EXERCISE 1 Choose the correct modal verb. Sometimes there is more than one answer correct.

MODAL VERBS PERFECT MODALS

1. Theres someone at the door. It might / can / must be the postman.
2. Dont worry , you shouldnt / mustnt / dont have to pay now.
FUNCTION TIME MODAL VERB EXAMPLES 3. We neednt have worn / didnt have to wear uniform at school. Thats what I liked it.
present - CAN - Sam can speak five languages. 4. Sam is one hour late. He should have / may have / cant have got stuck in traffic.
past - COULD / - Sarah could speak very well at the age of two. 5. In my opinion, the government could / should / must do something about this.
Ability
Capacity WAS WERE ABLE TO - She was able to reach the end despite her injuries. 6. He may not / mustnt / cant be cheap. He bought it in Harrods.
(*) 7. They must / could / cant have gone away. Their car is not in the garage.
future - WILL BE ABLE TO - We wont be able to attend the meeting next Monday
8. Its a school rule. All the pupils have to / must wear a uniform in Primary education.
P.Perfect - HAS HAVE BEEN - He hasnt been able to call you this morning.
ABLE TO 9. You had more than 200 Euros. You may not / cant / must have spent all the money already.
present - CAN I / we ( Informal) - Can I smoke in here? 10. Les tell Diana, she mustnt / may not / cant know.
Permission - COULD / MAY I..? ( - Could /May I open the window, please? 11. You dont have to / mustnt stay / shouldnt stay if you dont want to.
formal ) - Are you allowed to smoke at home?
- Be allowed to We werent allowed to use the calculator
12. Although the fire spread quickly everybody might / was able to / could escape
present - CAN you ? (informal) - Can you close that window? 13. We could / might / can have travelled by plane, but one of my sons is afraid of flying.
- COULD you? - Could you repeat what you have just said, please? 14. You dont have to / mustnt / shouldnt forget what I told you. Its very important.
- ( formal) 15. He didnt answer the phone all day. He may / cant / should have been out of town.
Would you mind..? - Would you mind opening the window, please?
Request 16. We neednt have/ might not have ordered as nobody was hungry
- Can I have .? - Can I have some water, please?
(ask for things) 17. She mustnt / cant / may not have been in France because we saw her last Monday.
present - MAY , MIGHT, COULD - It may/might/could rain tomorrow.
Possibility - Hassan may/might be in the library. Lets check.
past - MAY / MIGHT HAVE - Kim might have gone to her parents house. I m not
+ P.P sure.
EXERCISE 2 Complete the sentences with a modal or a modal perfect and a suitable verb.
- COULD HAVE + P.P - Sam could have gone to Australia but he didnt want
to 1. Why didnt you tell me your guitar string had broken? I ..you one.
present - SHOULD / OUGHT TO - Children should respect their parents. 2. They have rehearsed all day. They ... really tired.
Advice - Should I stay here or not?
- had better ( d better) - Youd better see a doctor before you get worse. 3. The race . unless it stops raining.
Regret past - SHOULD HAVE + P.P - You should have revised well for the exam. 4. Its a pity you quitted playing the piano when you were young. You .....
5. Manchester fans . very disappointed that they didnt score any goals.
- MUST - You must submit the application before Tuesday. 6. They always travel business class, so they .wealthy.
present - (internal obligation) - All citizens have to respect the law. 7. We .Its Dads fiftieth birthday next week.
Obligation - HAVE TO (external - You have to wear a helmet when you ride that bike.
obligation and rules) 8. Ill be on holidays in the mountains at Christmas so I you in town.
past - HAD TO - I had to travel to London for the meeting yesterday. 9. What do you think .I . my blue shoes or the black ones?
10. The baby is crying but he . hungry because hes just eaten.
Prohibition present - MUSTNT - You mustnt cheat during the exam.
11. John said he would ring, but he hasnt. He ... .. about it.
- CANT - We cant park here. Its forbidden.
present - MUST (You are sure ) - Hassan has been running for an hour. He must be
12. It rained every day during their holiday. They ..a very nice time.
Deduction tired. 13. We cant wait any longer. Something immediately.
Logical - CANT(It is impossible) - He has many bank loans. He cant be as rich as I 14. She ..Italian with a name like Smith.
heard.
conclusion 15. That carpet was made by hand. It . a long time to make it.
- MUST HAVE + P.P - He is with his wife again. They must have
past - CANT HAVE + P.P reconciled. 16. We ..a jacket and a tie last night. Formal clothes were not required.
- I saw him taking the taxi to work. He cant have 17. Our train arrived rather late so we ...a taxi to get to our meeting on time.
repaired his car yet. 18. Thank you for the flowers buy you . me so many.
present - NEEDNT + infinitive - I neednt wake up early tomorrow. Its a holiday.
- DONT / DOESNT - We dont have to go by car. The store isnt far away. 19. The ground is wet . It .... while we were in the cinema.
No necessity HAVE TO+ inf. 20. They didnt call me on my birthday. They ..
past - DIDNT HAVE TO + inf - We didnt have to book a table in advance. 21. There was nobody at home. I ...them before going to their house.
Lack of
(you didnt do it)
obligation 22. We .............the price before buying it. Things are very expensive in this shop.
- NEEDNT HAVE + P.P - Sam neednt have taken the keys. His mum is at
past you did it but unnecessary home. 23. Despite twisting his ankle he .. the race.
24. Bill starts work at five so he .at four a.m every day.
Offering help present - SHALL I...? - Shall I open the door for you? 25. You ...any electrical appliances while you are flying.
- I WILL.... - I will take your suitcase
26. Dont worry that Carol is late; she .the train.
Suggestion present - SHALL we....? - Shall we go to the theatre tonight?
EXERCISE 3. Rewrite these sentences using a modal verb. EXERCISE 4. TRANSLATION

