Modals and their meaning
In this table modal auxiliariesA helping verb used with main verbs to express mood, voice and tense. E.g.: I can't stand when I am disturbed. ("can", "am") and similar structureThe way in which the parts of a sentence, clause or expression are arranged. E.g.: make somebody + infinitive in "The teacher made me rewrite the composition."s are listed in alphabetical order.
| form | example sentence | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| be able to | I was able to swim when I was 6. I was able to swim to the other shore. I won't be able to help you if you don't tell me your problem. |
ability (past, present, future) |
| be allowed to | No one is allowed to smoke in here. | permission (past, present, future) |
| be bound to | There's heavy traffic downtown so he's bound to be late. | future certainty |
| be due to | You are due to hand in your home papers by the end of the month. | necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| be likely to | He is likely to be at home. | certainty (past, present, future) |
| be likely that | It is likely that he is at home. | certainty (past, present) |
| be to | The concert is to begin at 6. You are to tidy your room before your friends get here. |
necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| If he were to ask you to marry him, what would you say? |
unlikelihood |
|
| can | I can swim. But I can't fly. |
ability (present, future) |
| I can drive you home if you like. |
offer (present, future) |
|
| Winters in Minnesota can be really cold. | habit (present) | |
| You can be really annoying, you know. | criticism (present) | |
| Can you help me? | request (present, future) | |
| Can I go to the cinema? | permission (present, future) | |
| can't | He can't be at home. | certainty (present) |
| You can't enter the investigation site. | prohibition (present, future) | |
| It can't have been David who called. | certainty (past) | |
| could | I could swim when I was 6. | ability (past) |
| He could be at home. | uncertainty, hypothesis (present) | |
| It could have been David who called. He couldn't have given you my number! |
uncertainty, hypothesis (past) | |
| George could really help you! He could really have helped you. |
criticism (past, present, future) | |
| I could help you. I could have caught the bus if I'd hurried. |
possibility (past, present, future) | |
| Could you help me with these bags, please? | request, hypothesis, uncertainty (present, future) | |
| Could I walk you home? | permission (present, future) | |
| I could walk you home. | offer (present, future) | |
| We could go and have a beer somewhere downtown. | suggestion (present, future) | |
| could not | We could not apply for a visa because of my parents' past. | prohibition (past) |
| had better | You had better leave now. | advice (present, future) |
| have to | I will have to study more if I want to pass my exam. I had to tell the truth. |
necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| have got to | Sorry folks, I've got to go now. | necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| let | Let's dance. | suggestion (present, future) |
| may | He may be at home. It may not have been David. |
uncertainty (past, present, future) |
| May I carry your suitcase, Madam? | offer, permission (present, future) | |
| May I make a phone call? | request, permission (present, future) | |
| may not | You may not leave until you have done your homework. | prohibition (present, future) |
| might | He might not be at home. It might have been David. |
uncertainty, hypothesis (past, present, future) |
| You might be more polite! You might have told me you were not coming! |
criticism (past, present, future) | |
| Might I ask you to be more polite? | request (present, future) | |
| I might have caught the bus if I'd hurried. | possibility (past) | |
| must | He must be at home. All the lights are on. It must have been David who called you. |
certainty (past, present) |
| You must always speak the truth. | necessity, obligation (present) | |
| mustn't | Nobody must open this file. You mustn't touch that Ming vase. |
prohibition (present, future) |
| need | Need you speak so loud? Geoffrey needn't have bought milk as he had plenty at home. |
necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| need to | Do you need to speak so loud? Geoffrey didn't need to buy milk as he had plenty at home. |
necessity, obligation (past, present, future) |
| ought to | You ought not to open that box, Pandora. | advice (present, future) |
| You ought to be more prepared. Visitors ought to have booked their tickets in advance. |
criticism (past, present, future) | |
| We ought to protect the environment. | obligation, necessity (past, present, future) | |
| He ought to be at home by now. He ought to have been at home by then. |
prediction, expectation, assumption (past, present, future) | |
| shall | Members shall enter the names of their guests in the book provided. | necessity, obligation (present, future) |
| Shall I copy this document for you? | offer (present, future) | |
| Shall we throw a party sometime next week? | suggestion (present, future) | |
| should | You should smoke less. | advice (present, future) |
| "Should I stay or should I go." | uncertainty (present, future) | |
| I'm taking a book with me in case I should get bored. | unlikelihood | |
| You shouldn't be sitting here doing nothing. "I should have known better with a girl like you." |
criticism (past, present, future) | |
| You should be on time. | necessity, obligation (past, present, future) | |
| He should be at home by now. He should have been at home by then. |
prediction, expectation, assumption (past, present, future) | |
| Shouldn't we have a pizza instead? | suggestion (present, future) | |
| used to | I used to hate dancing in those days. | habit (past) |
| will | That will be Joe. You won't have heard the news I suppose. |
prediction, expectation, assumption (past, present, future) |
| Will you turn off your mobile phone, please? | requests (present, future) | |
| would | On Sundays my parents would always take me to dance school. | habit (past) |
| Cecil would do something like that, wouldn't he? | habit (present) | |
| If I could, I would buy a car. If I had had my wallet, I would have bought that book. |
hypothesis (past, present, future) | |
| Would you please move a little? | request (present, future) |
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- Modals in third conditional
- Modals in second conditional
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- SHOULD + perfect infinitive for politeness
- MAY + contrast clauses
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