Mastering English Modals: Deduction, Usage, and Expressions
Modal Verbs of Deduction
1) Modal verb + have + past participle
Examples:
- Erica must have gone out. I can’t see her.
- He looks tired. He might have been awake all night.
- I think James must have drunk all the milk. There’s none left.
Modals of deduction quiz
Examples:
- There’s no reply. He must be out.
- I’ve got no idea where she is. Try the library. She might be in there.
- Look at the way that guy’s walking. He must be drunk!
Used to, Get Used to & Be Used to
Examples:
- I’m not used to getting up this early.
- I used to read a lot.
- You’ll have to get used to driving on the right when you live there.
Complete each sentence B so that it has a similar meaning to sentence A.
Examples:
- A: I’m sure schools 50 years ago weren’t the same as they are nowadays (BE)
B: Schools 50 years ago must have been very different from nowadays. - A: It’s possible Josef went to school by bus. (TAKE)
B: Josef may have taken the bus to school.
Complete the sentences with words from the box to form a verb with get.
Examples:
- We didn’t get to London until midnight. (arrive in)
- I don’t earn very much but I get by OK. (manage to live)
Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the box.
Examples:
- I haven’t written to Steve for ages – I really ought to get in touch with him.
- I think footballers get paid far too much.
Expressions with Take
Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the box.
Examples:
- He takes a very keen interest in music and often goes to concerts.
- Don’t say anything negative about her hair; she’s very sensitive and might take offence at your remarks.
Word Formation: Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed
Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
Examples:
- The Shining is probably the most frightening film I’ve ever seen. (FRIGHT)
- I get so embarrassed when my dad starts singing. (EMBARRASS)
Relative Clauses
Complete the sentences with appropriate relative pronouns, giving alternatives where more than one answer is possible. Add commas if necessary.
Examples:
- Mr Jones, who has taught here for 15 years, will be leaving the school at the end of term. He has accepted the post of head teacher at St Mary’s, the school where he began his teaching career in 1990.
- A: Yesterday I spoke to the boy who has just moved into the house on the corner
B: Do you mean the one whose mum looks like Meryl Streep?
Multiple-choice Cloze
Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Money-making houses
If times are hard and you are (0) SHORT of cash, your house might (1) PROVIDE you with the solution to your problem. Renting out a (2) SPARE room in your house can be a good way of making extra money. What’s more, a government scheme (3) ALLOWS you to receive up to £4,250 each year from lodgers without paying tax.
Language Focus
A Articles
In 1-5, decide which gaps require an article. Write a, an, the, or – if no article is required
Examples:
- The electric toaster was invented over a hundred years ago, although —– consumers only began to show interest in it in the 1930s.
- When we were on —— holiday in the mountains last week we saw a bear.
B Comparisons
Complete the sentences with adjectives from the box. You may have to use the comparative or superlative form or you may not need to make any change.
Examples:
- I knew the exam would be difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be as hard as that.
- Last summer was the hottest since records began, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of Britain.