1. Its a pity they didnt choose Ricky for this match. 1. -No encuentro las entradas por ningn sitio. Es imposible que las haya perdido. Se que las tena en el
bolsillo hace unos minutos. Puede que se me cayeran cuando saqu el dinero.
..
2. It wasnt necessary to bring another ball but we did.
..
3. It wont be possible for me to compete this year. 2. No hace falta que les llames ahora. Llmales cuando salgas del trabajo.
.
3. No tendra que haber vendido mi coche. Mi hermana acaba de sacarse el carn de conducir y podra
4. Its not necessary a driving license for that job. haberlo usado.
.
5. Perhaps Allan took her home.
. 4. Lo siento, no puedo quedarme ms. Me tengo que ir.
6. I think you were wrong to buy a second hand car. 5. No llevan viviendo mucho tiempo aqu as que no deben conocer a mucha gente.
.
7. Im sure that Jack hasnt left home yet. 6. A lo mejor vienen el prximo fin de semana. Depende del tiempo.
.
7. Te ayudo? OK, muchas gracias. podras llevarme esta maleta, por favor?
8. I think its wrong for you to work so much
. 8. No pude ir a su fiesta porque tuve que quedarme en casa con los nios.
9. Im certain that I left my umbrella in Toms car..
. 9. Es imposible que lo hayan comprado en Espaa. Es demasiado barato.
10. We werent obliged to attend all the classes because some of them were optional.
9. Mi hija no sabe nadar. Debera aprender a nadar lo antes posible.
.
11. I took a lot of suntan lotion with me but I didnt need it. 10. No les dejaron usar el diccionario en el examen.
..
12. What would you advise me to do? 11. A lo mejor lo vendi porque necesitaba algo de dinero.
...
12. No habra hecho falta que me compraras nada. Es un un cuadro precioso !. Debi costarte mucho
13. Is it necessary for her to bring her driving license? dinero.

14. Im sure hes not over 30. He looks very young.
.............. 13. Es probable que nieve este fin de semana? Creo que si. La temperatura ha descendido mucho.
15. Taking the book without permission was the wrong thing to do. Podramos ir a esquiar.
..............
16. Their car is parked here. Im sure they took a taxi.
.............. 14. Hacemos una fiesta en tu casa este fin de semana? Sera una buena idea.
17. When I was eight years old, I didnt know how to speak French.
15. Ese restaurante tiene que ser o muy barato o muy bueno porque siempre hay gente haciendo cola.
.............
18. Its possible he went home. He is not here.
.............. 16. No hizo falta que les llevaramos al aeropuerto porque fueron con unos vecinos suyos.
19. Chewing gum is banned in class.
You.............
20. School uniform wasnt compulsory at my school
.............
21. Jack new how to ride a bike when he was five.
..................
22. Its possible that the last person to leave didnt lock the door.
..................
23. It was a mistake not to take your car to the party.
....................