past tense forms, you have to use other verbs to provide some of the modal meanings in the past, e.g. past necessity is expressed by had to instead of must.

I must visit Auntie May today.

I had to visit Auntie May yesterday.

The modals shall and will are usually contracted to ’ll in spoken English. All the negative forms can be contracted to form a single word such as can’t, won’t, wouldn’t. These contracted forms are common in both spoken and written English.

I will/shall = I’ll

We will/shall = we’ll

You mustn’t say things like that, Jane.

John can’t come to my party.

There are other contracted forms such as he’ll, we’ll, shan’t, and they’ll, which are common in spoken English but rare in written English.

Several verbs act as modals sometimes and as full main verbs at other times. These are called semi-modal verbs.

How dare he!

He dared to ask me to do his washing!

She needn’t come if that’s how she feels.

Monica needs a new raincoat.

Position

Modals come before any other auxiliary verb or main verb in the verb phrase.

Modal verbs are followed by the base form of the verb if there is no other auxiliary verb present.

Yes, you can borrow those earrings tonight.

You should try that new restaurant in town.

You must come over again some time.

If one of the auxiliary verbs have or be follows the modal verb, the main verb will take the appropriate present or past participle form.

I may have upset him.

You could have looked for it yourself.

Janice might be coming too.

Sue will have been worried about her, I imagine.

In negative sentences, not comes immediately after the modal verb and in front of all the other verbs.

They may not wait for you if you’re late.

He must not be disturbed after 9 o’clock.

Can cannot be combined with the auxiliary form have, but the negative form can’t can be combined with have.

They can’t have seen him. | but not They can have seen him.

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The verb used to is a ‘marginal’ modal verb. Unlike the other modal verbs, it is only found in the past tense. Therefore, when it is used with do to make negatives and questions, the form of the auxiliary verb is always did.

Used to is used as follows:

– to describe an activity or a state that happened many times in the past.

Gerry always used to go for a run before breakfast.

Peter didn’t use to say things like that when I knew him.

to refer to an activity or state that was true in the past but is no longer true.

I used to like rock climbing when I was younger.

You didn’t use to be so stressed!

Used to takes the following forms:

The form used to is used with all subjects e.g. I, we, you, he, she, it, they.

I used to | We used to
You used to | You used to
She used to | They used to

I used to live in New Zealand.

He used to deliver newspapers papers but he owns the shop now.

Nancy and Bill used to live in California.

There are two forms for a negative:

did not/didn’t use to.

We didn’t use to have central heating when I was a child.

Alan didn’t use to like children, but it’s different now he has his own.

used not/usedn’t to.

I used not to be able to watch myself on TV at all.

We used not to worry much about money.

Things usedn’t to be so bad.

There are two forms for a question:

did + subject + use to + base form:
e.g. did he use to…?

Did they use to visit you often? – Well, Mary used to.

used + subject + to + base form:
e.g. used he to… ?

Used he to play the guitar?

In negatives, the form with did is used the most. In questions, the form with did is almost always preferred.

The common contracted negative form is didn’t use to. The rarer contracted negative form is usedn’t to.

Do not confuse used to + base form with be used to
+ present participle, where used to means accustomed to.

They lived in India for a long time, so they are used to eating spicy food.

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The two verbs dare and need have characteristics of both modal verbs and main verbs. Because of this, they are called semi-modals. They sometimes behave like modal verbs and do not add -s to the form that goes with he, she, and it. That is, they have no 3rd person singular inflection. They are then followed by the base form of a main verb.

Need I say more?

Dare I ask how the project’s going?

The past form needed is not used as a modal; dared is occasionally used as a modal.

The modal uses of these verbs are all negatives or questions.

Where will you all be today? – Need you ask?

You needn’t come if you’re busy.

Dare I suggest that we have a rota system?

I daren’t tell him the truth; he’ll go crazy.

Questions that are formed with need and dare are often set expressions such as Need I/you ask?, Dare I suggest…? and Need I/we say more?

Dare and need sometimes behave like main verbs with -s inflection. In this case they are followed by the to infinitive. They can also use the auxiliary do and have the whole range of tenses appropriate to a main verb.

