English Modal Verbs: A Comprehensive Guide
English Modal Verbs
Joining Sentences with Modals
Examples:
- Could you come over and study with me at my house?
- Can I go to the swimming pool now?
- We must buy a new fridge soon.
- Donna will be able to walk when the cast is taken off her leg next week.
- You mustn’t cross the road when the light is red.
Using Modals to Express Ability, Possibility, Permission, and Obligation
Examples:
- When you talk to him, I think you should tell him that you’re sorry.
- You must report a car accident to the police if someone is injured. It’s the law.
- That was a serious fall! Can you walk?
- Let’s cancel the trip today. It might snow.
- The sports equipment shouldn’t stay on the field. It’s going to rain soon.
Ordering Sentences with Modals
Examples:
- Jack needn’t worry about the test results.
- May I finish my question?
- They should explain their ideas to the director.
- We were able to get home early yesterday.
- Could I go with you to the shop?
Changing Modals
Examples:
- Can I help you?
- The little boy was able to skate very well.
- You mustn’t use your phone in the lift.
- Wesley doesn’t have to give up saxophone lessons.
- I can’t hear a thing because of the noise.
Forming Questions with Modals
Examples:
- Who should look for a cheaper mobile phone?
- When might the teacher give a test?
- What should George do?
- Why do we have to leave soon?
- How must Ingrid paint around the window frames?
Correcting Sentences with Modals
Examples:
- I could read when I was four years old.
- Children must not swim in the pool alone.
- Will they have to pay for the damage?
- I had better call my mother before she begins to worry.
- He should go to the doctor. He looks ill.
Modal Verbs in the Perfect Tense
Examples:
- Tracey might have forgotten about our meeting.
- The milk must have gone sour overnight.
- The announcer shouldn’t have spoken so quickly.
- I would have helped her but I didn’t know she was in trouble.
- The journalist should have asked many more questions and tried to discover the truth.
Using Modals and Perfect Modals Together
Examples:
- We’d better check that the doors are locked before we go out.
- The thief knew the secret code. It must have been someone who works here.
- How was he able to break into…?
- When the police arrest someone, they have to spend…
- You shouldn’t have taken your expensive watch…
Vocabulary Related to Modals and Crime
Examples:
- A police officer’s duty is to enforce the law.
- Let’s form a pool of ideas and come up with a solution.
- The government should outlaw online gambling because it can be very harmful.
- The new king agreed to repeal the law which had prevented women from driving.
- The trial lasted for over a week.