Dr. H.

Zulkarnain: English for Students in Agriculture (PNU 122): A Resource Book

CHAPTER 5
MODAL AUXILIARIES

Specific instructional aims

Students are able to describe and construct sentences employing modal
auxiliaries appropriately according to the time markers.

Sub topics
Modal auxiliaries used in present tense.

Modal auxiliaries used in past tense.

Modal auxiliaries (also called modal verbs) are special verbs that has
special meaning and function, and normally used to modify other verbs. Modal
auxiliaries are only used in present or past tenses, but the present tense is also
used to describe the future tense.

In the present or future tenses, the modal auxiliaries are accompanied by

the simple form of verbs (the infinitive without to). However, in past tense
there are two forms of modal auxiliaries used, i.e. simply use the past form or
use the past form in combination with present perfect form. Thus, the formula
of sentences employing modal auxiliaries are as follows:
Present and future tense : Subject + modal (present) + verb (type I)
Past tense : Subject + modal (past) + verb (type I)
Subject + modal (past) + have + verb (type III)

There are six words that are categorized as modal auxiliaries as indicated in the
following table.

Modal auxiliaries Present/future Past

Can Can Could Could have
May May Might Might have
Shall Shall Should Should have
Will Will Would Would have
Must (have/has to) Must (have/has to) Must (had to) Must have

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 Dr. H. Zulkarnain: English for Students in Agriculture (PNU 122): A Resource Book

Ought to Ought to Ought to Ought to have

Examples:
1. A strong insecticide can kill grasshoppers and bugs effectively.
- A strong insecticide could kill grasshoppers and bugs effectively.
- A strong insecticide could have killed grasshoppers and bugs effectively.
2. Severe virus infestation may cause great lost in crop production.
- Severe virus infestation might cause great lost in crop production.
- Severe virus infestation might have caused great lost in crop production.
3. Hasan shall go to the farm early in the morning.
- Hasan should go to the farm early in the morning.
- Hasan should have gone to the farm early in the morning.
4. We will grow pineapples in our back yard tomorrow.
- We would grow pineapples in our back yard tomorrow.
- We would have grown pineapples in our back yard tomorrow.
5. They must spray the fungicide to solve the fungus infestation.
- They had to spray the fungicide to solve the fungus infestation.
- They must have sprayed the fungicide to solve the fungus infestation.
6. The government ought to provide us with adequate facilities for agricultural
education.
- The government ought to provide us with adequate facilities for
agricultural education.
- The government ought to have provided us with adequate facilities for
agricultural education.

Please note that in the case of past tense of should have, ought to have
and must have, there is a slight different in the meaning. In the first two, the
modal auxiliaries indicate that the action is not performed or done yet.
Therefore, the sentence saying Hasan should have gone to the farm early in
the morning means that although it was advisable for Hasan to go early in the
morning, he did not do so. This situation is referred as unfulfilled actions.
Meanwhile, in the third modal auxiliary, there is an assumption that the action
has been done completely. Thus, the sentence saying They must have
sprayed the fungicide to solve the fungus infestation means that they have
already done the fungicide spray.

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 Dr. H. Zulkarnain: English for Students in Agriculture (PNU 122): A Resource Book

Ought to is sometimes used without a following verb if the meaning is

clear, for example: Should we begin soon? Yes, we ought to. In a question
and negative sentences, especiallythose with contractions, to is sometimes
moitted, for example: Oughtnt we be going soon? Although the omission of to
was formerly possible in English, it is now considered nonstandard.

Sentence transformation
The transformation of sentences using modal auxiliaries into a negative is
done by adding the negation not after the modal verb. Whereas to transform
the sentence into an interrogative can be done by putting the modal verb at the
beginning of the sentence followed by subject and predicate (a verb), or by
using a question word followed by the modal verb, subject and predicate.

Examples:
1. They can grow the tomato in a plastic house.
- They can not grow the tomato in a plastic house.
- Can they grow the tomato in a plastic house?
- Where can they grow the tomato?
2. We should do watering two times a day.
- We should not do watering two times a day.
- Should we do watering two times a day?
- How many times should we do watering?
3. Hasan should have gone to the farm early in the morning.
- Hasan should not have gone to the farm early in the morning.
- Should Hasan have gone to the farm early in the morning?
- When should Hasan have gone to the farm?

For the modal auxiliary have/has to, the auxiliary do/does is used for
present or future, and did is used for the past tense.

Examples:
1. The government has to increase the fund for agricultural development.
- The government does not have to increase the fund for agricultural
development.

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 Dr. H. Zulkarnain: English for Students in Agriculture (PNU 122): A Resource Book

- Does the government have to increase the fund for agricultural

development.
- What does the government have to increase?
2. Farmers had to adopt the modern technology.
- Farmers did not have to adopt the modern technology.
- Did farmers have to adopt the modern technology?
- Who did have to adopt the modern technology?

Students activity
Assignment 1
Change the following sentences into past tense form using appropriate
modal auxiliary:
1. Farmers have to build an irrigation system in the area.
2. She may leave the plantation at 12.00 oclock.
3. The virus attack can spread via insects as the vector.
4. The government must control the price of crude palm oil (CPO).
5. The increase in fuel price will affect the agricultural sector significantly.
6. We shall buy new farm machineries by the end of this year.
7. My aunty has to sell one of her rice fields to pay the her sons tuition fee
this year.
8. You ought to understand that the virus problem is not easy to solve.
9. The Minister of Agriculture will come to Kampus Pinang Masak to deliver a
speech at the 42nd Unja Anniversary.
10. They must decide which rice variety that will be grown this year.

Assignment 2
Change the following sentences into negative and interrogative forms (you
may use question word):
1. Nut meg can grow in acid soils.
2. Farmers in Sungai Landai will harvest their peppers within two weeks.
3. The rubber factory will operate next year.
4. Scientists must do some studies to search new rice varieties.

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 Dr. H. Zulkarnain: English for Students in Agriculture (PNU 122): A Resource Book

5. You shall grow good quality seeds from Seed Station to produce better
harvest.
6. Rudi ought to go to the Balai Desa to attend the agricultural extension.
7. Many transmigrants can build a better living in the transmigration area in
Rimbo Bujang.
8. The results of this research shall give benefit to poor farmers in remote
area.
9. We can cultivate our land by using simple equipments.
10. I shall go to the university to become an agricultural expert.

Vocabulary list
Acid soils = tanah masam
Bugs = hama kutu
Crude Palm Oil (CPO) = minyak sawit mentah
Fungus = cendawan
Grasshoppers = belalang
Insect = serangga
Nut meg = kemiri
Pepper = lada
Plantation = perkebunan
Remote area = daerah terpencil
Seed Station = balai benih
Vector = serangga pembawa virus

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