MODALS

Can, could, might, may (ability and possibility)

To say someone has (or hasnt) an ability, we use can, cant, could and couldnt:

Francesca can speak five languages, but she cant speak Russian.
As a child, she could play the piano but she couldnt play the violin.

The question forms are can you and could you:

Can you swim?
Could you run 20 kilometres when you were very young?
We use can and could with see, hear, smell, feel and taste:
From the top of the mountain you could see for more than 50 km.
I can hear a strange noise coming from upstairs.

To express possibility about the present or future, we use may, might or could:

I may come and visit you next summer.

We might go to the cinema this evening if we finish all our work in time.
We should go out for a walk now because it could rain later.

We use may not and might not for the negative (not cant or couldnt, which express
certainty):

Frankie is looking very pale: he may not be very well.

Dont cook any dinner for me because I might not be back in time.

Should, shouldnt, ought to, must, mustnt, have to, dont have to
(obligation and prohibition)
To give somebody advice we use should or, less often, ought to:

You should get a new pair of shoes.

You ought to have a rest now.

Particularly in the negative, shouldnt is more common than oughtnt:

You shouldnt work so hard.
The question form is Should I/she, etc:
Should we go now?
We often use should (and occasionally ought to) to talk about the right thing to do, but
is different what really happens:
I should do the housework instead of watching television in the middle of the
afternoon.
He should write his own answers instead of copying them from the Internet.

To express obligation, we use must and have to:

You must be quiet.

I have to go now.
We use must when the obligation is something we agree with.
Teacher to students: You must hand in your homework on Monday.
We use have to when the obligation comes from someone else:
My teacher has given me a lot of homework which I have to do for Monday.
 We use must for strong advice:
You must be careful if you stay out late at night.
The question form are must I/you, etc. and do I/you, etc. have to:
Must we stop writing now?
Do they have to wear uniforms at that school?

To express prohibition, we use mustnt:

You mustnt go in there it says No entry!.

You mustnt speak during the exam its forbidden.

Do not use dont have to to express prohibition:

You mustnt use your mobile phone in class (its not allowed).
Compare this with:
You dont have to use your mobile phone to speak to Fayed. Look! Hes over there
(i.e. its not necessary).
Never use mustnt about the past.
For prohibition in the past, we can use not allowed to, e. g.:
We werent allowed to speak.

For something that wasnt necessary, we often use didnt have to:
Jo gave me a ticket for the concert, so I didnt have to pay.

To say that there is no obligation, or its not necessary, we use dont have to, dont need to or
neednt:

This is a really good exercise on phrasal verbs for anyone whos interested, but its
not for homework, so you dont have to do it if you dont want to.
You neednt learn all the vocabulary on this page only the words you think are
useful.

EXERCISE: Spanish-speaking PET candidates often make mistakes with modals. Say what
the errors are (e. g. wrong word order, wrong tense, etc.) and correct them.

1. We can to go to the cinema next weekend. can go

Modals are followed by the infinitive without to.
2. I know it may seems strange. may seem
The main verb following a modal is an infinitive without to so it does not add s in
the 3rd person (he/she/it).
3. Sorry but tomorrow Im not can go. I cant
Forms of be are not used before modals; most modals form the negative by adding
not or a short form of it at the end.
4. What we could do? could we
The question of the modals normally needs a change in word order of modal and
subject and doesnt use the auxiliary verb do.
5. Here we can doing a lot of sports. can do
Modals are not followed by the -ing form of the verb.
6. You will might see them in December. you might see
The future form of most modals is the same as the present form.
7. Its could be quite boring for you. It could be
Forms of be are not used before modals.
8. We could met at 8 oclock near the cinema. could meet
Modals are followed by the infinitive without to, not a past form of the verb.