Prof: othmane hasnaoui

Modal Verbs and Their Meaning

What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special
verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like "work,
play, visit..." They are used to indicate modality. They give additional information about the
function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative
functions.

Use of modal verbs:

Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:

1. Permission
2. Ability
3. Obligation
4. Prohibition
5. Lack of necessity
6. Advice
7. possibility
8. probability

Remember

Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to"

Examples:

 You must stop when the traffic lights turn red

 You should see a doctor
 There are many tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.

Exception:

 You ought to go to the doctor

A list of modals

Here is a list of modals:

Modal Verb Meaning Expressing Example
I must stop when the traffic lights
to have to 100 % obligation
turn red.
must
logical conclusion He must be very tired after such
to be very probable
(deduction) enormous work
You must not smoke in the
must not not to be allowed to prohibition
hospital.
to be able to ability I can swim
can to be allowed to permission Can I use your phone please?
it is possible possibility Smoking can cause cancer !
When I was younger I could stay
to be able to ability in the past
up all night and not get tired..
could Excuse me, could I just say
to be allowed to more polite permission
something?
it is possible possibility It could rain tomorrow!
to be allowed to permission May I use your phone please?
may
it is possible, probable possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow!
to be allowed to more polite permission Might I use your phone please?
might I might come and visit you in
weak possibility,
it is possible, probable America next year, if I can save
probability
enough money.
need necessary necessity Need I say more?
lack of necessity/absence I need not buy any tomatoes.
need not not necessary
of obligation There are plenty in the fridge.
used to say or ask what
I should / ought to see a doctor. I
is the correct or best 50 % obligation
have a terrible headache.
thing to do
should/ought
to suggest an action or to You should / ought to revise your
to advice
show that it is necessary lessons
logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired
to be very probable
(deduction) after such enormous work
to suggest an action or to
had better advice You 'd better revise your lessons
show that it is necessary

Exercise : write the right modal verb in the gap

1) This is a hospital. You …………………………….. Smoke here.

2) He had been working for more than 11 hours. He ……………… be tired after
such hard work. He ………………………….. prefer to get some rest.
3) I ……………………. speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived
in Morocco. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to
 the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I
…………………….just say a few things in the language.
4) The teacher said we ……………… read this book for our own pleasure as it is
optional. But we …………………… read it if we don't want to.
5) If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you …………………worry. We
will help you become a fluent speaker but you have to work hard.
6) Take an umbrella. It ………………………… rain later.
7) You …………………. leave small objects lying around . Such objects
…………………….be swallowed by children.
8) People ………………………. walk on the grass.
9) Drivers ……………………… stop when the traffic lights are red.
10) You …………………… take your umbrella. It is not raining.