Modal verbs in English

English ESO-4

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.

I can read!

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.

Don’t speak
so loud here!.

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.

We never have an infinitive

with to after the modal verb.

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.

We never have an infinitive

with to after the modal verb.

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.
• He mustn’t speaking aloud.

We never have a gerund

after the modal verb.
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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.
• He mustn’t speaking aloud.

We never have a gerund

after the modal verb.
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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.
• He mustn’t speaking aloud.
• She should studied harder.

We never have a past form

after the modal verb.
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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• I can to read.
• He mustn’t speaking aloud.
• She should studied harder.

We never have a past form

after the modal verb.
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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• Modal verbs are only used in the present (they
are not used in the present continuous, past
simple, past continuous, etc.)

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Modal verbs
• Modal verbs:
• Are verbs that are always followed by an infinitive
without to, even in the third person (he/she/it):
• I can read.
• He mustn’t speak aloud here.
• She should study harder.
• Modal verbs are only used in the present (they
are not used in the present continuous, past
simple, past continuous, etc.)
• They have a special negative. They take not
before the infinitive and they can be contracted.

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Modal verbs
• They have a special negative. They take not before
the infinitive and they can be contracted:
• They can’t go.

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Modal verbs
• They have a special negative. They take not before
the infinitive and they can be contracted:
• They can’t go.
• We shouldn’t be late.

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Modal verbs
• They have a special negative. They take not before
the infinitive and they can be contracted:
• They can’t go.
• We shouldn’t be late.
• My mother mustn’t go.

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Modal verbs
• They have a special negative. They take not before
the infinitive and they can be contracted:
• They can’t go.
• We shouldn’t be late.
• My mother mustn’t go.
• They couldn’t finish the cake.

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Modal verbs: CAN We can
dance tango.
• CAN is used to express ability:
• I can play football very well.
• My sister can’t play the guitar.
• Can you dance tango?
• She can dance very well.

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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• In the past, we use COULD:
• I could play football very well last year.
• My sister can’t play the guitar.
• Can you dance tango?
• She can dance very well.

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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• In the past, we use COULD:
• I could play football very well last year.
• My sister couldn’t play the guitar at school.
• Can you dance tango?
• She can dance very well.

I couldn’t play the

guitar at school..
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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• In the past, we use COULD:
• I could play football very well last year.
• My sister couldn’t play the guitar at school.
• Could you dance tango last year?
• She can dance very well.

Could you
dance
tango last No, I
year? couldn’t

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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• In the past, we use COULD:
• I could play football very well last year.
• My sister couldn’t play the guitar at school.
• Could you dance tango last year?
• She could dance very well
when I saw her in the festival.

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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• COULD is also used when asking for permission:
• Could I ask you something?
• Could we leave at five to twelve?

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Modal verbs: CAN/COULD
• COULD is also used when asking for permission:
• Could I ask you something?
• Could we leave at five to twelve?

• It is also used to ask somebody to do something:

• Could you tell me where they are?
• Could you please be quiet for a couple of
minutes?

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Modal verbs: MUST
• MUST is used to express obligation, particularly
when somebody feels they have to do something,
even if there are no specific rules:
• I must arrive early.
• They must work harder.
• Must I go?
Must I go?

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Modal verbs: MUST
• MUST is used to express obligation, particularly
when somebody feels they have to do something,
even if there are no specific rules:
• I must arrive early.
• They must work harder.
• Must I go?
• In the negative it means prohibition:
• You mustn’t tell lies.
• They mustn’t arrive after 8.
• Students mustn’t forget about their homework.

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Modal verbs: HAVE TO / NEED TO
• HAVE TO and NEED TO are not modal verbs but they
are also used to express obligation, that someone
has to follow some rules:
• They have to / need to go to school every day.
• He has to be punctual.

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Modal verbs: HAVE TO / NEED TO
• HAVE TO and NEED TO are not a modal verbs but
they are also used to express obligation, that
someone has to follow some rules:
• They have to / need to go to school every day.
• He has to be punctual.
• In the negative and questions have to (and usually
need to) take do (they are not modal verbs):
• They don’t have to go to school every day.
• Does he need to be punctual?
• He doesn’t have to write an essay every week.

