Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Modal auxiliaries are auxiliary verbs that lend different shades of meaning to the main
verb to which they are attached. Modals help to express the mood or attitude of the
speaker and convey ideas about possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, advisability,
and permission.
Single-word modal auxiliaries are always followed by the simple (or stem) form of the
verb.
Here are some examples of the how single-word modal auxiliaries influence meaning:
Statement Meaning
I may go. Its not certain, but theres a chance that Ill go. / I
have permission to go.
I might go. Its not certain, but theres a chance Ill go.
I will go. Its certain that I am going (in the future). / I am willing to
go.
MODAL MEANING PRESENT FORM PAST FORM FUTURE FORM NEGATIVE FORM
He will be able to
Can 1. Ability He can play the piano. He could play the play He cannot play the
piano. the piano. piano.
I was able to go when
2. Opportunity I can go now that Ive I I can go when I finish I cannot go.
finished working. finished working. working later tonight.
2. Conditional If you give me a If you had given me a If you will give me a Even if you give me a
chance, I might chance, I might have chance, I might chance, I might not
impress you! impressed you! impress you! impress you.
3. Suggestion You might have called You might call to say You might not want to
to say you werent you arent coming. call to say you arent
coming. coming.
My dog might not
4. Possibility My dog might be the My dog might have My dog might make a make
one who made the made the mess. mess. a mess.
mess.
MODAL MEANING PRESENT FORM PAST FORM FUTURE FORM NEGATIVE FORM
Must 1. Certainty She must be the best She must have been the She must not be the
athlete in our schools best athlete in our best athlete in our
history. schools history. schools history.
2. Strong To be healthy, you must To have stayed healthy, To be healthier, you To be healthy, you
recommendation eat well. you should have eaten should eat better. mustnt eat poorly.
better.
In the past, visitors had
3. Necessity Visitors must sign in at to In the future, visitors Visitors dont have to
reception. sign in at reception. must sign in at sign in at reception.
reception.
(Must You must not disrupt
not) 4. Prohibition his
concentration.
Should 1.Recommendation For strong bones, you For stronger bones, you For strong bones, you You shouldnt drink too
should drink milk. should have drunk milk. should start drinking much milk.
milk.
Like single-word modal auxiliaries, phrasal modals are always followed by the simple (or
stem) form of the verb.
Unlike single-word modals, however, most phrasal modals contain the verbs be or have, which
must be conjugated to identify tense and number (I am, you are, he/she/it is, I was, you were,
he/she/it was, etc). Exceptions are used to and ought to, which require no change in verb form.
Had better is never conjugated, and it does not include the word to as the other phrasal
modals do. Like single-word modals, it is followed immediately by the simple form of the
verb.
Here are some examples of how phrasal modal auxiliaries influence meaning:
Statement Meaning
I am able to go. I can go. / I have permission to go.
MODAL MEANING PRESENT FORM PAST FORM FUTURE FORM NEGATIVE FORM
She was able to join She will be able to She is not able to
Be able to Ability She is able to join us. us. join join
us. us.
Be going to Plan (for the future) I was going to start I am going to start I am not going to
university next fall. university next fall. start university next
fall.
He is supposed to He is not supposed
Be supposed to Expectation He was supposed to bring to
bring dessert, but I dessert tonight. bring anything
guess he forgot. tonight!
Be to Expectation / She was to see the She is to see the She is not to see the
obligation project through to its project through to its project through to its
end, but she left before end, no matter how end after all.
its completion. long it takes.
Have to Obligation I have to leave now. I had to leave then. I have to leave in I do not have to
(= must) approximately 10 leave.
minutes.
I needed to prepare
Have got to Strong obligation I have got to prepare my I have got to prepare I do not need to
my presentation now. presentation at that my presentation as prepare my
time. soon as I finish dinner. presentation
anymore. Im ready!
We ought not
Ought to 1.Recommendation One ought to express We should have sent a We ought to send a forget.
ones gratitude. note to our hostess. thank you note to our *to is dropped in the
hostess. negative
With all the studying
2. Certainty When one studies she With all the studying
did, she ought to
hard, one ought to have shes done, she ought
pass. passed her exam. to pass her exam.
My grandfather used
Used to Habitual past action / to
behaviour walk 3 miles to and
from school every day!
Had better Recommendation You had better go. Its You had better not
getting late! go. The weather
looks pretty nasty!