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 give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it.
They have a great variety of communicative functions (listed in the chart below).

Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

 They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...
 They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e.i. the bare
infinitive.)
 They are used to indicate modality: allow speakers to express certainty,
possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability

Remember

Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive without "to", also called the bare infinitive.

Examples:

 You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.

 You should see to the doctor.
 There are a lot of tomatoes in the fridge. You need not buy any.
 MODAL VERBS OF ABILITY (can, could, be able to)
Present:
can / can't (for both general and specific ability)

 I can play the piano.

 He can't drive – he's too tired.

Past:
could / couldn't (for general ability and with the verbs of the five senses)

 I could read when I was four.

 My grandfather couldn't swim.
 I could hear the phone ringing.

was able to / couldn't (for specific ability)

 When the computer crashed yesterday, I was able to fix it. (not 'I could fix it')
 She was able to pass the exam, even though she hadn't studied much. (not 'she could pass')
 He called us because he couldn't find the house.
 I couldn't open the window.

could + have + past participle (an ability someone had in the past, but didn't use)

 I could have played the piano well but I didn't practise enough.

Future:
will / won't be able to (general ability)

 At the end of the course, you will be able to make your own website.
 He won't be able to speak Japanese in a week! It will take months.

can / can't (specific ability)

 I can help you tomorrow

 I can't come to the party

Complete the sentences using CAN or CAN'T and these verbs: hear, look, read, see, walk.
Mrs Lawrence has to wear glasses. She ___________________ very well.
I'm afraid Mr Groves is deaf. He _____________________ what you say.
Mr Goddard likes books with large print. He ___________________ them more easily.
Mr Hogg uses a wheelchair. He ____________________ very far.
Mrs Bernstein is quite happy living alone. She ____________________ after herself.

Complete the sentences using COULD or WAS/WERE ABLE TO.

It was dark. We _________________ (see) a thing.
The concert was sold out. I'm afraid I ___________________ (not get) the tickets.
The fence fell down in the storm. Luckily I ___________________ (repair) it myself.
Someone was having a party. You __________________ (hear) the music half a mile away.
I learnt to swim very early in life. I ___________________ (swim) when I was three.
The residents heard warnings about the flood, and they __________________ (move) their
belongings upstairs in time.
In those days we didn't have a car, so we _____________________ (not travel) easily.
Peter felt much better on Saturday, and so he ____________________ (play) in the match.
The pool was open that day, so the children ___________________ (have) a swim.
We ___________________ (see) the village in the distance.
Luckily I had my camera with me, so I _____________________ (take) some photos.
He ____________________ (climb) Triglav, but he never did.
The driver __________________ (stop) the car in time to avoid an accident.
I ___________________ (not understand) what was happening.
The burglar __________________ (open) the safe. He stole 1000 dollars.
Mary ___________________ (help) him, but she refused.

MODAL VERBS OF PERMISSION

When you ask for permission to use something that belongs to someone else you have to do
your best to be polite. It is desirable to use the word "please."

Asking for Permission (modal verbs & other means):

 Can I go out, please?

 May I open the window, please?
 Please, can I have a look at your photo album?
 Please, may I taste that hot spicy couscous dish?
 Do you mind if I smoke?
 Would you mind if I asked you something?
 Is it okay if I sit here?
 Would it be all right if I borrowed your mobile Phone?
 Are we allowed to leave the house?
 I was wondering if I could….

Giving Permission:

 Yes, please do.

 Sure, go ahead.
 Sure.
 No problem.
 Please feel free.
 That’s fine by me.
 If you must. (unwillingly)
 I suppose so. (unwillingly)
 As long as ….

Refusing to give permission:

 No, please don’t.

  I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.
 I'm afraid you can't.
 I don’t think that’s a very good idea.

Dialogue:
Liza, eight years old, is asking her mother for permission to use the computer...

Liza: Please mum, can I use the computer?

Her mother: No, dear you can't. It's time to go to bed.
Liza: May I read a story before I sleep?
Her mother: Sure! But try to sleep early.
Liza: Thanks a lot mummy.

Can and May

 We use CAN to ask for permission from someone we know well.
Examples:

Can I speak to John Wilson, please?

Can I borrow your pen for a minute?

 We use May as a slightly more formal way to ask for permission.

Examples:

May I ask a question please?

May we go home now?

Could and May

 Could is used as a more polite way of asking for permission.
Example:

Could I please have a glass of beer?

(Could is the past tense of can. However, when asking for permission, could does not have a
past tense meaning.)

