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Class 10 Modals Exercises - 2 With Answers
Class 10 Modals Exercises - 2 With Answers
Class 10 Modals Exercises - 2 With Answers
English Grammar
We have already studied some of the uses of ‘be’ (is, am, are, was, were,
being and been), ‘do’ (does and did) and ‘have’ (has, have, had). Be,
do and have are Primary Auxiliaries. They help to form tenses,
questions and negatives. They are also used in changing voice.
The forms of ‘be’, ‘do’ and ‘have’ can be used as Principal Verbs also; as—
Smriti is in her class.
I have a lot of work to do.
Do as I tell you.
Be careful in this matter.
She has no friend in this locality.
Modals express the mode of action. The most common modals are: may, might,
can, could, shall, should, will, would, must, dare, need, have and used to.
1. Modals are never used alone. A Principal verb is either present or implied; as—
I can sing. He will help you.
2. Modals do not change according to the number or person of the subject; as—
I can. We can. You can. We can. They can. etc.
I may. We may. You may. He may. They may. etc.
3. Modals have no Infinitive, Present Participle or Past Participle forms.
4. Modals cannot be used in all the tenses. When a modal does not fall in this
pattern, it works as a Principal Verb; as—
God willed so.
He needs a pen.
She dared to go into the dark forest.
(Here will, need, and dare are used as main verbs)
(i) May, can, shall, and will are in present forms while might, could,
should, and would are their past forms.
The two forms express different meanings, but usually, no difference of time, e.g. the
difference between may and might is often that of the degree of probability, as—
She may come today. (possibility / likely to happen)
She might come today. (remote possibility/less likely)
(ii) However, if the verb in the main clause is in the past tense, the forms might,
could, should and would serve as regular past tenses; as—
(iii) When we want to express the past time in verb phrases involving modals, we
use the Present Perfect Tense of the Principal Verb; as
She must have reached home by now.
You ought to have told me all the facts.
Apart from these general functions, modals are used in various ways.
Let us consider them separately.
USE OF MODALS
CAN/COULD
1. to express permission:
You can go now. (= I give you permission to go)
You cannot touch the flowers. (= I don’t permit you to touch the flowers)
2. to express ability:
I can swim. (= I know how to swim)
He can speak Sanskrit. (= He is able to speak Sanskrit)
3. to express possibility:
Anyone can make mistakes.
Accidents can happen to anyone.
4. ‘Can’t help’ is an idiom. It means ‘Can’t avoid’; e.g.
He has a bad cold. He can’t help sneezing.
The boys can’t help laughing on seeing the clown.
COULD must be used
to express ability, permission and possibility when the main verb is in the past
tense; as—
I could swim well when I was younger. (ability)
Could you lend me some money, please?
Could you tell me the time, please?
Could you wait for a few minutes?
MAY/MIGHT
‘May’ is used for all persons of the present and future tense.
‘May’ is used
MIGHT
Both express the same idea, but the second sentence is more polite.
Might must be used when the main verb of the sentence is in the past tense.
(i) to express permission:
He said that I might borrow his car.
The teacher said that the boy might go.
(ii) to express possibility:
He thought that I might like it.
Sudha said that she might go abroad next year.
(iii) to express speculation (guess) about past actions. ‘Might have’ is used for past
time.
He told me that she might have finished her work.
This medicine might have cured your cough.
Both ‘May’ and ‘might’ are used to suggest ‘there is a good reason’-, as—
You may as well say so.
She might as well come by the next train.
You might just as well go as not.
(There is just as much to be said in favour of going as against it)
EXERCISE 1
(Solved)
EXERCISE 2
(Solved)
Answers:
1. may 2. might 3. may, 4. might 5. might 6. may 7. may 8. might 9. might 10. may
EXERCISE 3
(Solved)
Fill in the blanks with ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘may’ or ‘might’ appropriate to the sense
given in brackets:
WILL/SHALL
SHALL
EXERCISE 4
(Solved)
Answers:
1. shall 2. will 3. will 4. shall 5. will 6. will 7. shall 8. will 9. shall 10. shall.
EXERCISE 5
(Solved)
Answers:
1. shall 2. shall 3. will 4. will 5. shall 6. will 7. shall 8. shall 9. will 10. will.
