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English Modal Verbs Guide

This document introduces 12 modal auxiliary verbs in English: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to. It discusses their grammatical properties and meanings to express probability, permission, obligation, prediction and speculation about present and future events. Key points covered include their lack of inflections, use with infinitives without "to", and meanings to indicate logical conclusions, expectations, possibilities and abilities.

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359 views8 pages

English Modal Verbs Guide

This document introduces 12 modal auxiliary verbs in English: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to. It discusses their grammatical properties and meanings to express probability, permission, obligation, prediction and speculation about present and future events. Key points covered include their lack of inflections, use with infinitives without "to", and meanings to indicate logical conclusions, expectations, possibilities and abilities.

Uploaded by

Cassandra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

INTRODUCTION TO MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

CAN COULD

MAY MIGHT

SHALL SHOULD

WILL WOULD

MUST OUGHT TO
There is no s in the third person.
ex: He can swim

There is no do / does in the question.


ex: May I ask you a question?

There is no dont / doesnt in the negative.


ex: You shouldnt tell lies.

They are followed by an infinitive without to.


The excpetion is ought to.
ex: It might rain.
They dont have past forms or infinitives or ing
[Link] verbs are used instead.
ex: I had to work hard when I was young.
They can be used with perfect infinitives to refer to
the past.
ex: You should have told me that you cant swim.
MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS
OF PROBABILITY PRESENT AND
FUTURE

Should
Must
May
Will
Cant Might
Will
Willan wontt are used to predict a future
action.

ex: Ill see you later.

Willand wont are also used to express what


we believe or guess to be true about the
present.

ex: Youve got a letter from [Link] be


from my aunt.
Must and cant

Must is used to assert what we infer or


conclude to be the most logical and rational
interpretation of a situation.

ex: You must be joking!I simply dont believe


you.

The negative of this use is cant.

ex: She cant have a ten year old daughter!


Shes only twenty-one herself.
Should
Should express what may reasonably be
expected to happen,it means believing that
things are or will be as we want them to
[Link] use of should has the idea of if
everything has gone according to plan.
ex: We should be moving into our new
house soon.
( as long as nothing goes wrong ).

Should in this use has the idea that we want


the action to [Link] is not used to express
negative or unpleasant idea.

ex: You should pass the [Link] worked


hard.
May and might

May express the possibility that an event


will happen or is happening.

ex: We may go to Greece this [Link]


havent decided yet.

Might is more tentaive and slightly less


certain than may.

ex: It might [Link] your umbrella.


Could
Could has a similar meaning to might.

ex: You could be [Link] not sure.

Couldnt is not used to express a future


[Link] negative of could in this is might
not.

ex: You might not be right.

Couldnt has a similar meaning to cant


above,only slightly weaker.

ex: She couldnt have a ten year old


[Link] only 21 herself.

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