ABILITY (habilidad)

CAN Presente I can speak four languages.

COULD Pasado When I was a little child I could roller
skate
BE ABLE TO Presente, pasado y ● When I was a little girl I was able
futuro to skate
● Are you able to skip?
● When I am 18 years old I will be
able to drive. ..

PERMISSION ( permiso)
CAN Can I borrow your pen?

COULD Could you open the window, please?

MAY May I come in?

POSSIBILITY/PROBABILITY
CAN I can help you if you Peter can’t be at home now, the lights
want. are not on
MAY George may come He may not be here tomorrow if he has
(Good probability) tomorrow, but I am not to work
sure.
MIGHT
(small I might move to
probability) Canada some day

ADVICE (RECOMMENDATION-consejos)

SHOULD You look ill, you should/ought to visit the doctor.

SHOULDN’T

ought to

Oughtn’t
to
 PROHIBITION

PRESENTE You mustn’t use your mobile phone in

MUSTN’T class. It is not allowed

PAST When I was younger I couldn’t watch

COULDN’T scary films

Presente, pasado, Students are not allowed to use a

To be not futuro mobile phone in class
allowed to When I was younger I wasn’t allowed
to watch scary films
If you have a ticket you will be allowed
to enter the concert

OBLIGATION, LACK OF OBLIGATION (obligaciones y órdenes)

My father is a policeman, he must

MUST Sólo en presente y wear a uniform at work
sólo en afirmativa!!!
(en negativa tiene
significado de
“prohibición”)

HAVE TO presente-pasado- He has to/ must look after his

futuro sister. (presente)

He had to look after his sister

(pasado)

He will have to look after his sister

(futuro)

Don’t have AUSENCIA DE Students don’t have to take their

to /doesn’t OBLIGACIÓN books home, they can leave them
have to at school If they want.
 PRESENTE Sylvia doesn’t have to get up
early on Sundays because she
(no estás obligado, doesn’t work that day.
puedes hacerlo si te
apetece o no)

Didn’t have PAST Last week I didn’t have to get up

to early because I was on holiday

DEDUCTION- ASSUMPTION (deducción)

MUST The lights are on. He must be at home

(100%
certainty)

CAN’T She can’t be her mother. She is too young

(100%
certainty)

MIGHT/MAY It might rain next week.

(50%
certainty)

MIGHT NOT/ We may not arrive on time.

MAY NOT

(50%
certainty)

Past of Modal Verbs

Some modal verbs have their own pat form (can-could/ have to- had to) but most of them
don’t. So, how do we express a modal verb in the past??

MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE

PRESENT PAST
He’s just arrived from the trip. He must be He must have been tired when he arrived
tired from the trip.

They can’t be at the party. Their car is not They can’t have left the party yet because
parked here. their car is still parked here.

You shouldn’t eat so much fat He failed his exam. He should have
studied harder

She might have lost her wallet at the party.

She can’t find it

1- Replace each modal in bold with a different one from the box. The
meaning should not change. What does each sentence express?
(possibility, ability, obligation, lack of obligation, recommendation)

wasn’t able to ought to may don’t have to

must

1. He couldn't complete the film on time.

2. They might go dancing later tonight.

3. You should book tickets in advance.

4. We needn't be there until 7:30 pm.

5- Everyone has to attend all the rehearsals

2- Complete the sentences with a suitable modal verb and the verbs in
brackets

1. You _____________ (read) this book; it’s fantastic!

 2. You _____________ (have) a shower, and you_____________ (wear) clean
clothes.
3. _____________ (you / study) literature when you were at school?
4. You _____________ (disturb) other classmates, but you _____________
(be)silent.
5. Paul: Fred’s gone out, hasn’t he? Where has he gone?
6. Ann: I don’t know. He_____________ (be) at the gym or at the shops.
7. At the Stanton Squash Club you _____________ (play) with club balls, but if
you do, you _____________ . (take) them home.
8. I enjoyed that film. We _____________ (go) to the cinema more often.
9. I ._____________ (eat) any more cake. I’ve already eaten too much.
10. I_____________ (work) last Saturday. I managed to finish everything on
Friday.
11. The programmes were free so we ._____________ (pay) for them.
12. Last year Susan ._____________ (ride) a bike. Now, she _____________
(drive) a car, and she hopes that one day she _____________ (drive) a racing
car.

3- Complete the sentences with a suitable modal, affirmative or negative.

There may be more than one correct answer.

1- I ______________ afford to get a large-screen television. It's too expensive.

2- It______________ rain tomorrow. In case it does, we won't be filming

3. We ______________ finish the costumes. The play opens tomorrow night!

4. I don't think you ______________ see the film until you've read the book

5 You ______________ bring glass bottles into the venue. It's against the rules.

6. That ______________ be true. It makes no sense

7 You ______________ be mistaken it wasn't me you saw at the cinema

4- Choose the correct answer.

1. I regret not studying for the French exam. I would have / should have studied.

2.I can't find my jeans jacket. I may have / ought to have left it at the sports centre.

3. I didn't know you had trouble with maths. I would have/needn't have helped you

4. Tom loves frightening films. He must have / can't have enjoyed this horror film.

5. She must have / can’t have composed this song today. It's been a hit for months.

6. You needn't have bought a sandwich for lunch. I might have / could have given
you mine.

5- Complete the sentences with a suitable modal, affirmative or

negative.

1. Nobody knows exactly why he died but we think it ______________ (be) in an

accident
2. I ______________ (revise) more for the exam. I was lazy, and now I'll fail!
3. Sarah looked very happy. She ______________ (pass) her driving test.
4. I didn't know you were going to Phil's party yesterday. You
______________ (tell) me!
5. I can't believe Jim hasn't arrived yet. He ______________ (take)the wrong
train.
6. You ______________ (be) ill yesterday. Jessie saw you at the bowling
alley.
7. I don't know where they went but they ______________ (go) to Paris or
Marseille.
8. The window ______________ (get) in through that window.