MODAL VERBS

1. Read the sentences and match the verbs/modals in bold to their meanings.
Which express: obligation? Prohibition? Suggestion? Necessity? Lack of
necessity?

1 b Surgeons must wear masks during an operation.

2 a You ought to have an annual check-up

3 d You must clean your teeth every day

4 f You need to sleep for at least 7 hours a night

5 c You mustn’t smoke in here

6 e You don’t have to drive me to the station.

7 g You shouldn’t be rude to your mother

8 h In the UK you have to be get a driving licence.

a. It would be a good idea to do this

b. This is a rule
c. You are not allowed to do this; it is forbidden
d. It is important that you do this
e. It’s not necessary, but you can if you want to.
f. This is necessary
g. It would be a good idea not to do this.
h. This is very important; it is essential.

2. Examples

PROBABILITY

-WILL:
The sun will rise tomorrow
Ashley will be late
 If you don’t get a jumper, you will get cold
You will pass the exam
It will be OK
-WILL NOT, WON’T:
If they walk, they won’t arrive in time

-MUST:
The baby’s crying, he must be hungry
I thought Sarah would be here by now, she must be stuck in traffic
They didn’t eat any of the meat, they must be vegetarian

-MUST HAVE:
You must have felt exhausted
I thought I’d do better in the exam, I must have been really nervous
Jack’s not here right now, he must have thought you were meeting him
downstairs

-SHOULD:
They left an hour ago, they should be here by now
If they take the car, they should arrive by three

-SHOULD HAVE:
I didn’t realize he was unwell, we should have offered to take him to the
doctor.
The school knew Sam was going to be late, they should have called his
mother

POSSIBILITY

-CAN:
People can be really rude
Be careful because it can be quite dangerous on the streets at night
It can be really hard to find a speaking partner to practice English with
It can take over 12 hours to hike through those mountains

-COULD:
I remember winters in London, weeks could go by without ever seeing the
sun

-COULD, MIGHT AND MAY:

If you wait near the door on Lewis Street, you could see the prime minister
leaving
They might arrive before lunch
I may need to borrow your car
It could rain this afternoon
Simon might arrive before us

-COULD, MIGHT AND MAY HAVE:

They might have finished dinner by now
I’m worried, something could have happened to Sara

IMPOSSIBILITY

-CAN NOT, CAN’T-COULD NOT, COULDN’T:

You can’t be serious
When we told them they’d won, they couldn’t believe it
That can’t be true