Louisa doesn’t need to know.

Does Paul need to go now?

Paul needs to go.

Dare to be different!

I don’t dare to mention it to him.

When dare or need are used as modal verbs in a positive statement, there must be a word of negative meaning in the same clause. This word can be outside the verb phrase and may be a word with a negative sense, such as only, never, hardly.

He need only ask and I will tell him.

No sensible driver dare risk that chance.

As a modal verb, dare has forms as follows:

I dare not go. | I dared not go.
He dare not go. | He dared not go.

Dare I do it?

Dare he do it?

Daren’t he do it?

As a main verb, dare has forms as follows:

I dare to do it. | I do not dare to do it.
He dares to do it. | He did not dare to do it.
He does not dare to do it. | Does he dare to do it?
He doesn’t dare to do it. | Doesn’t he dare to do it?

As a modal verb, need has forms as follows:

I need not go. | Need I go?
He need not go. | Need he go?
He needn’t go. | Needn’t he go?

As a main verb, need has forms as follows:

I need it. | I need to do it.
He needs it. | He needs to do it.
I do not need to go. | I do not need to do it.
He does not need to go. | Does he need to go?

Either of the two forms of dare and need can be used for sentences that have much the same meaning.

Anna didn’t dare to jump off the high fence.

Anna dared not jump off the high fence.

You don’t need to come if you don’t want to.

You needn’t come if you don’t want to.

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The use of ought to is similar to should, but it is much less frequent.

Like should, the verb ought to does not have a past form. It is only used with reference to the present and the future.

Ought to is rarely used in questions and negatives. When it is, it is confined mainly to formal styles.

In negatives, not comes between ought and to. In questions, the subject comes between ought and to.

I ought not to have said those things to her.

Ought we to make such a sacrifice for the benefit of future generations?

Ought to is used as follows:

to express an obligation or an expectation that someone should do something.

You ought to listen carefully.

We ought to leave now.

Lucy ought to go by herself.

People ought to be a bit nicer to us.

to express the likelihood of something happening.

Annabel ought to be here by now.

The journey ought to take about 2 hours.

Ought to + have + past participle of main verb is used to express regret that something was not done or to reproach someone for doing or not doing something.

I ought to have spoken up earlier. I’m sorry.

You ought to have offered to help.

They ought to have told us what to expect.

In questions and negatives, should is frequently used instead of ought to because it sounds more natural.

Ought I to report it to someone in authority?

Should I report it to someone in authority?

Ought we to make a start?

Should we make a start?

ought to
The contracted negative form is: | oughtn’t (to).

Oh dear, we oughtn’t to have let that happen.

Well then she ought to do something about it, oughtn’t she?

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The modal verb would is commonly used as follows:

to make a polite request.

Would you mind moving your bag?

Would you give me a hand with this ladder, please?

to offer something politely.

Would you like some tea or coffee?

together with like as a polite form of want.

We would like to see Mr Brown now, please.

My friends would like to see your garden.

to refer to habitual activity in the past, with the meaning of used to.

I remember Jeff; he would watch TV all day if you let him.

Jess was a kind girl; she would always go out of her way to help people.

to show that someone persisted in an activity in the past: would is sometimes stressed here.

John would keep nagging at her, though I asked him not to.

She would go on and on until I lost my temper.

to express and ask about probability.

I saw a girl at the window. Who would that be?

Oh, that would be his elder sister!

in conditional clauses, usually together with an if clause.

I would have taken it if it had been available.

If you offered me some more I wouldn’t refuse.

Brian would have phoned the police if it he’d seen the accident.

When changing sentences from direct speech to reported speech, will is usually changed to would.

Anna said, ‘Raymond will help you.’

Anna said that Raymond would help us.

James said, ‘The car won’t start!’

James said that the car wouldn’t start.

would
The contracted form is: | ’d.

I’d have done it too, given the chance.

We’d like to look at the garden.

He’d be very angry if he knew about it.

The contracted negative form is: | wouldn’t.

Even if he’d known about it, he wouldn’t have been angry.

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The modal verb should is used in the following ways:

to talk about moral obligation. Compare ought to on Ought to.

They should do what you suggest.

