MODAL VERBS

Exercise1: Ability- Choose the best option.

1- They ____ be on holiday, but I'm not sure. (can/ may)
2- You ____ be right, but I'd still like to check. ( can/could)
3 - ____ you turn it down a bit please? (Can/ May)
4 - It's OK- you ____ go when you've finished. (may/might)
5 - Ask any questions now as you ____ not talk during the test. (may/could)
6 - You ____ smoke in the cinema. (can't//might not)
7 - From the way he speaks, he ____ be from London. (can/could)
8 - It's impossible- they _____ have finished it already! (can't/mustn't)
9 - The weather ____ be better tomorrow. (can/may)
10 - ____ you speak Japanese? (Can/May)

Exercise2: Modals of Ability - Fill in the blanks with the right modal

Put in 'can', 'can't', 'could' or 'couldn't'. If none of these is possible use 'be able to' in the correct tense.

1) ....................................you swim when you were 10?

2) We ....................................get to the meeting on time yesterday, because the train was delayed by one hour
3) He ......................................arrive at the party on time, even after missing the train, so he was very pleased
4) He's amazing, he .........................................speak five languages, including Chinese
5) I ...........................................drive a car until I was 34. Then I moved to the countryside, so I had to learn..
6) I looked everywhere for my glasses but I ....................................find them anywhere
7) I searched for your house for ages. luckily I .....................................................find it in the end.
8) She's seven years old, but she ...........................................read yet. Her parents are getting her extra lessons
9) I read the book three times, but I ............................................understand it
10) James ..........................................speak Japanese when he lived in Japan, but he's forgotten most of it now
11) I ..................................................understand the chapter we had to read for homework. It was so difficult.
12) I .................................................lift this box - it's too heavy! Would you help me?
13) Lucy ...............................................make it to our meeting after all. She's stuck in traffic.
14) John ...............................................play tennis really well. He's champion of his club.
15) Unfortunately, I really ..............................................sing at all. No-one in my family is musical either.
16) When the car broke down I was really pleased because I ................................................solve the problem.
17) Julian ...................................................play excellent golf when he was only ten.
18) My grandmother ......................................use a computer until last month. Since then she's been taking
lessons at the library
19) I ..............................................open this window! I think it's stuck
20) Gill ...........................................play the piano. She has never studied it.

Exercise3 : Modals of Obligation

Put in 'mustn't' or 'don't / doesn't have to'

1) We have a lot of work tomorrow. You .........................................be late

2) You ...................................................tell anyone what I just told you. It's a secret.
3) The museum is free. You .............................................pay to get in. .
4) Children ...................................tell lies. It's very naughty.
5) John's a millionaire. He ...........................................go to work.
6) I .....................................do my washing because my mother does it for me.
7) We ........................................rush. We've got plenty of time
8) You .............................................smoke inside the school.
9) You can borrow my new dress, but you ..........................................get it dirty.
10) We .....................................................miss the train, because it's the last one tonight.
11) She .................................................do this work today, because she can do it tomorrow
12) I .......................................................clean the floor today because I cleaned it yesterday
13) We ....................................................forget to lock all the doors before we leave.
14) We ..............................................stay in a hotel in London; we can stay with my brother.
15) I ...............................................spend too much money today, as I've only got a little left
16) They ..........................................get up early today, because it's Sunday.
17) I ...............................................eat too much cake or I'll get fat!.
18) We ......................................................be late for the exam.
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19) You .................................................tidy up now. I'll do it later.
20) He .................................................cook tonight because he's going to a restaurant.

Exercise4: Modals of Probability - put in 'must' or 'can't'

1) Why is that man looking around like that? He ..........................................be lost.

2) That woman .....................................be a doctor! She looks far too young.
3) John always fails the tests, even though he's clever. He ................................................study enough
4) The food is really good at that restaurant. They ....................................................have a great chef.
5) Who's that at the door? It ....................................................be Susie - she'll still be at work now
6) This ....................................be John's house. This house has a red door and it's number 24, just like he said
7) Julie .........................................have much money or she would buy a new car. Her old one is falling apart.
8) He ...............................................be at work now, can he? It's nearly midnight.
9) What a lot of lovely flowers you have! You ...............................................really like gardening.
10) David .........................................drink a lot of coffee. He's finished two packets already this week.
11) This ................................................be Jamie's coat. He's tall and this is tiny.
12) Her life ...............................................be easy. She has four children and very little money.
13) Where's Lucy? She ................................................be at the library, as she often goes there at this time.
14) This bill ................................................be right! £50 for two cups of coffee!.
15) Emma's amazingly good at the piano. She ...................................................practise a lot.
16) The car in front is driving so slowly that I think they ..........................................be looking for something.
17) You've already eaten enough for three people! You ..................................................still be hungry!.
18) This book ................................................belong to the library. It's certainly not mine
19) It only takes three hours to fly from London to Sydney? That ............................................be correct!.
20) There ...........................................be something wrong with the fridge! It's making a very unusual noise.

