lunes, 14 de marzo de 2011

Modal Verbs

Must                I must stop smoking (I want to stop)

Have to           He has to stop smoking (The doctor tells me to stop) (has, third person)

mustn't             You mustn't be rude to your mother (being rude to your mother is not accepted)

don't have to    You don't have to work on Saturdays (not necessary)

need to             You need to see the doctor (it is necessary)

needn`t             You needn`t pay the bill, it has already been dealt with. (not necessary, NO "to")

don't neet to     You don't need to wake up early tomorrow, it is Sunday

May or might   It may/might rain tomorrow

                        May I come in? May I help you?     (NOT, Might I come in?)

Be able to       I was able to arrive on time to catch the flyght (careful with the ver tense of "be")

Can                 He can dance very well. Can you pass me the salt?

Could              He could dance very well when he was young. Could you help me please?(More polite    than Can)

Should/Ought to You ought to/should help your parents. (Ought to is a bit more polite and not used to start a question)

Shall / Will    Shall is used with I and We. More formal and correct than Will

Modal perfect make reference to something that happened or should happened in the past (He should have studied harder before the exam).

After the modal ver we write the infinitive.

Be careful with what modals need "to"

I hope this has helped you for the following sentences


1.           You  ___________ run faster if you weren't so lazy.
2.           It's too cold. I ___________ close the window.
3.           He ______________ be friendly, but he is usually unfriendly.
4.           We ____________ watch TV so much.
5.           You ________ leave the class before 1 o'clock.
6.           Stop smoking! You really ___________ not smoke.
7.           We _________  not climb those mountains when we were kids.
8.           I have no time. I _________to leave now. My parents are waiting for me.
9.           You failed in your final test. You __________ have studied harder.
10.         Sami _________ lift that heavy table. He is too weak.
11.         If I had enough money, I _______ travel with my friends but now I can't.
12.         I wish I __________ buy a new car but I do not have any money.
13.         You  ________behave well in front of guests. Stop being silly.
14.         It _________  rain in the desert sometimes, but you can't depend on it.
15.         The project _______ finish in two years time.
16.         I _______ to study well for the exam.
17.         You look tired. You _________ have some sleep.
18.         Muneera ___________  come to the party, but nobody is sure.
19.         _________ I borrow your pen?
20.         Laila ____________ not swim when she was one year old.


1.            There's plenty of time for you to make up your mind now. You  _________decide now.
2.           Jim gave me a letter to post. I _______ forget to do that.
3.           I know what you mean. You  _________ explain further.
4.           Tom has broken his leg. He ___________ walk a lot. It is not good for him.
5.           We ____________ walk all the way home. We can take a taxi.
6.           We've got plenty of time. We __________ leave yet.
7.           You ______________ lend me your umbrella. I love walking in the rain.
8.           The last bus is at eleven. I ________ miss it or else I won't be able to get home.
9.           I have to go now. I ________ be late for work.
10.         You ___________ tell Sandra. She can't keep a secret.
11.         You _________ to  translate that. I understand what you say.
12.         Take your time. You __________ to be back before eight.
13.         You __________ call me. I will call you when I get home so that you save some money.
14.         I can go on my own. You  _________ come with me.
15.         That's not a secret. You  ___________ whisper.
16.         That's a secret. You __________ tell anybody.
17.         You ________ wash these fruits. I've already washed them.
18.         I ___________ forget to do my homework.
19.         We have enough food at home. We __________ go shopping today.
20.         We've got plenty of time. We ___________ hurry

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