MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

By JESS HERRERO
MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

DEFINITION
LIST

STRUCTURE

GROUPS

PERFECT MODALS
DEFINITION
 MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS
DEFINITION

1. They are part of the verbal phrase:

I must
must get
get there before 7 o'clock.

2. They always accompany, assist or help

other verbs.

3. They add abstract (modal) meanings like

obligation, permission, advice, etc
LIST OF MODAL VERBS
LIST OF MODAL VERBS
can could

*be able to must

*have to need

should *ought to

may might
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE
1. How do we use modal verbs?

Affirmative: subject + modal + infinitive

ex. She should stay

Negative: subject + modal(n't) + infinitive

ex: She shouldn't stay

Interrogative: (Wh)Modal + subject +

inf.?
ex: Why should she stay?
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE
2. Modal verbs are used with infinitives without
to (bare infinitives) with the exception of ought
to:
We must get there before 7 o'clock.
She should study harder.
I ought to go home now.

(Have to is studied with modal verbs but it's not

a pure modal verb as it needs auxiliary verbs
and has -s in the third person singular)
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE

3. Modal verbs do not add -s or -es to the third

person singular. They are invariable verbs.

He can swim.
He cans wim
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE
4. They don't need auxiliaries to form short
answers or negative and interrogative
sentences:

She shouldn't eat salt.

She doesn't should eat salt
May I help you? Yes, you may.
Do I may help you? Yes you do

5. They do not have infinitives or -ing forms.

canning to might
MODAL VERBS STRUCTURE

6. Modal verbs do not have all the tenses.

They use other verbs to complete the
tenses:
can > could, be able to
They can swim now > She will be
able to swim next year
must > had to
You must come early > You had to
come early yesterday
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS

We are going to study them from two points of

view:
a. number of meanings or concepts that
they express:
single, double

b. modal meanings that they express:

permission, ability, obligation ...
NUMBER OF MEANINGS
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(a. number of meanings)

1. The same modal verb can have different

meanings depending on the context.
May I come in? It may rain tomorrow

2. We can make two categories:

a. Single concept modals: These modal

verbs have 1 meaning
b. Double concept modals: They have 2
meanings
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(a. number of meanings)

Single concept Double concept

Will May
Might Must
Should Would
Can
Could
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(a. number of meanings)

Single concept modals

Modal Concept Example

Will Future Peter will visit London some day

Might Probability He might see Big Ben

Should Advice He should wear comfortable shoes

GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(a. number of meanings)

Double concept modal

Modal Concept Example
Permission May I come in?
May
Probability I may go to London next summer
Obligation Students must wear uniforms
Must
Certainty They must be at home, the lights are on
Conditional I would visit London if I had enough money
Would
Habitual past action When I was a child I would go swimming every day
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(a. number of meanings)

Double concept modal

Modal Concept Example
probability That could be him. He said he'd phone
Could
Past ability I could play the trumpet when I was 10
Permission Students can wear T-shirts
Can
Ability They can swim, they did a course last summer
Impossible They can't be at home, they left yesterday
Can't
No permission They can't be at home, it's not their house
MODAL MEANINGS
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)
Modal verbs express a series of modal
meanings like:

- ability
- obligation
- prohibition
- necessity
- advice
- possibility
- certainty
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

ABILITY
(can, could, be able to)
1. Present: can saben

Two of my friends can play the guitar.

2. Past: could saba

When he was a child he could ski well.

GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

ABILITY
podrn

3. Other tenses: be able to hemos podido

- Next week they'll be able to vote.

(future)
- We haven't been able to go on holiday
this year. (present perfect)
- We would be able to do it. (conditional)
podramos
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

OBLIGATION
Tienen que
Present: must
Applicants must answer the questions
honestly Tengo que
He tenido que
Tendr que

Other tenses (including present): have to

- I have to study hard this year
- I will have to work hard as a lawyer
- I have had to stay at home lately
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

PROHIBITION

We use mustn't to express prohibition

- You mustn't eat too many sweets

- You mustn't cheat in exams

No debes / no puedes
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

NECESSITY / NO NECESSITY
Hay que, es necesario que
Affirmative: need to (it's not a modal verb)
You need to do this to pass the subject

Negative: needn't (no obligation) = don't have to

You needn't do it = You don't have to do it
No es necesario
Interrogative: need
Need I do this?
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

ADVICE deberan

You can use ought to, should, shouldn't to

express advice or recommendation.

- Candidates should be friendly

- You shouldn't worry too much about
exams No deberas
- Candidates ought to be friendly
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)
POSSIBILITY
Puede que, tal vez
Present & future: may, may not, might,
mightn't, could:
- It may be time for Linda to go
- They might choose Danny
- They could be on the train

Past: may / might / could + have + past

perfect
He might have received our message
GROUPS OF MODAL VERBS
(b. modal meanings)

CERTAINTY / LOGICAL DEDUCTION

Debe de
Positive: must
It must be quite late, because it's getting
dark

Negative: can't
That can't be true
No puede
MODALS + PERFECT
INFINITIVES
 MODALS + PERFECT
INFINITIVES
When they refer to the past, certain meanings
must be expressed with a modal + perfect
infinitive (have + past participle):

1. certainty / logical deduction

positive, negative
2. possibility
3. advice / recommendation
 MODALS + PERFECT
INFINITIVES
1. CERTAINTY / LOGICAL DEDUCTION

Positive: must have + past participle

Debi de (haberse)
Danny must have felt disappointed when
he didn't win the prize
No pudo (haber)
Negative: can't have + past participle

She can't have passed the exam, she

didn't study at all
 MODALS + PERFECT
INFINITIVES
2. POSSIBILITY

When we talk about possibility about the past

we can use: might / may / could + have +
past participle:
-They might not have received our
message
- He may have gone to the cinema
- The government could have acted more
quickly Podra haber / no haber
Puede que haya / no haya
 MODALS + PERFECT
INFINITIVES

3. ADVICE / RECOMMENDATION

When we express criticism or regret about a

past action we can use should / shouldn't

- Linda shouldn't have talked so much

- We should have gone to see that film
while it was still on at the cinema
No debera haber / debera haber
 PRACTICE

Click on this link to practice modal verbs:

http://mimosa.pntic.mec.es/~jherre23/