Exercise5: Fill in can, have to, may, might, must, need, should or (not) allowed to.
1. George has travelled a lot. He ....................................................... speak many languages.
2. I can hear you quite well. You .................................................... not shout.
3. I'm not sure where I will go for my holidays, but I ............................................................. go to Italy.
4. She ................................................... ride her bike at night without lights. It's not allowed.
5. She .................................................... not eat so much chocolate because it's bad for her figure.
6. I ........................................................ understand him.He should speak louder.
7. It's later than I thought. I ........................................................ go now.
8. You ............................................... a better trainer if you want to improve yourself.
9. Talk to Ann about your problems. I'm sure she ........................................................... help you.
10. You ................................................. not vacuum the carpets because Carol has already done it.
11. You ..................................................... be tired because you have worked very hard.
12. He ............................................ come to my party because he is ill.
13. He .............................................. go to the dentist when he has toothache.
14. It's not very important. You .............................. not do it now. You ................................... do it tomorrow.
15. ............................................. you speak many languages?
16. I don't know what I'm doing this weekend, but I ......................................................go to London.
17. Smoking is very unhealthy. You .......................................... stop it.
18. Playing football .................................................. in this park.
19. You have got plenty of time. You ...................................... not hurry.
20. You .................................................. have a passport to visit most foreign countries.

Exercise 6: Fill in can, have to, may, might, must, need, should or (not) allowed to.
1. He ....................................................go skating because he broke his leg.
2. Many children in Britain ..............................................wear school uniforms.
3. I'm not sure but Jane .............................................. come to visit me this afternoon.
4. Didn't you see the sign? You ............................................ drive more than 30 miles.
5. He speaks a lot of languages, but he ............................................. speak Chinese.
6. It .............................................. snow. It looks like it.
7. You .....................................................drive on the right in Britain.
8. He is a good boxer. You ..................................... be careful.
9. You ........................................... to smoke in the office.
10. This test will be very difficult. So you ......................................... learn a lot.
11. You .................................................... eat more vegetables because they are healthy.
12. I don't .............................................. the car. You can take it.
13. He does everything himself. He ............................................. no help.
14. It's going to rain. You ...................................... shut the window.
15. You .................................................start a fire in the forest.
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Exercise 7. Choose the best option for each sentence:

1) Young people ______ obey their parents.

a. must b. may c. will d. ought to
2) Laura, you and the kids just have dinner without waiting for me. I ______ work very hard today.
a. can b. may c. should d. would
3) I ______ be delighted to show you round the factory.
a. ought to b. would c. might d. can
4) Leave early so that you ______ miss the bus.
a. didn’t b. won’t c. shouldn’t d. mustn’t
5) Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It ______ have cost a fortune
a. must b. might c. will d. should
6) You ______ to write them today.
a. should b. must c. had d. ought
7) I hope I ______ find it.
a. will b. shall c. could d. must
8) Unless he runs he______ catch the train.
a. will b. mustn’t c. wouldn’t d. won’t
9) ______ you be in Rome tonight.
a. will b. may c. might d. maybe
10) We ______ have time to help you tomorrow.
a. may b. must c. will d. could.
11) "______ you hand me that pair of scissors, please?"
a. May b. Will c. Shall d. Should
12) Jeanette did very badly on the exam. She _____ harder.
a. must have studied b. could have studied c. should have studied d. must studied
13) He was very lucky when he fell off the ladder. He _____ himself.
a. could have hurt b. should have hurt c. must have hurt d. will have hurt
14) Marcela didn't come to class yesterday. She _____ an accident.
a. should have had b. might have c. must have d. may have had
15) John still hasn't come out. He ______ everything for the trip now.
a. must have been preparing c. must be preparing
b. will be preparing d. will have prepared
16) Thomas received a warning for speeding. He _____ so fast.
a. shouldn't have driven c. should have
b. would have driven d. might have driven
17) The photos are black. The X-ray at the airport _____ them.
a. should have damaged c. would have damaged
c. would damage d. must have damaged
18) Tom didn't do his homework, so the teacher became very angry. He _____ his homework.
a. must have done b. should have done
c. might have d. will have done
19) My car stopped on the high way. It _____ out of gas
a. may run b. may have run c. must be d. should have run
20) Robert arrived without his book. He _____ it.
a. could have lost c. would have lost
b. should have lost d. will have lost
21) "Where do you think Rooney is today?". "I have no idea. He _____ late."
a. should have left c. would sleep
b. would have sleep d. may have sleep
22) Berbatov painted his bedroom black. It looks dark and dreary. He _____ a different color.
a. had to choose c. must have chosen
b. should have chosen d. could have been choosing
23) The children _____ "thank you" to you when you gave them their gifts.
a. will have said c. should have said
b. must say d. should say