WOULD/SHOULD
Would is the past tense of ‘will’. ‘Would,’ is used
SHOULD
Here the use of ‘should’ is preferred to the present tense to express a very unlikely
condition.
If Urvi should come, I’ll inform you.
EXERCISE 6
(Solved)
Answers:
1. should 2. would 3. Would 4. should 5. would 6. would 7. should 8. should 9. would
10. would.
EXERCISE 7
(Solved)
Fill in the blanks with the right word out of those given in brackets against
each sentence:
Answers:
1. should 2. would 3. should 4. shall 5. will 6. would 7. would 8. would 9. would 10. s
hould 11. would
12. should 13. will 14. will 15. should.
MUST
MUSTN’T
OUGHT
Note. The sense of moral obligation springs from within. There is no outside force or
compulsion. ‘Must’ suggests the speaker’s authority and emphatic advice ‘should’
implies what is the proper or right action.
‘Ought to’ is less forceful and has the same meaning as ‘should’.
The past tense of ought is expressed with ought to have + Third form of the
verb; as—
HAVE TO
EXERCISE 8
(Solved)
Fill up the blanks with should, must, mustn’t, have to, or ought to:
Answers:
1. must 2. should 3. ought 4. must 5. should 6. ought 7. must 8. ought 9. should 10.
mustn’t 11. mustn’t
12. have to 13. mustn’t 14. have to 15. mustn’t.
NEED
DARE
EXERCISE 9
(Solved)
Fill in the blanks with the right word out of ‘Must’, ‘Ought’ ,‘used to’, ‘need’,
‘needn’t’, ‘dare’:
Answers:
1. dare 2. must 3. needn’t 4. Dare 5. need 6. ought 7. need 8. ought 9. used to 10. m
ust.
EXERCISE 10
(Solved)
Answers:
1. (i) may (ii) must (iii) need (iv) ought to (v) Could/Would
2. (i) shall (ii) must (iii) May (iv) ought (v) Could
3. (i) will (ii) ought to (iii) can (iv) could (v) must (vi) need (vii) should (viii) will.
EXERCISE 11
(Solved)
Answers:
1. can 2. must 3. ought 4. should 5. should 6. need 7. could 8. would
2. Fill in the blanks with suitable modals to convey the sense indicated in the
brackets:
EXERCISE 12
(Solved)
Father : (a) ……………………….. you go to the post-office just now and send these
letters by registered post.
Son: There (b) ……………………….. be a rush at this hour. Moreover,
I (c) ……………………….. not go to the post office on foot.
Father: But, why (d) ……………………….. you go on foot? What happened to your
scooter?
Son: It has no .petrol. I (e) ……………………….. not get it filled because there was
a strike at the petrol station.
Father: O.K., You (f) ……………………….. use my scooter, but
you (g) ……………………….. post the letters today. They are very urgent.
We (h) ……………………….. suffer a loss if they were delayed.
Answers:
(a) Could (b) might (c) can (d) should (e) could (f) can (g) must (h) could/might.
EXERCISE 13
(Solved)
Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with suitable modals:
EXERCISE 14
(Solved)
Answers:
(a) (i) can (ii) can’t (iii) may /must
(b) (iv) ought (v) could I would
(c) (vi) used.
Answers:
(a) needn’t (b) might/may (c) mustn’t/shouldn’t.
INTEGRATED TASKS
I. ERROR CORRECTION
EXERCISE 14
(Solved)
Answers:
There is an error concerning ‘modals’ in each of the following lines. Find the
error. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet as
given below. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.
Answers:
(ii) OMISSIONS
EXERCISE 16
(Solved)
In the following passage, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the
missing word (a modal) along with the word that comes before and the word
that comes after it as given in the example:
Answers:
(iii) REORDERING OF SENTENCES
EXERCISE 17
(Solved)
1. We/live/eat/we/may/that
2. we/I/succeed/am/will/sure
3. you/hard/fail/lest/work/should
4. not/me/dare/disobey/he
5. live/touch/you/not/this/must/wire
6. sooner/must/or/die/later/all
7. something/I/ask/to/like/you/would
8. the poor/ought/to/help/we/the needy/and
9. minutes/you/could/a few/for/wait/please?
10. you/fall/careful/will/aren’t/you
Answers: