INTRODUCTION TO MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

CAN COULD

MAY MIGHT

SHALL SHOULD

WILL WOULD

MUST OUGHT TO
 There is no s in the third person.
ex: He can swim

There is no do / does in the question.

ex: May I ask you a question?

There is no dont / doesnt in the negative.

ex: You shouldnt tell lies.

They are followed by an infinitive without to.

The excpetion is ought to.
ex: It might rain.
They dont have past forms or infinitives or ing
form.Other verbs are used instead.
ex: I had to work hard when I was young.
They can be used with perfect infinitives to refer to
the past.
ex: You should have told me that you cant swim.
MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS
OF PROBABILITY PRESENT AND
FUTURE

Should
Must
May
Will
Cant Might
 Will
Willan wontt are used to predict a future
action.

ex: Ill see you later.

Willand wont are also used to express what

we believe or guess to be true about the
present.

ex: Youve got a letter from Canada.Itll be

from my aunt.
 Must and cant

Must is used to assert what we infer or

conclude to be the most logical and rational
interpretation of a situation.

ex: You must be joking!I simply dont believe

you.

The negative of this use is cant.

ex: She cant have a ten year old daughter!

Shes only twenty-one herself.
 Should
Should express what may reasonably be
expected to happen,it means believing that
things are or will be as we want them to
be.This use of should has the idea of if
everything has gone according to plan.
ex: We should be moving into our new
house soon.
( as long as nothing goes wrong ).

Should in this use has the idea that we want

the action to happen.It is not used to express
negative or unpleasant idea.

ex: You should pass the exam.Youve worked

hard.
 May and might

May express the possibility that an event

will happen or is happening.

ex: We may go to Greece this year.We

havent decided yet.

Might is more tentaive and slightly less

certain than may.

ex: It might rain.Take your umbrella.

 Could
Could has a similar meaning to might.

ex: You could be right.Im not sure.

Couldnt is not used to express a future

possibility.The negative of could in this is might
not.

ex: You might not be right.

Couldnt has a similar meaning to cant

above,only slightly weaker.

ex: She couldnt have a ten year old

daughter.Shes only 21 herself.