Modals & Periphrastic Modals: Meanings & Locations

Negatives are not shown unless they carry a different meaning.

FUNCTION EXAMPLE SENTENCES PAST FORM

future

will They will leave tomorrow.

be going to They are going to take a flight at 0600.

ability

can I can speak five languages. could

be able to I’m able to speak English and Italian. was/were able to

inability

be unable to I’m unable to attend the meeting. was/were unable to

polite request

can Can / Will you help me?

will Could / Would you help me?
could Affirmative Reply: Yes, I can / will.
would Negative Reply: No, I can’t / won’t.

permission

can Can / Could / May I leave early today?

could Affirmative Reply: Yes, you can / may.
may Negative Reply: No, you can’t / may not.

obligation / necessity

have to You have to come tomorrow. had to

have got to You have got to attend a briefing.
be supposed to You’re supposed to pick up the colonel. was / were supposed to
must You must be there by 0900. had to
be to You are to wear your dress uniform. was / were to

AmERiCAn LAnguAgE CouRsE

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 Modals & Periphrastic Modals: Meanings & Locations

FUNCTION EXAMPLE SENTENCES PAST FORM

no obligation

doesn’t/don’t have to You don’t have to attend all of the meetings. didn’t have to

prohibition

must not You must not go downtown.

50% possibility (guessing)

may Tom may be in late today. may have

might He might not show up. might have
could He could be sick. could have

95% possibility (logical deduction)

must Sylvia must want a new job. must have

can’t be She can’t be happy earning so little. can’t have
couldn’t be She couldn’t be up for promotion yet. couldn’t have

advice

should You should improve your health. should have

ought to You ought to quit smoking. ought to have
had better You had better start soon.

suggestion

could We could go out tonight.

shall Shall we go out tonight?

habit / custom

be used to We’re used to hot weather. was / were used to

be accustomed to We’re accustomed to traveling a lot. was / were accustomed to

past routine / past condition

would We would go camping every fall.

used to We used to live in the mountains.

american Language course

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 Modals & Periphrastic Modals: Meanings & Locations

FUNCTION EXAMPLE SENTENCES PAST FORM

past intention

was/were going to I was going to come by car, but it had a flat.

preference

would like (to) I’d like some coffee. I’d like to have a cup of coffee. would have liked
would rather I’d rather drink coffee than tea. would rather have

expectation

should Mark’s plane should land in 10 minutes. should have

ought to Mark ought to arrive in a few minutes. ought to have

AmERiCAn LAnguAgE CouRsE

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 Modals & Periphrastic Modals: Meanings & Locations

KEYWORD REPORT GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR KEYWORD: modal

Bk Ln Obj CBT LLA/HW Objective Text

05 4 G-05-4-7 Act 4 Part C figs 7-9 Use the modal 'have to' in oral and written affirmative/negative statements
and answers, and
yes/no and question word questions, in response to oral, visual, or written
cues illustrating necessity (or the absence of necessity).
09 3 G-09-3-7 Pt 4 Act 3 Omitted MODAL REVIEW: Use 'can' to express ability and 100% possibility; use 'can'
and 'may' to request and give permission; use 'will' and 'BE going to' to
express the future; use 'may' and 'might' to express 50% possibility; use
'must' and 'have to' to express obligation; use 'must not' to express prohibition.
13 2 G-13-2-4 Pt 1 Act 3 Part C figs 2-4 MODAL REVIEW: Use 'may', 'might', and 'could' to express 50% possibility;
use 'can', 'could', and 'be able to' to express present and past ability; use
'may', 'can' and 'could' in requests for permission (respond using 'can' or
'can’t').
13 3 G-13-3-4 Pt 3 Act 3 Part B fig 2; D 1 Use 'said' or 'told' + affirmative or negative 'that' noun clause ('that' optional)
and making appropriate modal, pronoun, and/or possessive adjective
changes in affirmative and negative statements, affirmative yes/no questions,
and affirmative and negative answers to report or inquire about what was said
in a present tense affirmative or negative direct speech statement containing
a modal.
14 2 G-14-2-5 Pt 2 Act 3 Part B fig 5 Use an 'if'-clause with present progressive, both before and after the main
clause in affirmative and negative statements, and a main clause with future /
future equivalents, modals, or imperatives to express future probability and its
result.
14 2 G-14-2-6 Pt 2 Act 3 Part B fig 5 Use an 'if'-clause with present perfect, both before and after the main clause
in affirmative and negative statements, and a main cluase with future/future
equivalents, modals, or imperatives to express indefinite past probability and
its result.
14 3 G-14-3-5 Pt 3 Act 3 Part A fig 5; C 2 MODAL REVIEW: Use ‘must’ and ‘have / has to’ to express necessity; use
‘must not’ to express prohibition; use ‘not have to’ to express lack of
necessity; use ‘BE going to’ and ‘will’ to express a future action or condition;
and use ‘could, would, can and will’ to make requests of a general nature
(respond using ‘can, can’t, and will’).
14 4 G-14-4-4 Pt 2 Act 3 Omitted Report or inquire about what was said using said or told + affirmative or
negative 'that' noun clause ('that' optional) and making appropriate modal,
pronoun, and/or possessive adjective changes, in affirmative and negative
statements, affirmative yes/no and information questions, and affirmative and
negative answers, after hearing or reading a direct speech present tense
affirmative or negative statement containing a modal. Direct speech modals
to change in reported speech as follows: Will (future) becomes would; BE
going to (future) becomes was/were going to; Must and have to (necessity)
become had to; Not have to (lack of necessity) becomes did not have to;
Must not (prohibition) remains must not.
15 2 G-15-2-4 Pt 2 Act 3 Part B fig 6; D 2 MODAL REVIEW: Use ‘should’ and ‘ought to’ to express advice; use ‘BE
supposed to’ to express duty, custom, or strong advice; use ‘used to’ and
‘would’ to express past routine; use ‘used to’ to express discontinued past
habit, condition, or situation; use ‘must’ to express deduction; use ‘would like
(to)’ to express desire or want; and use ‘can’ to express 50% possibility.
17 4 G-17-4-7 Pt 2 Act 3 L3 Part A figs 5-6 Use BE-passive with modals to indicate present and future time: use 'can,'
'could,' 'may,' and 'might' to denote possibility; use 'can' to denote ability; use
'must' and 'have to' to denote necessity; use 'not + have to' to denote lack of
necessity; use 'should' and 'ought to' to denote advice or suggestion; and use
'will' to denote a future event or action.