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24) If we had known your new address, we _____ to see you.
a. came c. will come
b. would have come d. would come
25) These two boys look identical. They _____ twins.
a. must have been b. should be c. must be d. should have been

Exercise8: Put in 'must + infinitive' or 'must + have + past participle':

1) Keiko always does really well on exams. She (study)................................................. a lot.

2) That woman drives a very expensive car. She (have)...................................................... a lot of money.
3) You (practise)............................................................ a lot before you gave your speech. It was really good
4) When Lizzie got home yesterday there were flowers on the table. Her husband (buy) ................................
them
5) Where is my purse? I saw it earlier, so it (be).................................................................... in this room
6) Sarah couldn't find her glasses. She thought she (leave) ....................................................them at her office.
7) It (be) .......................................................cold outside. That man in the street is wearing a coat
8) All my plants (be) .......................................................dead! I forgot to water them before I went on holiday
9) Susie is so late! She (miss).................................................... the train!.
10) There's rubbish all over my garden! A fox (be)................................................ in the bin.
11) Anna has a huge library in her house. She (love)................................................................. books.
12) Oh no, I don't have my keys! I (leave) ...............................................................them in the taxi.
13) When Lucy got home, she found the ice cream had melted. It (be)................................... too hot in the car
14) If you haven't eaten all day, you (be)....................................................... hungry
15) Jimmy and Louisa (be)............................................................. very tired. They have a new baby
16) It (rain)............................................................ a lot in the night. There are puddles everywhere
17) David (be) .................................................................happy. His girlfriend just agreed to marry him.
18) What an amazing kitchen you've got! You (like)......................................................... cooking
19) John (eat) ...................................................................all the biscuits! There are none left.
20) When I got up this morning, the kitchen was spotless. Lily (tidy) .............................................................it
before she went to bed last night.

Exercise9: Make the correct past modal form ( could have / would have / should have + past participle)

1) I ................................................................(buy) bread but I didn't know we needed it. (past possibility)

2) We ..............................................................(invite) so many people to our party! I'm worried that we won't
have enough room for everyone. (past negative advice / regret)
3) I ...........................................................................(start) saving money years ago! (past advice / regret)
4) We .........................................(join) you at the restaurant, but we couldn't get a babysitter. (past willingness)
5) The weather .........................................................(be) any worse! (past negative possibility)
6) I ......................................................(arrive) on time, even if I'd left earlier. There were dreadful traffic jams
all the way. (past negative possibility)
7) They .........................................................(win) the football match, but John hurt his ankle. (past possibility)
8) Amanda ............................................(finish) the work, but she felt ill and had to go home. (past willingness)
9) Lucy .........................................................(leave) earlier. She missed her flight. (past advice / regret)
10) We ..............................................(finish) the game, even if we'd wanted to. It was raining very hard and we
had to stop. (past negative possibility)
11) I .............................................................(eat) so much chocolate! I feel sick! (past negative advice / regret)
12) Luke ...................................................................(pass) the exam if he'd studied a bit more. (past possibility)
13) John ............................................................(call) Amy, but he didn't have her number. (past willingness)
14) You ........................................................................(be) rude to him. He's going to be really angry now.
(past negative advice / regret)
15) She .......................................................(come) to the restaurant if she'd left work earlier. (past possibility)
16) You .......................................(take) this job. I can see you're not enjoying it. (past negative advice / regret)
17) The race was really difficult. She ........................................................(win) because she's not fit enough.
(past negative possibility)
18) Our neighbours ..........................................(cut) down the tree in their garden. It was a really beautiful tree.
(past negative advice / regret)
19) The children .........................................(do) their homework last night. Then they wouldn't be panicking on
the way to school. (past advice / regret)
20) I'm really cold! I ..........................................................................(bring) my coat. (past advice / regret)
21) I ...............................................................(come) to see you! I didn't know you were ill. (past willingness)
22) Andrew .............................(go) to Cambridge University, but he decided to travel instead. (past
possibility)
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23) They ...........................................(be) kinder to me. They were absolutely lovely. (past negative possibility)
24) You ..........................................(buy) some milk at the shops. We don't have any milk. (past advice /
regret)
25) They ..................................(come) to have breakfast with us, but they went to bed too late the night before.
(past willingness

