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:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

Want to take a look on examples?

Modal Verb	Example	Uses
Can	They can control their own budgets. We can’t fix it.  Can I smoke here?  Can you help me?	Ability / Possibility Inability / Impossibility Asking for permission Request
Could	Could I borrow your dictionary? Could you say that again more slowly? We could try to fix it ourselves. I think we could go to war again. He gave up his old job so he could work for us.	Asking for permission. Request Suggestion Future possibility Ability in the past
May	May I have another cup of coffee? China may become a major economic power.	Asking for permission Future possibility
Might	We'd better phone tomorrow, they might be eating their dinner now. You never know, they might give us a 10% discount.	Present possibility Future possibility
Must	We must say good-bye now. They mustn’t disrupt the work more than necessary.	Necessity / Obligation Prohibition
Ought to	We ought to employ a professional writer.	Saying what’s right or correct.
Shall (More common  in the UK  than the US)	Shall I help you with your luggage? Shall we say 2.30 then? Shall I do that or will you?	Offer Suggestion Asking what to do
Should	We should sort out this problem at once. I think we should check everything again. You should check your posture when using the computer. Profits should increase next year.	Saying what’s right or correct Recommending action Giving advice Uncertain prediction
Will	I can’t see any taxis so I’ll walk. I'll do that for you if you like. I’ll get back to you first thing on Monday. Profits will increase next year.	Instant decisions Offer Promise Certain prediction
Would	Would you mind if I brought a colleague with me? Would you pass the salt please? Would you mind waiting a moment? "Would three o`clock suit you?" - "That’d be fine." Would you like to play golf this Friday? "Would you prefer tea or coffee?" - "I’d like tea please."	Asking for permission Making a Request Making a Request Making arrangements Invitation Stating Preferences

Modals in the present and past- Watch out, this may be forgotten...

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.

EXCERCISES ON THE MODALS WE'VE LEARNED

1. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. You                               mustn't               needn't               may not               should not              buy any.
2. It's a hospital. You                               mustn't               needn't               may not               don't have to              smoke.
3. He had been working for more than 11 hours. He                               must               need               had better               mustn't                be tired after such hard work. He                               may               should               must               had better              prefer to get some rest.
4. I                               could               might               can               must              speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Morocco. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I                               may               can               must               need              just say a few things in the language.
5. The teacher said we                               can               needn't               must               should              read this book for our own pleasure as it is optional. But we                               could               need               needn't               mustn't              read it if we don't want to.
6.                               May               Need               Must               Can              you stand on your head for more than a minute? No, I                               may not               needn't               can't              .
7. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you                               could               need               needn't               mustn't              to work hard.
8. Take an umbrella. It                               need               should               mustn't               might              rain later.
9. You                               shouldn't               need               needn't               may not              leave small objects lying around . Such objects                               must               need               may               mustn't              be swallowed by children.
10. People                               couldn't               needn't               mustn't               may not              walk on grass.
11. Drivers                               could               must               may              stop when the traffic lights are red.
12.                               May               Must               Should               Will              I ask a question? Yes, of course.
13. You                               couldn't               needn't               mustn't               may not               take your umbrella. It is not raining.
14.                               Can               Need               Should               May              you speak Italian? No, I                               shouldn't               mustn't               may not               can't              
15. You                         mustn't            needn't           smoke on buses. It's forbidden.

                                NOW, A LITTLE REHEARSAL ON THE MODALS IN PAST! 

1. He                         can't have been            can't be           French. His French is terrible.
2. The kids are calm today. They                             must have been              must be              had to be              tired.
3. Although Leila was very hungry, she didn't eat very much. She                         couldn't have liked            could have liked            can't like           the food.
4. The phone is ringing. It                         must be            had to be            must have been           Mary. She promised she would call.
5. John had a terrible accident. He                         must stop            had to stop           when the traffic lights were red.
6. I don't know why she got so many bad grades. She                         may be            might be            might have been             lazy studying.
7. I didn't know you needed help. You                         should have told            should tell              me.
8. I am so tired. I need some rest. I think I                         should take            should have taken           a week off.
9. He                         could have run            can run            could run              so fast when he was young.
10. Nancy                         can't have gone            can't go           on holidy. I have just met her in the street.

                                             LET´S HAVE SOME READING

Below a short text which contain all the modal verbs. I hope that exploring these examples of the use of modal verbs will help you build confidence in using them.

The Story of Helen Keller, The Girl Who Could Not See, Hear or Speak

I’d like you to know the story of Helen Keller, who could neither see nor hear from the time she was a baby. Yet the brilliant girl was able to overcome all those handicaps, to graduate from a college with honors and become a useful citizen.

I must say there was nothing wrong with Helen Keller when she was born. Her father and mother were very proud of their pretty baby, who tried to say “pa-pa” and “ma-ma”. 

