Modals

Compiled by Shoaib Mirza

• There are two classes of verbs.
1.ordinary/regular verbs.2. Auxilary verbs
Auxiliary verbs have two kinds:
a) Primary Auxilary
Be, Do, Have
b) Modal Auxilary
May,might,should,must,will etc.
 What are Modal Auxilary?
Definition: A verb used to express the
mood(mode) or attitude of a speaker is called
Modal Auxilary.
For example
1) You should regularly go for a morning walk.
2) They must attend tomorrow’s meeting.
3) May I use your pen please?
4) Could you open the door please?
Most Commonly Used Modals

can could may might

should would must ought to

am/was to have/had to used to need

Dare shall/will
 Different use of Modals
1. May and Might: These modal auxilary verbs
‘may&might’ are used to express.
a) Possibility
1.It may/might rain.
2.He may/might go to Delhi tomorrow.
3. You may fall.
4.Teena said that she might go there.
b) Permission
1. May I come in?
2. Yes,you may come in.
c) Wish or prayer
1.May you enjoy your marital happiness!
2.May you live long!
d) Purpose
1.She works hard so that you may pass.
2.She came so that she might see me.
e) Remote possibility
‘MIGHT’ is used in place of ‘may’ to express
remote possibility.
1. It might rain.
2. He might be sleeping now.
f) May/might+ have: possibility,desirability
relating to past action. For example…
1.He may/might have left yesterday.
2.He might have failed.
3.Better, you might not have revealed the secret.
 Can & Could (able to)
a) Ability (present ,past & future )
1. She can write English well.( is able to )
2. Alia could play at cards. (was able to )
3. She will be able to help me. ( future of can )
4. I have been able to do it.
b) Polite request
1) Could you please do it for me? ( would is also
used for polite request)
2) Could you please lend me some money?
c) Permission/order
1. Yes,you can go now.
2. You can take my book. ( Here can is an
alternative to may )
d) Prohibition/offer
1.You can not enter the room. (prohibition)
2.Can I get you some fruits? (offer)
3.Can I help you? (offer)
e) Possibility
1. Who is she with him?
she could be his wife. (possibly she is)
2. How old is she?
She could be sixteen. (possibly, she is)
f) Could + have: This form is used for past ability
while indicating that the action did not take
place. For example:
1. I could have revealed the secret.
2. You could have borrowed money.
3. The police could have arrested him.
 SHOULD
a) Duty/obligation
1. You should stand by your brother.
2. I should leave now.
3. Promises should be kept.
4. He should be present here.
b) Future in the past
1.I told him that I should go there.
2.Did I not tell you that I should qualify.
c) Purpose
Walk carefully lest you should fall.
d) Should+have: obligation in the past
1. You should have stood by your brother.
2. He should have left a message.
3. He should have been present at the party.
4. My brother should have replied politely.
 Must
a) Necessity or obligation
1.You must follow instructions.
2. I must leave now.
b) Order of the speaker
1.You must not leave now.
2.They must not play here.
3.Strong possibility
1.It is ten. The teacher must be in the class.
2.She must be working in the office now.
d) Determination
I must help him.
e) Deduction,inference
He has a big house.He must be rich.
She reads a lot. She must be learned.
f) Must+have: past action or situation indicating
Non performance of an action.
1. You must have followed instructions.
2. You must have left them.
 Ought to
a) Duty or Moral obligation: it is used for strong
sense of moral duty,advice or indicating of
correct action.
1. You ought to serve your motherland.
2. You ought not to take fatty food.
b) Ought to +have: unfulfilled or neglected action in
the past.
1.You ought to have taken care of your wife.
2.You ought to have served your parents.
 To be + Infinitive
a) Express plan
1. I am to make a speech tomorrow.
2. She is to leave for the states after marriage.
b) Express order ( in the sense of must)
1.Students are to wait outside.
2.The servant is to remain in the house till we
return.
c) Obligation/Duty
a) I am to help my ailing brother.
b) My friend was to send money to his sister.
d) To be + have
This expression is used to express an action that
could not take place according to plan.
1.He was to have attended marriage but fell ill.
2.Sarah was to have appeared at the examination
but she gave up the plan.
 To Have+Infinitive
This expression is used to express compulsion as
is expressed with ‘Must’ It also expresses
obligation(in the present,past and future)
1.I have to leave for Multan today.
2.I don’t have to meet him now.
3.I will have to get up early in the morning.
4.I had to leave for lahore yesterday.
5.I did not have to meet him there.
 Used to : would.
a) He used to go to Lahore by car.
b) He did not use to go to Multan.
c) Asif would study at noon.
d) She would go out with me in the morning.
Note: ‘used to’ is also used as an adjective (be
used to)
1.He is used to getting up early.
2.He will be used to taking dinner early.
Note- used to, but not would, can describe a state or
situation which is no longer true:
We used to live in Kotsultan.
Not: We would live in Kotsultan.
‘ The Townhouse’ used to be a Greek restaurant. It’s
Italian now.
Not: The Townhouse would be a Greek restaurant……
Semi-modal(Need and Dare) Need=necessity; Dare= Himmat dikhana
Modal verb = is always
/
1. A helping verb
2. Never changes its form(cans,shoulds-wrong)
3. Takes bare infinitive(Modal +B.I)
Ex) He can plays / They can plays (incorrect)
Semi Modal Verb = can be
1. Regular Verb = Main Verb = Changes form = no B.I. after it
2. Modal Verb= Helping Verb= No change in form= B.I. after it

Practice- She needs to get a job [change] She need hardly get a job.
She needs a drink [change] xxxxxxxxx
Do you need to go now?[change] Need you go now?
Do you need some food?[change] xxxxxxxxxxx
We need to reserve the seats.{change] Need we reserve the seats.
We do not need to reserve the seats[change] we need not reserve
seats.
Note: Affirmative with semi modal need is not common.
There is always a negative word( no one, nobody ets) even if the verb phrase
is affirmative.
Nobody need know the name of the person who made the complaint.
Unnecessary Events
We use needn’t have +ed form to refer to events
which happened but which the speaker considers
were unnecessary:
You needn’t have waited for me.
You needn’t have bought so much food.
Semi Modal Verb = can be
1. Regular Verb = Main Verb = Changes form = no B.I. after it
2. Modal Verb= Helping Verb= No change in form= B.I. after it

Practice- Does he dare to speak [change] Dare he speak?

He does not dare to speak[change] He dare not speak.
Did he dare to speak[change] Dared he speak?
Did he need to speak[change] xxxxxxxxxx
Need cannot be changed into needed when we use it as a modal verb.
Quiz-
1. Eveybody …………(need/needs) to get some rest.
2. Need we………..(reserve/to reserve) seats on the train.
3. Do I need……….(wait / to wait) any longer.
4. Do we …………..(need see/ need to see) a doctor.
5. This is the only question you need………(answer/to answer)
6. She is the woman who ……..(dare/dares) to say what she thinks.
7. She didn’t dare…….(open/to open) the door.
8. He didn’t dare…….(live/to live) alone in that house.