• 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.

• 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?

• If Louisa is coming, she can look after the children for a while.
• If Helen had more money, she could buy a computer.

• Bernard said, ‘I can do it for you, Sue.’
• Bernard said that he could do it for Sue.

• I cannot understand why he did it.

• I can’t help it.

• I couldn’t help it.

• 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.

• 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?

• 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.

• 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.

• You mustn’t worry so much.

• Shall I help you? Shall I cook supper?
• Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

• 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?

• 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.

• He’ll be home soon.

• Eve won’t speak to Harriet.

• I shan’t say a word.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• I ought not to have said those things to her.
• Ought we to make such a sacrifice for the benefit of future generations?

• 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?

• Oh dear, we oughtn’t to have let that happen.
• Well then she ought to do something about it, oughtn’t she?

• Need I say more?
• Dare I ask how the project’s going?

• 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.

• 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.

• He need only ask and I will tell him.
• No sensible driver dare risk that chance.

• Dare I do it?
• Dare he do it?
• Daren’t he do it?

• 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.

• 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!

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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

Modal verbs - Easy Learning Grammar

• 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.

• 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).

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.