Curso 2017 – 2018 INGLÉS [MODAL VERBS]

MODAL VERBS

Las características generales de los verbos modales son las siguientes:

1. Nunca llevan –s / –es en la tercera persona del singular.

2. Van seguidos del infinitivo sin TO.

3. No tienen participio ni gerundio.

4. Nunca necesitan auxiliar para formar la negativa o la interrogativa.

5. No pueden formar todos los tiempos verbales, son defectivos.

Ability Possibility Permission Deduction Offering Duty Request Suggestion Advice

CAN CAN CAN’T CAN CAN

COULD COULD COULD COULD COULD

BE ABLE TO MAY MAY

MIGHT MIGHT

SHALL SHALL

SHOULD SHOULD

WILL WILL OUGHT TO

WOULD WOULD

MUST MUST

HAVE TO

Academia de Enseñanza Laura’s 1

 Curso 2017 – 2018 INGLÉS [MODAL VERBS]

1. CAN

a) Ability. Can you speak English?

b) Permission. You can’t smoke here.

c) Deduction. He can’t be the same person.

d) Offering. Can I buy you a drink?

e) Request. Can you tell me the time, please?

2. COULD

a) Ability. He could speak when he was one.

b) Asking for permission. Could I make a phone call?

c) Possibility. You could have been killed.

d) Request. Could you tell me where is the bus stop?

e) Advice o suggestion. You could talk to my boss about the problem.

3. MAY

a) Asking for permission. May I sit down?

b) Possibility. He may be telling you the truth.

4. MIGHT

a) Permission. Might I turn on the TV?

b) Remote possibility. He might lose his job?

Academia de Enseñanza Laura’s 2

 Curso 2017 – 2018 INGLÉS [MODAL VERBS]

5. SHALL1

a) Offering. Shall I do the washing up?

b) Suggestion. Shall we meet again tomorrow?

6. SHOULD / OUGHT TO

a) Advice. You should study hard.

b) Duty (moral). Everyone should see a dentist every year.

7. WILL

a) Future.

b) Offering. I will help you with your homework if you want.

c) Request. Will you please open the door?

d) Decisiones expontaneas.

e) Predicciones.

f) Promesas y amenazas.

8. WOULD

a) Conditional. She would come, if she had time.

b) Offering. Would you like a cup of tea?

c) Request. Would you mind, please, closing the window?

1 Siempre en interrogativas en 1ª persona singular y/o plural.

Academia de Enseñanza Laura’s 3

 Curso 2017 – 2018 INGLÉS [MODAL VERBS]

9. MUST

a) Duty. We must get onto the plane.

b) Affirmative deduction. He must be eighteen.

c) Necesidad.

d) Convencer a alguien.

10. HAVE TO

a) Duty. You have to do your homework.

b) Para formar otros tiempos verbales de MUST.

Academia de Enseñanza Laura’s 4