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1. Modal Verbs
AITOR SÁNCHEZ ABELLÁN
DAVID SÁNCHEZ GONZÁLEZ
Revised, Corrected, and completed by Nur Garriga

2. Introduction
 They are auxiliaries.
 They add new meaning to the sentences.
 They accompany the main verb.
 They also accompany other auxiliaries (have) PLUS the main
verb in perfect and/or continuous forms).
 They are used before infinitives (to)
 CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, WILL, WOULD, SHALL (most
common in BE), SHOULD, OUGTH TO, MUST, CANNOT
(CAN’T), MUST NOT (MUSTN’T)
 Other verbs used as MODALS: NEED and DARE, HAD BETTER
(NOT)
 Semi modals: HAVE TO / HAS TO / (NEED TO)
 NEGATIVE FORMS: Modal Verb + NOT

3. WILL & SHALL as a MODAL AUXILIARY
 WILL to talk about the future and/or polite requests.
 Will she come round tomorrow? Yes, she will.
 Will you do me a favour, please? No, I won’t.
 SHALL (I / WE) to make suggestions or to offer
something.
 Shall we go for a walk and discuss it? Certainly.
 Shall I answer the phone for you? Yes, please.
 Note: In Legal English SHALL is used for all the persons and it is used as
obligation.
 The client shall cover expenditure on film prints, advertising and
general distribution costs.

4. WOULD
 It is a modal auxiliary. Used to make verbs conditional.
 I would like to talk to you seriously. (I’d like to talk to…)
 Would acts as a past of will in Reported Speech.
 The forecaster said it would be rainy at the weekend.
 Polite requests and offers.
 Would you open the door, please?
 Good morning Mr. Barns, here is my office if you would come this way?
 Second Conditional. Hypothetical sentences.
 Would you marry me if we bought the house together?
 Repeated Actions and Events in the past.
 When I was 5, I would watch Little House on Sundays.

5. DARE as a MODAL AUXILIARY
 DARE as a modal auxiliary
 Daren’t to express that someone is afraid of something at the
moment of speaking.
 She daren’t look at me!
 Indignant or resentful exclamation
 How dare you touch my daughter!
 Equivalent to I suppose / I believe.
 I dare say he’ll come back sooner than we expect him to.
 I daresay you are ready for the driver’s license test!

6. MODALS of ABILITY
 We use the modal verb can to talk about ability in the
present.
- I can play the piano. He can drive! She can speak Dutch.
 We use the modal verb could to talk about ability in the
past.
- When I was 5, I could ride a bike.
 As can and could cannot be used to talk ability in all
tenses, we use be able to (which is not a modal verb) in
other tenses.
- Tomorrow I will be 18 at last! I will be able to have access
to the driver’s test and get my the driver’s licence.
(Context: in Spain).

7. MODALS of PERMISSION
 We use the modal verb can to talk about permission or ask for things at present. -
Can I go outside, please? - Can you pass me the salt, please?
 As can cannot be used in all tenses, we use be allowed to or be permitted to (which
is not a modal verb) to talk about permission in other tenses.
- I am allowed to go to the cinema tonight.
 We can also use could and may to talk about general permission in the past.
However, we cannot use could or may to talk about permission for a particular
action in the past. Instead, we use the correct form of be allowed to.
- When I was 10, I could play computer games when I wanted to. (general
permission)
- Yesterday night, I was allowed to go to the disco. (permission for a particular action
in the past).

8. MODALS of POSSIBILITY
 We use may, might, and could to talk about present or
future possibility.
- I might study architecture. (weak probability)
- I may pass math’s exam.
- He could go to handball match. (weak probability)
o The most common modal verb of possibility is might.
o We can substitute may, might and could for
maybe, perhaps or probably (which aren’t modal verbs)

9. MODALS of ADVICE
 We use ought to and should to give advice and make
recommendations.
- You should/ ought to study more for the next exam.
 Ought to is less common in speech.
 We use had better + infinitive to give advice or express an intention.
It has a similar meaning to ought to and should.
- You had better call her.
 We can also use had better (not) in threats.
- You had better not be late, or I will be furious!

10. MODALS of NECESSITY
 The verb need (without to) is only used in negative
and interrogative sentences. Also, we can use don’t
have to / doesn’t have to / didn’t have to (past) for
the same purpose.
 In the affirmative, we use need to to express
necessity.
- You needn’t do the exercises, they are not obligatory.
- You need to do the exercises, they are obligatory.

11. MODALS of OBLIGATION
 We use must or have to (the latter is a semi modal)
to talk about obligation.
- I must do my homework every day if I want to pass this
course and go to university.
- Everyone has to wear uniform at state schools in UK.
- Must is for personal obligations.
- Have to is for general obligations
 The past of Must and the past of Have to/Has to is HAD.

12. MODAL of PROHIBITION
 MUSTN’T OR MUST NOT to express we are not
allowed to do or to say something.
 Smoking is not allowed at university.
 You mustn’t smoke at university.

13. MODALS of CERTAINTY
 We use can’t when we believe or guess that
something is impossible.
- I can’t + (infinitive) act out the dialogue, because I haven’t
studied anything.
 We use must when we make logical deductions that
are possible.
- She must + (infinitive) be at home by now, it’s 10 pm.

14. MODALS + PERFECT INFINITIVES
PAST SITUATIONS
Can’t + have + past participle
 We use can’t have + past participle to express an impossibility in the past.
I can’t have made a good impression because he hasn’t phoned me yet.
Could + have + past participle
 We use could have + past participle to suggest an alternative past action, even
though it is now too late.
- You could have told me that your mum was in hospital! I’m so glad she’s well
now though!
Could / may / might + have + past participle
 We use might, may or could have + past participle to talk about something that
was possible in the past.
- He might/ may/ could have phoned, but we don’t know because we were in
the garden.

15. MODALS + PERFECT INFINITIVES
PAST SITUATIONS
Must + have + past participle
 We use must have + past participle to express a certainty or to make a logical
deduction about the past.
- She must have known that I badly fancied him – it was so obvious!
Should / Ought to + have + past participle
 We use should have + past participle to give an opinion about past events, even
though it is now too late.
- I was anxious – he should have called me.
Shouldn’t + have + past participle
 We use shouldn’t have + past participle to express regret or criticism about past
events.
- You shouldn’t have lied to me! From now on, I won’t trust you anymore.
Needn’t + have + past participle
 Lack of necessity or obligation.
- I needn’t have made so many pancakes, nobody is hungry now.

16. THE END