Grammar: Auxiliary Verbs, Modal Auxiliaries) Are

GRAMMAR
Modal verbs and their meaning
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.
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
Examples of modal verbs
Here is a list of modals with examples:
Modal Verb Expressing Example
Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn
red.
must
logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He's been working
all day long.
must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.
ability I can swim.
can permission Can I use your phone please?
possibility Smoking can cause cancer.
ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.
could polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?
possibility It could rain tomorrow!
permission May I use your phone please?

may
possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow!
polite permission Might I suggest an idea?

might
possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next
year.
lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty

need not
obligation of tomatoes in the fridge.
50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a

terrible headache.
should/ought
advice You should / ought to revise your lessons
to
logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's

been working all day long.
had better advice You 'd better revise your lessons

Remember
Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to", also called the bare
infinitive.
Examples:
 You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
 You should see to the doctor.
 There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.
Modal verbs
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 belief She must be over 90 years 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 perfect She's had to return to Korea at short notice.
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 perfect I haven't been able to solve this problem. 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).

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GRAMMAR

Modal verbs and their meaning

What are modal verbs?

Here are some characteristics of modal

can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should,

The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave

Use of modal verbs:

Modal Verb Expressing Example

must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.

ability I can swim.

can permission Can I use your phone please?

possibility Smoking can cause cancer.

ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.

could polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?

possibility It could rain tomorrow!

permission May I use your phone please?

polite permission Might I suggest an idea?

lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty

50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a

logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's

had better advice You 'd better revise your lessons

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 belief She must be over 90 years 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.

Present perfect She's had to return to Korea at short notice.

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.

Future I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional

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