People should report this sort of thing to the police.

She suggested we should visit Aunty Irene more often.

Rob insisted that we should think of others before ourselves.

to give advice or instructions.

You should undo the top screws first.

You should keep your credit card separate from your chequebook.

to suggest that something follows on logically from what has just been said.

They left here at 6 o’clock, so they should be home now.

to show politeness in a conditional clause. This use is used in formal written communication.

If you should decide to go, please contact us.

Should you need more information, please call the manager.

Should can be used with the main verb after certain set expressions such as, it is a pity that, it is odd that, I am sorry/surprised that. This is a more formal use than the same expression without should.

It’s a pity that this should happen.

I was quite surprised that he should be doing a job like that.

Should + the perfect form of the main verb can be used to express regret about something that was done or not done. Compare with ought to.

He should have stopped at the red light.

You should have told me you were ill.

When changing sentences from direct to reported speech, should does not change.

Anna said that I should try to relax more.

In formal English, should can be used with I or we in conditional clauses, instead of the more common would. This form is usually, but not always, found together with an if clause.

I should love to visit Peru if I had the money.

I should be very cross if they didn’t give me a certificate.

We should hate to miss the play.

In this sense, would is more common in modern spoken English.

I would love to visit Peru.

I would be very cross if they didn’t give me a certificate.

We would hate to miss the play.

should
The contracted negative form is: | shouldn’t.

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The normal way to express simple future time in English is using the modal verb will followed by the base form of a main verb.

The modal verb shall is not used very much in modern English, except in suggestions or offers of help.

Shall I help you? Shall I cook supper?

Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

Any distinction between will and shall is difficult to make in spoken English, since the contracted form, ’ll, is used to mean both shall and will.

Shall is used:

with questions involving I and we when the speaker is making a suggestion or offering help.

Shall I help you? Shall I cook supper?

Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

Will is used:

with I and we to show intentions and to make promises.

Don’t worry. I shan’t/won’t be late and Helen won’t be late either.

We shall/will be in touch.

I shall/will try to ensure that you get a good room.

with you, he, she, it, and they, to give reassurances.

He will be well treated.

You will have your money next week.

to insist on something. Full forms are normally used, and are stressed in speech.

You will do what I tell you!

Jane will go to Mary’s even if I have to carry her there.

to make polite requests and to give invitations.

Will you help me look for my purse?

Will you come to lunch on Friday?

to give orders.

You will finish your work before you watch TV, won’t you?

Louisa, will you please be quiet!

to show that someone persists in doing something (full form with stress).

Oh! Tony will keep jogging me when I’m trying to write!

No wonder you feel sick. You will eat chocolate all day long.

to show prediction.

The match will be finished by now.

I think it will probably rain tomorrow.

will
The contracted form is: | ’ll.

He’ll be home soon.

The contracted negative form is: | won’t.

Eve won’t speak to Harriet.

shall
The contracted form is: | ’ll.

The contracted negative form is: | shan’t (used mainly in British English).

I shan’t say a word.

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Must is used to express obligation, give orders and give advice. It can only be used for present and future reference. When the past is involved, you use have to.

Must is used:

to express obligation.

All pupils must bring a packed lunch tomorrow.

to give orders firmly and positively.

You must go to sleep now.

to give advice or make recommendations emphatically.

You must get one of these new smoothie-makers – they’re great!

You must see ‘Nim’s Island’ – it’s brilliant.

to speculate about the truth of something.

She must be mad!

You must be joking!

There must be some mistake.

Mr Robertson is here; it must be Tuesday.

When this sort of statement is made in the negative or interrogative, can is used instead.

Can Mary be joking? Can she really mean that?

You can’t be serious!

It can’t be true!

Must can be used in the interrogative, but many speakers prefer have to instead.

Must you go so soon?

Must I invite Helen?

Do you have to go soon?

Do I have to invite Helen?

You can use must with a negative:

to forbid someone to do something.

You must not cross when the light is red.

You must not say things like that.

to talk about an event or state that is unacceptable.

There mustn’t be any mistakes in your letter.

The whale must not become extinct.

Note that to express the fact that you are not obliged to do something, you use do not have to.

