MODAL VERBS

Refresh your knowledge

Match each sentence with the meaning of the modal auxiliary verb used in it. Some of the
sentences may have the same meanings.
Ability
1.
2.
3.
4.

She can play the violin.

He cant swim.
She could walk when she was 9 months old.
She was able to / managed to leave the office
earlier today.
5. He will be able to speak English fluently very
soon.

a) future ability
b) inability
c) a particular ability on one
occasion in the past
d) past general ability
e) ability

Permission, requests, offers, suggestions

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Can I open the window?

You can go with the others.
You cant go out tonight.
Can you give me a hand?
Could I leave for lunch now?
Could you help me with this exercise?
When she was young, she could stay up late on
Saturdays.
8. May I go out?
9. You may visit her now.
10. You may not park here.
11. May I help you?
12. Might I borrow your pen?
13. Last year anyone might attend her classes.
14. Shall I carry your suitcase?
15. Shall we go to the disco?
16. Will you pass the pepper?
17. Ill do it for you.
18. Would you open the window?
19. They were allowed to visit the castle.

a) asking for permission

informal
b) asking for permission
formal
c) giving permission
d) prohibition (refusing
permission)
e) past permission
f) request
g) request very formal
h) offer
i) suggestion

Obligation, necessity, prohibition

1. I must lose weight.
2. The paint must dry before you apply
another layer.
3. You mustnt smoke in the office.
4. We have to be there by 8 oclock.
5. Do we have to take anything with us?
6. You dont have to wear uniforms.
7. We didnt have to take that exam.
8. She had to speak to the manager.
9. You neednt pick me up tomorrow.
10. You neednt have cleaned my room.
11. He didnt need to report every day.
12. You should visit her more often.
13. You shouldnt shout at your students.
14. You should take off your shoes when
you enter my room.
15. You should have noted them.
16. We ought to avoid using the products
tested on animals.

a) lack of necessity
b) criticism
c) strong obligation (obligation that comes
from outside)
d) past strong obligation or necessity
e) asking about obligation
f) mild obligation (obligation that comes
from outside)
g) lack of obligation or necessity in the
past
h) advice
i) necessity
j) strong obligation personal feelings
k) no obligation
l) advice (giving your opinion) about the
past
m) mild obligation (personal)
n) unnecessary action in the past that was
actually done
o) prohibition

Possibility
1. Shell be in Paris next week.
2. It will be my mother. She always calls after seven
oclock
3. Will it be warm tomorrow? What do you think?
4. That wont have been her uncle you met
yesterday. He never comes to family gatherings.
5. It must be true. Everyone says so.
6. You must have got soaked to the skin. It was
bucketing down.
7. It can be very dangerous to go there alone.
8. She cant be at home. I saw her on her way out.
9. She cant have played in that movie. She was
only four at the time.
10. I could do the ironing in the afternoon.
11. In those days very strange things could happen in
that forest.
12. She couldnt be his sister! They are completely
different.
13. You could have told me about the letter.
14. We may go hiking on Saturday.
15. It may not be true.
16. They may have been kidnapped.
17. She might come to my party.
18. It might not rain in the afternoon.
19. They should arrive in a few minutes.
20. They should have finished by now.

a) logical conclusion (deduction)

b) logical conclusion (deduction)
negative
c) expectation
d) certainty - assumption based
on our knowledge about
people or things
e) possibility
f) theoretical possibility
g) certainty future fact
h) possibility more tentative
i) possibility - negative
j) asking about possibility
k) past negative certainty assumption based on our
knowledge about people or
things
l) logical conclusion (deduction)
about the past
m) logical conclusion (deduction)
about the past negative
n) possibility in the past
o) possibility in the past, but did
not happen
p) expectation about the past
q) past theoretical possibility

Other meanings of modal verbs

1. Hell sit on the porch for hours gazing at the road.
2. He will talk loudly when everyone else tries to
concentrate.
3. She will do it if you ask her nicely.
4. I will stop smoking!
5. I wont eat the spinach!
6. She was very selfish. She would take your best dress
without asking you, wouldnt she?
7. She was a nice person. She would always try to help
everyone.
8. He wouldnt lend me his book when I asked him.

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

willingness
strong intention
refusal
refusal in the past
habit and typical
behaviour
f) annoying habit
g) past habit
h) annoying habit in the
past

Keys:
Refresh your knowledge
Ability
1 e, 2 b, 3 d, 4 c, 5 a
Permission, requests, offers, suggestions
1 a, 2 c, 3 d, 4 f, 5 b, 6 f, 7 e, 8 b, 9 c, 10 d, 11 h, 12 g, 13 e,
14 h, 15 i, 16 f, 17 h, 18 f, 19 - e
Obligation, necessity, prohibition
1 j, 2 i, 3 o, 4 c, 5 e, 6 k, 7 g, 8 d, 9 a, 10 n, 11 g, 12 h, 13 b,
14 m, 15 l, 16 f
Possibility
1 g, 2 d, 3 j, 4 k, 5 a, 6 l, 7 f, 8 b, 9 m, 10 h, 11 q, 12 b, 13 o,
14 e, 15 i, 16 n, 17 h, 18 i, 19 c, 20 - p
Other meanings of modal verbs
1 e, 2 f, 3 a, 4 b, 5 c, 6 h, 7 g, 8 d