Modal verbs

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.So, A modal verb is a type of verb that is used to
indicate modality that is: likelihood, ability, permission and obligation.[1] Examples
include the English verbs can/could, may/might, must, will/would and shall/should. In
English and other Germanic languages, modal verbs are often distinguished as a class
based on certain grammatical properties.

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

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 She must be over 90 years
belief 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 She's had to return to Korea at short notice.
perfect
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 I haven't been able to solve this problem.
perfect 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).
Active and passive voice

Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:

Active Form

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the
sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences
are active.

[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

Examples:

Passive Form

In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the
sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end
of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing
receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can
also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if
you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing
action]

Examples:
 active passive

The hunter killed the lion. >> The lion was killed by the hunter.

Someone has cleaned the windows >> The windows have been cleaned

The passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:

be past participle

English is spoken all over the world

The windows have been cleaned

Lunch was being served

The work will be finished soon

They might have been invited to the party

We sometimes use the verb get to form the passive:

Be careful with the glass. It might get broken.

Peter got hurt in a crash.

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action we use by:
 She was attacked by a dangerous dog.
The money was stolen by her husband.

We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:

active passive

He was given a book for his

I gave him a book for his birthday >>
birthday.

Someone sent her a cheque for a She was sent a cheque for a
>>
thousand euros thousand euros.

We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:

active passive

They called off the meeting. >> The meeting was called off.

His grandmother looked He was looked after by his

>>
after him. grandmother.

They will send him away to

>> He will be sent away to school.
school.

Some verbs very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-
infinitive:
be supposed to be expected to be asked to

be scheduled to be allowed to be told to

John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.

You are supposed to wear a uniform.
The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.

Active / Passive Overview

Tense Active Passive

Simple Once a week, Tom cleans the house. Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present

Present Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. Right now, the letter is being written by
Continuous Sarah.

Simple Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.
Past

The salesman was helping the customer The customer was being helped by the
Past
when the thief came into the store. salesman when the thief came into the
Continuous
store.

Present Many tourists have visited that castle. That castle has been visited by many
Perfect tourists.

Present Recently, John has been doing the Recently, the work has been being done by
Perfect work. John.
Continuous

Past George had repaired many cars before Many cars had been repaired by George
Perfect he received his mechanic's license. before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Chef Jones had been preparing the The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been
Perfect restaurant's fantastic dinners for two being preparedby Chef Jones for two years
Continuous years before he moved to Paris. before he moved to Paris.

Simple Someone will finish the work by 5:00 The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future PM.
will

Simple Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner A beautiful dinner is going to be made by
Future tonight. Sally tonight.
be going
to

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be
Continuous washing the dishes. being washed by John.
will

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to
Continuous washing the dishes. be being washed by John.
be going to

Future They will have completed the project The project will have been
Perfect before the deadline. completed before the deadline.
will

Future They are going to have completed the The project is going to have been
Perfect project before the deadline. completed before the deadline.
be going to

Future The famous artist will have been The mural will have been being painted by
Perfect painting the mural for over six months the famous artist for over six months by
Continuous by the time it is finished. the time it is finished.
will

Future The famous artist is going to have been The mural is going to have been being
Perfect painting the mural for over six months painted by the famous artist for over six
Continuous by the time it is finished. months by the time it is finished.
be going to
Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.

Would My mother would always make the The pies would always be made by my
Always pies. mother.

Future in I knew John would finish the work by I knew the work would be finished by 5:00
the Past 5:00 PM. PM.
Would

Future in I thought Sally was going to make a I thought a beautiful dinner was going to
the Past beautiful dinner tonight. be made by Sally tonight.
Was Going
to