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Modal verbs: MUSTN’T /DON’T HAVE TO
MUSTN’T is for
prohibitions:
• You mustn’t go.

There is a prohibition.

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Modal verbs: MUSTN’T /DON’T HAVE TO
MUSTN’T is for DON’T HAVE TO is for
prohibitions: something that is not
• You mustn’t go. necessary but that you
can do.
• You don’t have to go.

There is a prohibition.

There is no need to go,

but if you want to go,
you can.

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Modal verbs: SHOULD
• SHOULD is used for advice, to tell someone what we
think he/she should do:
• You should study harder if you want to get better
marks.
• You shouldn’t be late or your mother will get
angry.
• You should eat more vegetables.
• They shouldn’t smoke.
• Should I stay or should I go?

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Modal verbs: MAY
• MAY is also used to ask for permission.
• May I leave?
• May I go to the toilet?
• May we start a little earlier today?
• Yes, you may.
• No, you may not.

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Modal verbs: MAY
• MAY is also used to ask for permission.
• May I leave?
• May I go to the toilet?
• May we start a little earlier today?
• Yes, you may.
• No, you may not.

Can is also possible

but it is more
colloquial:
• Can I leave?

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Modal verbs: MUST / MAY / MIGHT /
COULD / CAN’T for probability
• All these modals can be used to express probability:
• MUST when we are sure of something:
• It must be Brian. That is his car.

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Modal verbs: MUST / MAY / MIGHT /
COULD / CAN’T for probability
• All these modals can be used to express probability:
• MUST when we are sure of something:
• It must be Brian. That is his car.
• MAY, MIGHT and COULD are used when we are
not sure:
• It may/might/could
rain today.

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Modal verbs: MUST / MAY / MIGHT /
COULD / CAN’T for probability
• All these modals can be used to express probability:
• MUST when we are sure of something:
• It must be Brian. That is his car.
• MAY, MIGHT and COULD are used when we are
not sure:
• It may/might/could rain today.
• CAN’T is used when we know something is not
true:
• They can’t be broke. They had a lot of money
just a few days ago.

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Modal verbs: summary
MODAL VERB USE EXAMPLE
CAN / CAN’T Ability You can have a free ride.

COULD / COULDN’T Past ability You could dance in 2011.

MUST Obligation You must visit Sarah.

MUSTN’T Prohibition You mustn’t be late.

HAVE TO/ NEED TO Obligation (rules) I have to go to school.

DON’T / DOESN’T HAVE No obligation She doesn’t have to go to

TO school in the afternoon.
SHOULD /SHOULDN’T Advice He should eat less meat.

MAY Permission May I leave?

MUST Certainty It must be Brain.

MAY / MIGHT / COULD Probability It may/might/could rain.

CAN’T Impossibility They can’t be broke.

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Reference:
• Reading: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/leer-libro-chico-ni%c3%b1o-estudiante-316507/
• Man walking: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/hombre-playa-caminar-neblina-bolsa-4096991/
• Man shouting: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/gente-persona-hombre-chico-gritos-72732/
• Student: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/libro-aburrido-facultad-educaci%c3%b3n-15584/
• Don’t go: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/detener-hombre-traje-sin-ir-pausa-6290556/
• Alarm clock: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/despertador-horario-de-verano-2175382/
• Mother and child: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/maternidad-madre-e-hija-abrazo-6886538/
• Cake: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/pastel-cake-chocolate-cocoa-2370013/
• Tango: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/tango-bailar-pocos-114644/
• Player: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/f%c3%batbol-disparo-futbolistas-1430017/
• Guitar: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=4527&picture=playing-
guitar
• Couple: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/pareja-contento-amor-indonesia-5422806/
• Dancer: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/mujer-bailarines-danza-salto-4036106/
• Question: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/mujer-poses-elearning-ni%c3%b1a-gente-1447065/
• Permission/hands: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/pulgar-mano-brazo-acompa%c3%b1ar-
gu%c3%ada-422558/
• Car: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/coche-cl%c3%a1sico-autom%c3%b3vil-aislado-1624648/
• Umbrella: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/allanamiento-ponerse-en-cuclillas-19112/
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If you have any questions, ask your
teacher anaariascastro@gmail.com

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