Exercise (look at the situations below and write sentences asking for permission)
1. You’re a child and you formally ask a teacher for permission to leave the room.
________________________________________________________________________
2. You ask your mum for permission to go to a party tonight. You are polite but don’t use
‘may’.
________________________________________________________________________
3. You ask for permission not to come early tomorrow. You’re feeling informal.
________________________________________________________________________
4. You tell your colleague that hypothetically he has permission to come in later tomorrow,
but it would really be a problem.
________________________________________________________________________
5. You tell your friend that there is a rule against wearing jewellery at school. Don’t use
‘mustn’t’.
________________________________________________________________________
6. Say that he (your employee) has hypothetical permission to go home early if he finished
all the work first.
________________________________________________________________________

Modals of Obligation
Fill in the gaps with MUST or HAVE TO.
I _______________ go to the airport. I'm meeting someone.
You _____________ lock the door. I don't want burglars in here!
Rex ______________ go to the bank. He hasn't got any money.
I ________________ stay late at the office. We are very busy at the moment.
You really _________________ make less noise. I'm trying to concentrate.
Louise really ________________ hurry up. I don't want to be late.
I think you _________________ pay to park here. Have a look at the notice.
I _________________ put the heating on. I feel really cold.
You ________________ be careful. I insist.
I ________________ work on Saturday mornings.
Josie _______________ go to work yesterday.
We _______________ have to do better next time.
I ________________ finish this today. The boss says so.
You __________________ be quiet. That's the rule.
I ________________ buy a newspaper. I want to see the racing results.
I __________________ buy a newspaper. My boss asked me to buy one for him.
We ________________ invite her. She's wonderful company.
We ________________ invite her. She invited us last time.
My cough is terrible. I _________________ stop smoking.
The bus _________________ turn back because there was so much snow.
I _________________ take these tablets every day since I was a child.
Everyone who works __________________ pay income tax.
You ________________ work harder if you want a better job.
In the army you __________________ obey orders.
There was a bus strike last week so I ____________________ walk to work.

Fill in the gaps using MUSTN'T or DON'T HAVE TO.

You _______________ park your car on double yellow lines.
Students _________________ attend cookery classes if they don't want to.
This plant _________________ stand in direct sunlight or it will die.
You __________________ drink alcohol while taking these tablets.
You _________________ have a licence to own a cat.

Exercise 2
We have a lot of work tomorrow. You______________ be late.
You ________________tell anyone what I just told you. It's a secret.
The museum is free. You__________________ pay to get in.
Children________________tell lies. It's very naughty.
John's a millionaire. He_________________go to work.
I __________________do my washing because my mother does it for me.
We___________________ rush. We've got plenty of time.
You_____________________ smoke inside the school.
You can borrow my new dress, but you____________________ get it dirty.
We_____________________ miss the train, because it's the last one tonight.
She___________________ do this work today, because she can do it tomorrow.
I ___________________clean the floor today because I cleaned it yesterday.
We_________________________forget to lock all the doors before we leave.
We____________________ stay in a hotel in London; we can stay with my brother.
I _______________________spend too much money today, as I've only got a little left.
They____________________ get up early today, because it's Sunday.
I ______________________eat too much cake or I'll get fat!.
We_____________________ be late for the exam.
You _____________________tidy up now. I'll do it later.

Didn't Have to / Didn't Need to

If we say that somebody didn’t have to or didn’t need to do something, we mean

that the action was not necessary and the person did not do it.

For Example:

It started raining heavily so I didn’t need to water the flowers. (it wasn’t necessary, so
I didn’t do that.)

It was my day off yesterday, that’s why I didn’t need to get up early.(It was not
obligatory for me)

Needn't Have + Verb

If we say that somebody “needn’t have done” something, we mean that the action is
done, but it was unnecessary and even a waste of time.

For Example:

You needn’t have done the washing up as I was going to do that tomorrow.

When the party was over, I realized that you needn’t have cooked so much food as
most of it was untouched.

Yesterday my friend had already bought 2 tickets for the concert so you really
needn’t have bought another one, it was a waste of money.

Sandra worked all the weekend to finish her assignment on time, but actually she
needn’t have done so.

As you can see, in the examples above the actions done were not necessary and
actually the efforts were in vain.

Needn't and don't need to

There is also a difference in use when these verbs are used to describe present
situations. We can use both needn't and don't need to to give permission to
someone not to do something in the immediate future. We can also use need as a
noun here:

You don't need to water the garden this evening. It's going to rain tonight.

You needn't water the garden this evening. It's going to rain tonight.

There's no need to water the garden this evening. It's going to rain tonight.

You don't need to shout. It's a good line. I can hear you perfectly.

You needn't shout. It's a good line. I can hear you perfectly.

There's no need to shout. It's a good line. I can hear you perfectly.

However, when we are talking about general necessity, we normally use don't need
to:

You don't need to pay for medical care in National Health Service hospitals.

You don't need to be rich to get into this golf club. You just need a handicap.

Use NEEDN'T HAVE or DIDN'T NEED TO.

1 Patrick and Annie decided to go to France for a holiday. She went to evening
classes although she spoke French well. She ___________________ (go) to
evening classes.

2 George was invited to a formal party but had nothing suitable to wear and no
money to buy new clothes. Fortunately a friend lent him a suit. He
___________________ (buy) new clothes.

3 It took Alan four hours to do his homework. The next day his teacher said his essay
was too long. They were supposed to write 200 – not 2000 words. He
___________________ (write) so much.

4 Sidney was ill. The doctor gave him some medicine to try but suggested that an
operation was probably the only solution. The medicine worked and Sidney got
better. He ___________________ (have) the operation.

5 Judy looked through her bag several times but couldn't find her door key so finally
she kicked the door down. Later she noticed the key lying on the path. She
__________________ (damage) the door.