English Today

Modals, Semi-Modals and Modal Perfect

A. Modals

MODAL	USE	EXAMPLES
Can	1. ability in the present or future 2. informal request 3. informal permission	1. She can sing and dance. 2.  Can you call me at 5:00? 3.  You can go out and play now.
Could	1. past tense of can 2. possibility 3. polite request 4. suggestion	1.  He could speak four languages by the time he was 12. 2. Your books could be on your desk. 3. Could you please fill in this form for me? 4. We could meet outside the cinema, if you like.
May	1. possibility in the future 2. formal request only after I or We 3. formal permission 4. formally refuse permission	1. I may call you later today. 2. May I go out, please? / May we leave earlier today? 3.  You may sit down now. 4.  You may not leave the school.
Might	1. possibility in the future (slightly less possible than may) 2. negative possibility 3. past tense of may	1. I might hang out with my friends at the weekend. 2.  She might not be able to help you. 3.  I didn’t call him because I thought he might be busy at work.
Must	1. necessity 2.  almost certainty 3. obligation 4. strong recommendation	1. I must go now, it’s late. 2.  She’s been studying  all day. She must be tired. 3. You must take care of your pet. 4. You must read this book. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Mustn’t	Prohibition (not allowed)	You mustn’t  smoke in public places.
Should / ought to	1. give advice 2. ask for advice (should) 3. prediction	1. You should / ought to study harder. 2.  Should I reply to these emails today? 3. They should be / ought to be here soon.
Will	1. polite request 2. future prediction 3. on-the-spot decision about a future action 4. offer to do something 5. promise	1. Will you help me with my homework, please? 2. It will rain tomorrow 3.  I’ll call you tomorrow. 4.  Will you marry me? 5.  Don’t worry. I’ll water your plants while you are away, I promise.

Would	nformal request 2. repeated past action 3. past tense of will	1. Would you please sign this form? 2.  When grandpa was younger, he would go swimming every day. 3.  He promised he would call me every day.
Shall	Polite offer or request only  after I or We	Shall we dance? Shall I help with the cooking?
Needn’t	Lack of necessity	You needn’t get up early tomorrow, it’s a holiday.

 

B. Semi-Modals

Semi-Modal	Use	Examples
Be able to	1. general ability (similar to can) 2. specific ability in the past (managed to do something)	1.  He is able to join us tonight. / I  won’t be able to have lunch with you tomorrow. 2. Despite the stormy weather, we were able to cross the river safely.
Have to	Obligation / necessity (similar to must)	I have to go now, it’s late She had to work late last night You’ll have to come back again tomorrow.
Don’t have to	Lack of necessity (similar to needn’t / don’t need to)	I don’t have to work late on Saturdays.

 

C. Modal Perfect

Modal Perfect	Use	Examples
May / might have done	Uncertainty about what happened in the past	She was very tired when I saw her. She might have gone to sleep.
Should / ought to have done	1. obligation or expectation not completed in the past 2. advice not taken in the past	1. He should /  ought to have finished work by now. 2.  She didn’t pass her exam. She should  / ought to have studied harder.
Shouldn’t  have done	Criticism (it was the wrong thing to do)	You shouldn’t have eaten so much chocolate.
Could have done	1. uncertainty about what happened in the past (similar to may/might have done) 2. possibility about a past action which didn’t happen	1.  He could have left work earlier. 2.  I could have gone to the concert last night, but I finally decided to stay at home.
Can’t / couldn’t have done NOT mustn’t have done	Certainty that something did not happen in the past	He can’t / couldn’t have met you. He was asleep.
Must have done	Certainty that something happened in the past	She was very pale when I saw her yesterday. She must have caught a cold.
Would have done	Wishing we had done something in the past but didn’t do it	I would have arrived on time but I missed the bus.

Have Got / To Be

 

REVIEW

A. Write as in the example

 

LONG FORM	SHORT FORM
It is a box.	It’s a box.
They … pupils.	They ……
He … a teacher.	He……
We …girls.	We……
I…Tony.	I………
She…my friend.	She……..my friend.
Freddy …a fox.	Freddy……..
We….happy.	We……….happy.
Jim and Bill….brothers.	Jim and Bill …brothers.
My friend…….tall.	My friend….tall.

 

B. Write as in the example

 

LONG FORM	SHORT FORM
He has got a dog.	He’s got a dog.
Anna ….a sister.	Anna…….
We…books.	We……….
My mother…blue eyes.	My mother………
I….toys.	I………
She……brown hair.	She……
The monster…three eyes.	The monster…….
My friend….a red bag.	My friend……
My friends….. green pencils.	My friends……
You…a brother.	You………

 

C. Write the plural

 

Example:  He is a doctor. --------They are doctors.---------------------

 

1. It is a flower. ---------------------------

2. I am a pupil. ----------------------------

3. He is a teacher. ------------------------

4. She is tall. ------------------------------

5. It is a blue book. ----------------------

6. She has got a brother. ----------------------------

7. I have got blue eyes. ------------------------------

8. The dog has got a long tail. ------------------------

9. He is my friend. ------------------------------------

10. He has got black hair. ----------------------------

 

D. Fill in : have got / has got / haven’t got / hasn’t got

 

Example: Susan ---has got--------- three sisters but she –hasn’t got------------- a brother.

 

1. I  -----------------  two brothers but I ------------------- a sister.

2. Maria -------------------- a green book but she ------------------ a green notebook.

3. Jim --------------------- a dog but he ------------------------- a cat.

4. The pupils ---------------- pens and notebooks but they ------------------------- paints and crayons.

5. My friend ----------------- an apple but he ----------------------- an orange.

 

E.  Answer the questions. Use short answers as in the example:

      Example: Has Sam got a sandwich?(yes)

                       Yes, he has. ----------------------------------------------------

 

1. Has the girl got a kite? (no)

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2. Have the boys got a football? (yes )                  

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3. Has the cat got a fish? (yes)

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4. Is the cat brown? (no)

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5. Are you happy? (yes)

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6. Is your friend tall? (yes)

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7. Has your friend got green eyes? (no)

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8. Has the cat got a short tail? (no)

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9. Are you a pupil? (yes)

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10. Are you a teacher? (no)

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