CHAPTER 7

MODAL AUXILIARIES

EXERCISE 1. Preview: modal auxiliaries.

Directions: Complete the sentences with to, if possible. If not, write Ø. Discuss the
meaning of the helping verbs in italics.

7-1 THE FORM OF MODAL AUXILIARIES

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EXERCISE 2. The form of modal auxiliaries.
Directions: Add to where necessary. If no to is necessary, write Ø.

EXERCISE 3. Error analysis: the form of modal auxiliaries.

Directions: Correct the errors.

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 7-2 EXPRESSING ABILITY: CAN AND COULD

EXERCISE 4. Expressing ability: CAN and CAN’T.

Directions: Complete the sentences with can and can’t.

EXERCISE 5. Expressing past ability: COULD and COULDN’T.

Directions: Complete the sentences with could or couldn’t and your own words.

Example: A year ago . . . , but now I can.

➔ A year ago I couldn’t speak English well, but now I can.

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 7-3 EXPRESSING POSSIBILITY: MAY AND MIGHT

EXERCISE 6. Expressing possibility: MAY, MIGHT, and MAYBE.

Directions: Answer the questions. Include at least three possibilities in the answer to each
question, using may, might, and maybe as in the example.

Example: What are you going to do tomorrow?

→ I don’t know. I may go downtown. Or I might go to the laundromat.
Maybe I’ll study all day. Who know?

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 7-4 USING COULD TO EXPRESS POSSIBILITY

EXERCISE 7. Meanings of COULD.

Directions: What is the meaning of could in the following? Does could express past,
present, or future time?

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 7-5 POLITE QUESTIONS: MAY I, COULD I, CAN I

* In a polite question, could is NOT the past form of can.

EXERCISE 8. Polite questions: MAY I, COULD I, and CAN I.

Directions: Following are some phone conversations. Complete the dialogues. Use may I,
could I, or can I + a verb from the list. NOTE: The caller is Speaker B.

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 7-6 POLITE QUESTIONS: WOULD YOU, COULD YOU, WILL YOU, CAN YOU

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EXERCISE 9. Polite questions: WOULD/COULD/WILL/CAN YOU.
Directions: Complete the dialogues. Use a polite question with would you/could you,
will you/can you in each. Use the expressions in the list or your own words.

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 7-7 EXPRESSING ADVICE: SHOULD AND OUGHT TO

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EXERCISE 10. Expressing advice: SHOULD and OUGHT TO.
Directions: Work in pairs.
Speaker A: State the problem.
Speaker B: Give advice using should or ought to. Include maybe to soften the advice if
you wish

Example: I’m sleepy.

Speaker A: I’m sleepy.
Speaker B: (Maybe) You should/ought to drink a cup of tea.

7-8 EXPRESSING ADVICE: HAD BETTER

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EXERCISE 11. Possessive pronouns and adjectives.
Directions: In the following, the speaker chooses to use had better. What are some
possible bad consequences the speaker might be thinking of?

7-9 EXPRESSING NECESSITY: HAVE TO, HAVE GOT TO, MUST

EXERCISE 12. HAVE TO, HAVE GOT TO, MUST, and SHOULD.
Directions: Discuss the questions and the meaning of the auxiliaries.

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 7-10 EXPRESSING LACK OF NECESSITY: DO NOT HAVE TO
EXPRESSING PROHIBITION: MUST NOT

EXERCISE 13. Lack of necessity (DO NOT HAVE TO) and prohibition (MUST NOT).
Directions: Complete the sentences with don’t/doesn’t have to or must not.

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 7-11 MAKING LOGICAL CONCLUSIONS: MUST

EXERCISE 14. Making Logical conclusions: MUST and MUST NOT.

Directions: Make a logical conclusion about each of the following situations. Use must.

Example: Emily is crying.

→ She must be unhappy.

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EXERCISE 15. Making Logical conclusions: MUST and MUST NOT.
Directions: Make logical conclusion. Use must or must not. Use the suggested
completions and/or your own words.

7-12 GIVING INSTRUCTIONS: IMPERATIVE SENTENCES

EXERCISE 16. Imperative sentences.

Directions: Complete the dialogues with imperative sentences. Try to figure out something
the first speaker might say in the given situation

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 7-13 MAKING SUGGESTIONS: LET’S AND WHY DON’T

EXERCISE 17. Making suggestions with LET’S and WHY DON’T WE.
Directions: Making suggestions using let’s and why don’t we. Work in pairs or as a class.

Example:
SPEAKER A: What would you like to do today?
SPEAKER B: Why don’t we go for a walk in the park? / Let’s go for a walk in the park.

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EXERCISE 18. Making suggestions with LET’S and WHY DON’T WE.
Directions: Complete the dialogues. Use let’s or why don’t we.

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 7-14 STATING PREFERENCES: PREFER, LIKE . . . BETTER, WOULD RATHER

EXERCISE 19. Expressing preferences.

Directions: Complete the sentences with than to to.

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