Modal verbs

Modal verbs are used to express (un)certainty in a situation.

Rules
1 There is only one form – they don’t change. They don’t take 3rd person -s and can’t have an -ed past form.
2 There is no to before or after them.
3 You cannot use two modals together.
4 To make questions with modals, we invert the subject and the modal verb. (I can  Can I?)
5 To make negative modals, we add not to the modal. (I can  I cannot/can’t)

OBLIGATION AND NECESSITY

Modal verb: must
Non-modal expressions: have to/have got to, need to
Related verbs: be required to, be obliged to
Must – to talk about what is right or necessary, there is no choice  They must be at home by ten o’clock.
Have to - to talk about what is right or necessary, there is no choice.  He has to join the army when he is 18.
It is not a modal verb so it can be used in other tenses.  They will have to get up at 6 o’clock tomorrow.
Must expresses the opinion of the speaker, while have to/have got to means the obligation comes from the situation
or from an external source.
I must put make-up on before going to work. (It is my idea; I feel this is necessary.)
I have to be at school at 7.30 in the morning. (It is way too early, but it is not my decision to make.)
Need to – similar to have to: it isn’t a modal verb, it can be used in different tenses.  I need to buy some new books.
Be required to, be obliged to – to talk about obligation in different tenses.  We are required to/obliged to give a
speech once a week. They were required to/obliged to hand over their weapons.

DUTY AND ADVICE

Modal verbs: should/shouldn’t, ought to/oughtn’t to
Related verbs: be supposed to
Should/shouldn’t – to give advice in the present or for the future  You shouldn’t eat so much while in quarantine.
(present advice); When you go to America next year, you should visit Salt Lake City. (advice about the future)
Ought/ought not to – very similar to should/shouldn’t  You ought to get your hair cut once quarantine is over.
You ought not to get your hair cut while you are in quarantine.
Be supposed to – what should/shouldn’t happen according to rules. It sometimes implies that the rules are broken.
We were supposed to go to bed at ten o’clock. (but we didn’t)
All people are supposed to pay the taxes. (but many don’t)

NO OBLIGATION
Modal verbs: needn’t
Non-modal expressions: don’t have to, don’t need to
Related verbs: not required to, not obliged to

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Don’t have to – something isn’t necessary. It can be used in different tenses.
 I don’t have to wear a uniform at school. (present)
 My father didn’t have to wear a uniform at school. (past)
 My children won’t have to wear a uniform at school. (future)
Don’t need to – the same as don’t have to. It can be used in different tenses.
 We don’t need to change anything in our new house. (present)
 We didn’t need to change anything in our new house. (past)
 We won’t need to change anything in our new house. (future)
Needn’t – a modal verb, only used in the present. It has the same meaning as don’t need to.  You needn’t worry.
Not required to / not obliged to – show a lack of obligation. They can be used in any tense.
 We are not required to stay late tonight.
 They weren’t obliged to sign anything.
 You won’t be required to move house.

PROHIBITON
Modal verbs: mustn’t, can’t, couldn’t
Related verbs: be forbidden to, not allowed to
Mustn’t – something is not allowed in the present or as a general truth.
 You mustn’t stand close to other people these days. not allowed in the present
 You mustn’t speak during exams. general truth
Can’t – similar to mustn’t
 You can’t go out. (now)
 You can’t go to the park at night. (general truth)
Couldn’t – to talk about prohibition in the past.  When we were young, we couldn’t watch TV on school days.
Be forbidden to / not allowed to – to talk about prohibition. They can be used in tenses.
 It is forbidden to open that box. (present)
 They weren’t allowed to go swimming. (past)
 He won’t be allowed to keep his medal. (future)

Modal verbs – Part 2

ABILITY
Modal verbs: can/can’t, could/couldn’t
Non-modal expressions: (not) be able to
Related verbs: manage to, succeed in
Can/can’t – to describe ability or lack of ability.  I can swim. Henry can’t cook.
Could – general abilities in the past.  I could swim when I was five.
Could – past abilities which involve senses.  As the smoke cleared, I could see him standing in front of me. (a
specific event in the past which involves a sense: sight)
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Be able to – specific event in the past.  When the boat sank, he was able to (not could) swim to the shore.
Be able to and couldn’t – used in negative sentences for both specific and general past abilities.
 I couldn’t/wasn’t able to swim when I was five. (general ability in the past)
 He couldn’t/wasn’t able to escape from his prison cell. (a specific event in the past)
We use be able to in all tenses.  He hasn’t been able to escape yet. They will be able to escape next week.
Manage to and succeed in – for completed, specific past abilities, but not for general abilities in the past.
 When the building caught fire, he managed to escape. (manage to is followed by the infinitive)
 She finally succeeded in finding a job after many months of trying. (succeed in is followed by the -ing form)

PERMISSION
Modal verbs: can, could, may
Related verbs: be allowed to, be permitted to
Can/could – to ask for or give permission
Could – in positive ang negative statements about permission used to talk about the past
 When I was younger, I could stay out until 9 p.m. (permission in the past)
Can and could – in questions, they have a present meaning. Could is used with I and we and it is more polite.
 Could I leave early tonight? (asking for a permission more politely)
 Can I leave early tonight? (asking for a permission, usually when talking to a friend, a parent etc.)
Can – when we are asking other people if they have permission to do something
 Can you leave early tonight? (not could!)
May is used as a more polite form of can/could in the first-person questions.
 May I go out, please?
 May we see the menu, please?
Be allowed to, be permitted to – we can use them instead of modal verbs to talk about permission. They can be used
in different tenses by changing the tense of the verb to be.
 Will you be allowed to come on holiday with us?
 We were only permitted to have two days off last year.

POSSIBILITY
Modal verbs: can, could, might
Related verbs: be likely to, be bound to
Can – to talk about general possibility  Life can be difficult at times. The nights can be cold at this time of year.
Could/might – to say that a specific thing is possibly true  He could be the murderer. They might know the answer.
Can/could – to talk about a possible, although not very likely, future action.  When we finish this work, we
can/could have a cup of coffee.
Might – to talk about an uncertain future intention.  After the match, I might have something to eat with Paul.
Be bound to - something is almost certain to happen  We’re bound to arrive soon.
Be likely to – not as certain as bound to  We’re likely to find out the answer in a few days.

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CERTAINTY
Modal verbs: must, could, might, may, can’t be
Must - we are sure  They live in a big house. They must be rich.
Could/might/may – it is possible, but we are not certain  She might be at the library.
Can’t – we are certain something isn’t possible  He can’t be a doctor – he’s only sixteen years old.