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 Modals & Periphrastic Modals: Meanings & Locations

KEYWORD REPORT GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR KEYWORD: modal

Bk Ln Obj CBT LLA/HW Objective Text

18 1 G-18-1-3 Pt 2 Act 3 Part B fig 6 Use 'ask' + a past tense noun clause introduced by 'if' or 'whether' (with
appropriate pronoun and/or possessive adjective changes) to report a present
tense yes/no question with or without a modal.
18 1 G-18-1-4 Pt 2 Act 3 Part C figs 1-2 Use 'ask' + a past tense noun clause introduced by a question word (with
appropriate pronoun and/or possessive adjective changes) to report a present
tense information question with or without a modal.
18 2 G-18-2-4 Pt 1 Act 3 Part B figs 5-6 Use an 'if'-clause, both before and after the main clause in affirmative
statements, negative statements, and affirmative questions, plus a main
clause—containing the modal 'would' (to denote a hypothetical), 'might' (to
denote possibility), or 'could' (to denote ability, possibility, or permission)—to
express a present hypothetical or counterfactual condition.
18 2 G-18-2-5 Pt 2 Act 3 Part C figs 1-2 Use ‘wish’ followed by an affirmative or negative 'that' noun clause (‘that’
optional) containing a past subjunctive verb or appropriate modal in
affirmative statements and affirmative yes/no and information questions.
19 3 G-19-3-3 Pt 2 Act 3 Part A figs 4-5 Use an 'if'-clause, both before and after the main clause in affirmative and
negative statements and questions, plus a main clause containing the modal
'would have' (for 95% past possibility), 'might have' (for 50% past possibility),
or 'could have' (for past option or ability) to express a past hypothetical or
counterfactual condition.
19 4 G-19-4-5 Pt 3 Act 3 Part D figs 4-5 Use say or tell + a past tense noun clause introduced by that (with
appropriate pronoun and/or possessive adjective changes) to report present,
present progressive, or future statements with or without a modal.
19 4 G-19-4-6 Pt 3 Act 3 Part D fig 5 REVIEW: Use ask + a past tense noun clause introduced by 'if' or whether
(with appropriate pronoun and/ or possessive adjective changes) to report
present, present progressive, or future yes/no questions with or without a
modal.
19 4 G-19-4-7 Pt 3 Act 3 Part D fig 5 REVIEW: Use ask + a past tense noun clause introduced by a question word
(with appropriate pronoun and?/or possessive adjective changes) to report
present, present progressive, or future information questions with or without a
modal.
28 1 G-28-1-3 Pt 3 Act 2 Part B figs 4-5 MODAL REVIEW: Use the following modal auxiliaries to denote present or
future time: ‘can’ to express ability; ‘may/might’ to express possibility;
‘should/ought to’ to express advisability; ‘should/ought to’ to express
expectation; ‘must’ to express probability; ‘must/have to’ to express necessity;
‘must not’ to express prohibition; ‘not have to’ to express lack of necessity;
‘can/may’ to express permission; and ‘could/would/will’ to make a polite
request.
29 4 G-29-4-5 Pt 2 Act 2 Part C figs 1-3 MODAL REVIEW: Use the following modal auxiliaries to denote past time:
‘could have’ to express unfulfilled/missed opportunity; ‘could have/may
have/might have’ to express possibility; ‘should have/ought to have’ to
express advisability; and ‘must have’ to express probability/deduction.

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