Compare:

You must not come in here.

You don’t have to come in here (if you don’t want to).

It is necessary to change must to have to when changing sentences from direct to reported speech.

‘I must fill out those forms this evening,’ said Ian.

Ian said that he had to fill out some forms.

must
The contracted negative form is: | mustn’t.

You mustn’t worry so much.

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Can and could - Easy Learning Grammar

Both these verbs indicate ability in some respect. The use of could is usual in clauses that contain a reference to past time.

Morag can speak French quite well now.

I couldn’t play chess two years ago, but I can now.

When I was younger I could play tennis really well.

Winston is so strong he can lift me right off my feet.

Can you get up the stairs without help?

You can come over for dinner whenever you like.

Can and could are used:

to indicate that you know how to do something.

Mary can do these sums.

I couldn’t draw very well when I was younger.

to show ability to do something. (Compared with be able to, can indicates ability of a more general nature that includes ‘is permitted to’.)

When I was younger I could ski really well.

Graham can run ten miles in 25 minutes.

Are you able to walk to the car?

to make polite requests or to ask for permission:

Could is more tentative than can. (Compare with may, which is more formal.)

Can I borrow the car tomorrow evening, Mum?

Could I come with you on the trip?

May I take this book home with me?

to express the possibility of an action in the future, especially when the possibility is related to plans or projects. (Compare with may, where the possibility referred to is still uncertain and in the future.)

We can go to Paris next week since you are free.

We could go to Paris next week if you are free.

We may go to Paris, but it depends on our finances.

to express the possibility of an action in the present.

You can dive off these rocks; it is quite safe here.

We could dive off the rocks, but we must take care.

to talk about actions that were possible but did not happen, using could + the perfect form of have.

Mary could have stopped the fight but she didn’t.

using the perfect form of have, to speculate about actions that have recently taken place.

Who could/can have broken the window?

Who would have guessed that they were related?

A distinction between can and could is observed in conditionals. Could is used when the conditions are not met.

If Louisa is coming, she can look after the children for a while.

If Helen had more money, she could buy a computer.

When changing sentences from direct to reported speech can is usually changed to could.

Bernard said, ‘I can do it for you, Sue.’

Bernard said that he could do it for Sue.

can
The negative form is: | cannot.

I cannot understand why he did it.

The contracted negative form is: | can’t.

I can’t help it.

could
The contracted negative form is: | couldn’t.

I couldn’t help it.

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May and might
May and might - Easy Learning Grammar
Both may and might can be used in requests and in expressions of possibility for the present and future.
Might I ask you your name?
The weather may/might be better tomorrow.
Craig may/might know his results soon.
We may/might go to the cinema tonight.
‘May I come with you?’ Nicky asked.
Nicky asked if she could come with them.
May and might are used as follows:
May is used to ask permission in a more formal way than can.
May I have a drink, please?
May I use your ruler? I’ve lost mine.
Might is occasionally used in formal situations.
Might I suggest a different solution?
May is used to give permission, particularly when applied to you, he, she, they or a proper noun, to show that the speaker is allowing something to happen.
You may go now.
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Both may and might are used to express the possibility of some future action; might is more tentative than may.
The weather may/might be better tomorrow.
Craig may/might know his results soon.
We may/might go to the cinema tonight.
May is often used for politeness, to make an order appear as a request; might is used to make the speaker more remote from the request.
You might give that idea a bit more consideration.
You might want to move a bit closer to the screen.
Might is occasionally used when someone is trying to persuade another person to do something, perhaps with some degree of irritation. This use is a little old-fashioned.
You might give me some cake too, Lucy.
Anna, come on, you might tell me what he said!
When might is used in a conditional sentence, the if clause can be in the present or the past tense. Compare with could. See Can and could.
If Louisa comes, she might look after the children.
If Louisa came, she might look after the children.
When changing sentences from direct to reported speech may usually becomes could.
‘May I come with you?’ Nicky asked.
Nicky asked if she could come with them.
may
The contracted negative form is: none or mayn’t (rare).
might
The contracted negative form is: mightn’t.
He mightn’t have enough money.
We might come and live here, mightn’t we, mum?