For nineteen months Helen grew bigger and stronger. She was able to walk when she was a year old; she could say a few words.

But one day the child fell ill. She must have been very ill. For days she was laid up with a high fever and soon the parents learned that their darling would never be able to see and hear.

The little child was now doomed to a life of silence and darkness. She could not hear what was said to her and did not know how to talk, she was unable to play with other children.

When Helen was 6 years old her parents took her to Baltimore and then to Washington to famous doctors to find out if they could do something to make her hear and see again, but the doctors could do nothing. The child was hopelessly deaf. Dr. Bell said the Kellers should address the Perkins Institution for the blind in Boston and ask if they could send someone to help the child.

It was a wonderful day for Helen Keller when Ann Sullivan arrived in March 1887 to take charge of the child who could neither hear nor speak. Helen was nearly seven, Ann Sullivan was past twenty.

Ann Sullivan found a way to make herself understood. She gave the child a doll, and taking Helen Keller’s hand she slowly spelled out "d-o-l". The child learnt for the first time that things must have names.

When Miss Sullivan later spelled into the little girl’s hand the word “w-a-t-e-r” and then let the water from the pumps run over her hand, a new light seemed to brighten the face of the child. During the next 3 months, she learned 300 words and could even put some of them into sentences.
Miss Sullivan loved her pupil who was so quick to learn. She lived with Helen, played with her and worked with her every hour of the day. By means of the hand language, Helen and her teacher were able to talk to each other.


Helen learned to read books that were printed for the blind with raised letters. She also learned to use the typewriter to write what she wanted to say.

When Helen was 10 she was determined that she would learn to speak.
At first she learned only the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, but soon she was able to say words and sentences.

In the story of her life Helen Keller writes, “I shall never forget the surprise and delight I felt when I uttered my first connected sentence: “It is warm.”

At first she had much difficulty with her speech, but Ann Sullivan understood what Helen trying to say. Helen practised speaking day after day until at last she developed a clear voice.

Later she was able to speak before large crowds which came to hear her whenever she lectured.

At the age of 20 Helen Keller passed all the difficult entrance examinations to Radcliffe College. Helen did extremely well in her classes and was able to keep up with the other students. Helen wrote “The Story of My Life” while she was in college. In her writings and lectures Helen did everything she could to help and encourage others who were blind.

(From "Short Stories of Famous Women"

QUIZ 

Let´s take a chance, on a a quiz. Don't worry, you will not be grated, real teachers do not care about grades, they care about processes on students, and that is what we care on the blog, we care about you understanding the topic, you being capable of using what you learned on your daily life. 

Cheers for Paulo Freire and his legacy. Cheers for the real teachers. 

1. Ted's flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He  be exhausted after such a long flight. He  prefer to stay in tonight and get some rest.

2. If you want to get a better feeling for how the city is laid out, you  walk downtown and explore the waterfront.

3. Hiking the trail to the peak  be dangerous if you are not well prepared for dramatic weather changes. You  research the route a little more before you attempt the ascent.

4. When you have a small child in the house, you  leave small objects lying around. Such objects  be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.

5. Dave:  you hold your breath for more than a minute?
Nathan: No, I can't.

6. Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It  have cost a fortune.

7. Please make sure to water my plants while I am gone. If they don't get enough water, they  die.

8. I  speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Egypt. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I  just say a few things in the language.

9. The book is optional. My professor said we  read it if we needed extra credit. But we  read it if we don't want to.

10. Leo: Where is the spatula? It  be in this drawer but it's not here.
Nancy: I just did a load of dishes last night and they're still in the dish washer. It  be in there. That's the only other place it  be.

11. You  take your umbrella along with you today. The weatherman on the news said there's a storm north of here and it  rain later on this afternoon.

12.  we pull over at the next rest stop? I really  use the bathroom and I don't know if I  hold it until we get to Chicago. 

13. Oh no! Frank's wallet is lying on the coffee table. He  have left it here last night.

14. Ned:  I borrow your lighter for a minute?
Stephen: Sure, no problem. Actually, you  keep it if you want to. I've given up smoking.

15. I  believe she said that to Megan! She  insult her cooking in front of everyone at the party last night. She  have just said she was full or had some salad if she didn't like the meal. 

16. Do you  chew with your mouth open like that? Geez, it's making me sick watching you eat that piece of pizza.

17. Mrs. Scarlett's body was found in the lounge just moments ago, and it's still warm! Nobody has left the mansion this evening, so the killer  be someone in this room. It  be any one of us!!!

18. Ted: I don't know why Denise starting crying when I mentioned the wedding.
Pamela: It  have been what you said about her brother. Or, perhaps she is just nervous. After all, the big day is tomorrow.

19.  you always say the first thing that pops into your head?  you think once in awhile before you speak?

20. I was reading the book last night before I went to bed. I never took it out of this room. It  be lying around here somewhere. Where  it be? be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.