How to Use 'Let' and 'Make'

Let
Subject + let + object + bare infinitive
(infinitive without 'to')
'Let' can mean 'allow' or 'give permission':
David's mother let him use her car.
Our boss let us leave early.
We can also use 'let' to mean 'allow' in the
sense of 'make something possible':
This student card lets you book discount
flights.
You can buy a pass which lets you visit all
the art galleries more cheaply.
Let's + infinitive is often used to make a
suggestion:
Let's go to the cinema tonight.
Let's get some coffee.

(Although 'let's' is a contraction of 'let us', we

don't use 'let us' in this situation). We don't
use 'let' in the passive.
Make
Subject + make + object + bare
infinitive (infinitive without 'to')
'Make' can mean 'force someone to do
something that he or she doesn't want to do':
His mother made him clean his room.
The teacher made us study very hard.
It can also be used to mean 'cause someone to
do something' (the thing can be good or bad):
That film made me cry.
My brother often makes me laugh.
If we use 'make' in the passive, we use the
infinitive with 'to' instead of the bare
infinitive:
She was made to work on Saturday, even
though she hated working at weekends.

We can also use subject + make + object +

adjective. This means 'cause the object to be
the adjective' (the adjective can be good or
bad):
Her story made me really happy.
The traffic jam made us late.
Choosing 'let' or 'make'
Remember, we use 'let' when we mean 'allow'.
It's usually something the person wants to do:
My boss let me leave early (I wanted to
leave early, and the boss gave me
permission).
We use 'make' when we mean 'force' or
'cause'. It's often something the person
doesn't want to do:
My boss made me stay late (I didn't want
to stay, but I had to).
When 'make' means 'cause' it can be
something good or bad:
My brother made me laugh

Laughing is a good thing, BUT laughing isn't

something I wanted to do that my brother
gave me permission for. Instead it's
something that he caused.
We can only use 'make + object + adjective'.
We can't use 'let' in this way.

Modal Verbs And Their Meaning

What are modal verbs?
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal
auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are
special verbs which behave irregularly in
English. They are different from normal
verbs like "work, play, visit..." They are used
to indicate modality. They give additional
information about thefunction of the main
verb that follows it. They have a great
variety of communicative functions.
Use of modal verbs:
Modal verbs are used to express functions
such as:
1.

Permission

2.

Ability

3.

Obligation

4.

Prohibition

5.

Lack of necessity

6.

Advice

7.

possibility

8.

probability

Remember
Modal verbs are followed by an infinitive
without "to"
Examples:
You must stop when the traffic lights
turn red
You should see to the doctor
There are a lot of tomatoes in the
fridge. You need not buy any.
Exception:
You ought to go to the doctor
A list of modals
Here is a list of modals:
Modal Verb Meanin

Expressing

Example

g
to have 100 %
to
obligation

must

to be logical
very
conclusion
probabl (deduction)
e

not to prohibition
be
must not allowed
to
can

to be ability
able to
to be permission
allowed

I must
stop
when the
traffic
lights
turn red.
He must
be very
tired
after
such
enormou
s work
You must
not
smoke in
the
hospital.
I can
swim
Can I use
your

to
it is
possibility
possible

could

to be ability in the
able to past

to be more polite
allowed permission
to

it is
possibility
possible

phone
please?
Smoking
can
cause
cancer !
When I
was
younger I
could
stay up
all night
and not
get
tired..
Excuse
me,
could I
just say
somethin
g?
It could
rain
tomorro

to be permission
allowed
to
may

might

it is
possibility,
possible probability
,
probabl
e
to be more polite
allowed permission
to
it is
weak
possible possibility,
,
probability
probabl
e

w!
May I use
your
phone
please?
It may
rain
tomorro
w!
Might I
use your
phone
please?
I might
come
and visit
you in
America
next
year, if I
can save
enough
money.

necessa necessity
ry

Need I
need
say
more?
not
lack of
I need
necessa necessity/abse not buy
ry
nce of
any
obligation
tomatoes
need not
. There
are
plenty in
the
fridge.
used to 50 % obligation I should /
should/oug
say or
ought to
ht to
ask
see a
what is
doctor. I
the
have a
correct
terrible
or best
headache
thing to
.
do
to
advice
You
suggest
should /
an
ought to

action
or to
show
that it
is
necessa
ry
to be logical
very
conclusion
probabl (deduction)
e

had better

to
advice
suggest
an
action
or to
show
that it
is

revise
your
lessons

He
should /
ought to
be very
tired
after
such
enormou
s work
You 'd
better
revise
your
lessons

necessa
ry
Exercise on modals.
Grammar Exercise - Modals
Do the exercise on modal verbs and click on
the button to check your answers
(Before doing the exercises you may want to
read the lesson on modal verbs )
Choose the right modal verb
1. There is plenty of tomatoes in the
fridge. You-------------------- buy any.
2. It's a hospital. You ------------------smoke.
3. He had been working for more than 11
hours. He --------------- be tired after such

hard work. He----------------------- prefer to

get some rest.
4. I ----------------------- speak Arabic
fluently when I was a child and we lived in
Morocco. But after we moved back to
Canada, I had very little exposure to the
language and forgot almost everything I
knew as a child. Now, I
---------------------------- just say a few
things in the language.
5. The teacher said we---------------------read this book for our own pleasure as it is
optional. But we------------------------- read
it if we don't want to.
6. ------------------------you stand on your
head for more than a minute? No, I ----- .
7. If you want to learn to speak English
fluently, you ----------------- to work hard.
8. Take an umbrella. It ----------------- rain
later.

9. You leave small objects lying around .

Such objects -------------- be swallowed by
children.
10. People ----------------------- walk on
grass.
11. Drivers----------------------------- stop
when the traffic lights are red.
12. ----------------------- I ask a question?
Yes, of course.
13. You ----------------------- take your
umbrella. It is not raining.
14. -----------------you speak Italian? No, I
----------------------- .

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_ph
p_files/grammar-exercise-modals.php
Grammar Exercise - Modals

Do the exercise on modal verbs and click

on the button to check your answers
(Before doing the exercises you may want to
read the lesson on modal verbs )

Choose the right modal verb

1. There is plenty of tomatoes in the
fridge. You needn't buy any.
2.

It's a hospital. You mustn't

smoke.

3. He had been working for more than 11

hours. He must be tired after such
haed work. He may prefer to get some
rest.
4. I could speak Arabic fluently when I
was a child and we lived in Morocco. But
after we moved back to Canada, I had
very little exposure to the language and
forgot almost everything I knew as a
child. Now, I can just say a few things in
the language.

5. The teacher said we can read this

book for our own pleasure as it is
optional. But we can read it if we don't
want to.
6.
Can you stand on your head for
more than a minute? No, I can't .
7. If you want to learn to speak English
fluently, you need to work hard. .
8. Take an umbrella. It might
later.

rain

9. You shouldn't leave small objects

lying around . Such objects may be
swallowed by children.
10. People mustn't
11. Drivers must
lights are red.
12. May

stop when the traffic

I ask a question? Yes, of course.

13. You needn't

is not raining.
14. Can

walk on grass.

take your umbrella. It

you speak Italian? No, I can't .