THESE GRAMMAR NOTES REFER TO THE USE OF MODAL VERBS

MODAL VERBS
The Modal Verbs are: can, could, may, might, must, will, would, shall, should, ought to. They are
known as ‘modal auxiliary verbs’ because they ‘help’ another verb:
I can swim. Do you think I should go?

FORM
1. There is no –s in the third person singular:
She can swim; he must be tired; it might rain later.
2. There is no DO/DOES in the question:
Shall we go for a walk? Can I help you? What should I do?
3. There is no DON’T/DOESN’T in the negative:
He can’t dance; I won’t be a minute; you mustn’t steal.
4. Modal auxiliary verbs do not usually have past forms. Other expressions are used instead:
I had to work very hard at school; COULD is used with a past meaning in some cases.
5. They have no infinitives and no –ing forms. Other expressions are used instead:
I’d love to be able to ski; I hate having to get up on cold mornings.
6. They are followed by infinitive without to:
You must go; I’ll help you.
Ought to is the exception: you ought to see a doctor.
7. They can be used with perfect infinitives to talk about the past:
You should have told me that you can’t swim: you might have drowned!

USE
Each modal verb usually has at least two meanings.
1. One use of all of them is to express possibility or probability:
I must post this letter (= obligation); you must be tired (= deduction, probability); could you
please help me? (= request); we could go to Portugal (= possibility, suggestion); may I go now?
(= permission); Hannah may be at work now (= possibility)
2. Modal verbs express our attitudes, opinions and judgements of events.
‘Who’s that knocking at the door?’ ‘It could/may/might/must/should/can’t/’ll be Henry’.

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OBLIGATION is expressed by must / have to / should / ought to.
We don’t usually use must in questions, although it is possible: must I …?
Have to has all the forms that must does not have:
I had to work yesterday (past); you will have to attend that seminar (future); she has never had to
commute (present perfect); I hate having to cook (-ing form); if you were a teacher, you would have
to be very patient (infinitive).
Should expresses weak obligation and is often accompanied by sentences like ‘do you think’: do
you think I should apply for that job?
MUST is used to express an obligation that invo lves the speaker’s opinion; it is personal:
I must get my hair cut (this is me talking to myself); I must write to Anne: I haven’t written to her
for ages! (the speaker personally feels that he must do it);
must is also associated with a formal, written style: candidates must answer all questions
(instructions on an exam paper).
HAVE TO expresses a general obligation based on a law or rule or based on the authority of
another person. It is more objective : I have to go to my GP (I have an appointment); in many
English-speaking countries you have to drive on the left.

Sometimes the two verbs are interchangeable: I must/have to be back by midnight.

MUSTN’T / DON’T HAVE TO are very different! Mustn’t expresses a negative obligation – it is
important NOT to do something: you mustn’t steal other people’s things; don’t have to expresses
the absence of obligation: you don’t have to come tomorrow (it is not necessary).

You can always use HAVE GOT TO, especially in British English.

EXPRESSING PERMISSION: can / may / be allowed to are used to express permission:

you can borrow my bike;
may we smoke here?
You are not allowed to use mobiles.

MAKING REQUESTS : can / could / will / would

You can also use the following:

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Would you mind filling in this form?
Do you mind if I open the door?
Would you mind if I opened the door?

MAKING OFFERS: will and shall are used in such cases: shall we go out for a pizza? (shall is
used only for I and we)

MAY / MIGHT express possibility in the present or future: take your umbrella as it might rain; we
may go to Paris on holiday.

Examples of modals in the past:

MODAL + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
(for the negative add NOT to the modal verb)

You might have left your wallet in the shop (= perhaps you have left it there)
Robert must have gone out (now he’s not in).
She passed me in the street without speaking: she can’t have seen me.
I rang Helen but she did not reply, so I suppose she may have been in the bath.
Sandy did not come to the meeting: he might not have known about it.

Sometimes modal verbs can be structured in the continuous form (instead of being followed by
infinitive) when you talk about possible plans:
MODAL VERB + BE + -ING FORM

I may/might be going to Belgium in December (I may go = it’s a possibility).

I really should be going now (I should go right now!).