Exercise10: Fill in the correct modal past form in the blanks:

1. I am sure he was here. I saw his car in front of the building.He .................................................... been here.
2. A: Where is James? He should already be here, shouldn't he?
B: Yes, he should but I don't know why he isn't here - he ..................................................... missed the bus. 3.
I'm not sure if I passed the exam. I don't feel very sure that I passed.
I ........................................................ passed the exam.
4. A: Last summer I took four exams and failed them all!
B: You ......................................................................... been very disappointed.
5. She speaks excellent French. I'm sure she's lived in Paris for a long time.
She ................................................................... lived in Paris for a long time.
6. A: Their plane was delayed and they had to wait 36 hours in the airport.
B: They ................................................... been very happy with the airline.
7. Someone told me that Mark was in Mexico last week, but I saw him here so he ............................................
been in Mexico.
8. A: I saw John yesterday - he looked very pleased with himself. He didn't say why but I think he got that job
he applied for.
B: He ........................................................................got that job he applied for.
9. They gave me very little time to do the job. It's possible I'd have finished if I'd worked all night, but I'm not
sure.
They gave me very little time to do the job. I ................................................... finished if I'd worked all night,
but I'm not sure.
10. We agreed to meet yesterday, but when I got there I didn't see him. It's possible he was waiting elsewhere.
We agreed to meet yesterday but when I got there I didn't see him. He ...............................................................
waiting elsewhere.

Exercise11: Complete the sentences with "can't have", "must have" or "might (not) have" using the
verb in brackets:
1. He ............................................................ hard for his exams because his results were very good. (study)

2. They ...................................................... the instructions because they looked confused. (not understand)

3. She...................................................... home late last night because she was very tired this morning. (get)

4. .................................. they .............................................. to the wrong place? (go)

Exercise12 : Further practice- Complete the sentences with the correct answer

1. Sarah thinks she ..........................................................her purse on the bus.

2. She............................................................... the train instead of the bus.

3. They ..............................................the project yet because they only started work on it this week.

4. She.................................................................. received the invitiation yet.

5. If he had understood the consequences, he .......................................................... the email.

6. He is late for this appointment. His train .............................................................. delayed.

Exercise 13. Rewrite the sentence in the same meaning:

1) Perhaps Susan knows the address. (may)Susan ...................................................................

2) It's possible that Joanna didn't receive my message. (might)

Joanna ......................................................................................................

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3) The report must be on my desk tomorrow. (has)

The report .................................................................................................

4) I managed to finish all my work. (able)

I ................................................................................................................

5) It was not necessary for Nancy to clean the flat. (didn't)

Nancy ......................................................................................................

6) The best thing for you to do is to sit down. (better)

You ..........................................................................................................

Exercise 14: -Insert a suitable modal verb.

1.
I..............................leave now or I ..........................................miss the bus.

2-I wish I .........................................................buy a new mobile phone but I don't have enough money.

3-She looks tired; she ......................................................take some days off.

4-Judy is not at home. She...........................................................have gone to Madrid, I don't know.

5-Tom .....................................................play tennis quite well. I usually play with him every weekend.

6-we go out tonight, please? Yes, but you .................................................... be late.

7-I haven't decided yet where I ............................go in my next holidays. I think I ........................go to Paris.

8-................ you water my plants while I am away? If they don't get enough water they...............certainly die.

9-Jack ................................come to our wedding, but we aren't sure.

10-.....................I buy the tickets for the concert? I ............................... see you're too busy.

11-We .......................................... pay the fees at the fixed time.

12-You ....................................... clean your room more often.

13-If it rains on Saturday, we ......................................go to the beach.

14-.............................. you speak German? No, I ................................................

15-Jane ...................... not play the violin when she was five, but now she ............................ play it very well.

16-You .......................... not be so nervous. I think it ...................................... be very easy.

...................................The end.....................................

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