Learn different modal verbs and its ideal usage to improve your English. Learn how to use can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must and ought to

1. Spoken English
Modal Verbs
By
Ash Vyas

2. Modal Verbs
•Modal verbs are special verbs which behave irregularly in English.
•The modal verbs are also known as modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries and
Modals.
Syntax:
Subject + Modal Verb + Verb

3. Types of Modal Verbs
Can Could
May Might
Will Would
Shall Should
Must

4. Notes:
They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing“ at end of the modal
verb.
Example:
•She cans write the novel
•I will reading that book soon
•I should watched that movie

5. Notes:
The modal verbs are always followed by an infinitive without "to“
Example:
•You can to dance.
•I may to buy that car

6. Notes:
The modal verbs never combine with another modal verb or auxiliaries
Example:
•I will can dance in the new year [wrong]
•I will dance in the new year party or I can dance in the new year party [Right]
•I had could visit [wrong]
•I had visited or I could visit [Right]

7. Can
Usage 1: To show Ability or lack of ability
Example:
•I can learn English within a month.
•I can wake up at 4 am. Can you manage to do that?
•They can not dance.
•They can't reach here on time.

8. Can
Usage 2: To give or not giving a permission
Example:
•You can ask me anytime.
•You can park your car here.
•You can’t enter into my cabin like this.
•You can’t smoke here.

9. Can
Usage 3: To show possibility or impossibility
Example:
•Smoking can cause cancer.
•You can speak fluently if you practice more.
•You can’t get fat by eating 1 chocolate.
•I can’t learn this way. .

10. Could
Usage 1: To show Ability or lack of ability in the past
Example:
•You could have fallen.
•I could work for 8 hours without any break 3 years back.
•I couldn’t sleep last night.
•I couldn’t bring the books.

11. Could
Usage 2: To make a request in a polite form.
Example:
•Could you get me a cup of tea?
•Could you switch on the TV, please?
Note: It can’t be in negative form.

12. Could
Usage 3: To make a suggestion or show possibility
Example:
•We could go for a movie after Saturday shift [suggestion]
•Oh! Someone is at door. It could be Sam.
Note: It can’t be in negative form.

13. May
Usage 1: To ask for permission
Example:
•May I take leave today?
•May I use your phone, please?
Note: It’s always in question form. Can’t be use with negative sentences

14. May
Usage 2: To show strong possibility in present or future
Example:
•He may bring flowers today.
•It may happen again.
•That client may not accept this proposal.

15. Might
Usage 1: To show possibility in present or future [weaker than May]
Example:
•He might bring flowers today.
•It might happen again.
•That client might not accept this proposal.

16. Might
Usage 2: To show possibility in past
Example:
•He might have missed that train.
•That client might dislike the idea in the last meeting.
•If we had done some more practice, we might have scored better.

17. Overuse of Can
Generally, we overuse ‘can’, which is acceptable, but not the best practice.
Use below modal verbs for the mentioned situations:
Request: Could
Asking for permission: May
Suggestion: Could
Possibility: may[strong]/ might[weaker]/ could

18. Will
Usage 1: To show future possibility/probability, [use in future simple]
Example:
•I will watch that video session tonight.
•I will do more practice of Grammar tenses.
•I will come to office after holidays.
•I will not join that meeting.

19. Will
Usage 2: Making an offer or to give an invite.
[More commonly used with pronoun ‘You’]
Example:
•Will you join us for coffee?
•Will you be part of my team?

20. Would
Usage 1: To show habit in the past. [can be replaced with ‘Used to’]
Example:
•When I was young, I would walk miles.
•When she was in the college, she would play the piano in each college event.

21. Would
Usage 2: Making a request with pronoun ‘you’. [can be replaced with ‘could’]
Example:
•Would you get me a cup of tea?
•Would you switch on the TV, please?

22. Would
Usage 3: Polite expressions.
Example:
•What would you like to have? [polite and formal] than saying
•What do you like to have?
•I would like to have a cup of tea [polite and formal] than saying
•I want a cup of tea

23. Shall
Usage 1: To show future possibility/probability more formally, [use in future
simple]
[It can be used only with pronoun ‘I’ and ‘We’]
Example:
•I shall be in the training center by then.
•We shall discuss on this topic with our manager.

24. Shall
Usage 2: To make an offer or suggestion
[It can be used only with pronoun ‘I’ and ‘We’. Normally used in question form]
Example:
•Shall I call doctor?
•Shall we begin the meeting now?
•Shall I bring coffee for you?
•Shall we go for a break now?

25. Should
Usage 1: To express an opinion [more politely]
Example:
•We should get more time with our family.
•He should get better job.
•I should live in India.
•He should arrive any minute.

26. Should
Usage 2: To give or ask for an advise
Example:
•You should practice more exercises to improve your English.
•You should have some rest.
•He shouldn’t leave the classes now!

27. Ought to instead of Should
To make sentence more formal, you can use ‘ought to’ instead of ‘should’.
However, it is less commonly used.
Example:
•We ought to get more time with our family.
•He ought to get better job.
•You ought to have some rest.
*’ought to’ shouldn’t be used in question form as standard practice.

28. Must
Usage 1: To show a necessity in present and future
Example:
•You must be serious about English learning.
•You must practice more reading, writing and speaking exercises in English.

29. Must
Usage 2: To show prohibition in present or future
Example:
•You mustn’t use phone while you drive.
•You must not use the mobile phone during the meeting.

30. Must
Usage 3: Expressing an assumption with strong certainty.
Example:
•You must be tired after two back to back meetings.
•He must have overhear our conversation.
•She must have reached home by now.

31. Any Questions?
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