PRACTICAL USE OF MODAL VERBS FOR PROBABLE AND HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS

1. Why didn’t the car stop?

2. What did the driver want to do?
3. What damage was there?
4. Was anybody taken to hospital?
5. Where did the driver who caused the accident want to go?
6. How did the other driver feel just before the accident? And after?
7. Did the police intervene?
8. How fast were the cars going just before the accident?
9. Where were the drivers going?
10. What time of day was it?

1. Where is she from?

2. How old is she?
3. What is she carrying?
4. Is she selling anything?
5. Can she drive?
6. Does she speak English?
7. Does she have a family of her own?
8. Is she a Moslem?
9. Is she a catholic?
10. Is she Jewish?
11. Is she Hindi?
12. Has she got a university degree?
13. Does she have 5 children?
14. Where do you think she was yesterday at this time?
15. What time of day is it?
16. Is she happy?

1. What time of day was the picture taken?

2. What season was the picture taken in?
3. What is this a picture of? A temple? A palace? A market place?
4. Why aren’t there any tourists?
5. Who built this structure? Romans? Egyptians? Greeks?
6. How long did they take to build it?
7. Did that civilisation use slaves?
8. Is it in Iceland?
9. Is it in Spain?
10. Is it in Australia?
11. Is it in Africa?
12. Who took the picture? A tourist? A professional photographer?
13. What other historic specimens are there? Statuettes? Vases?
Clothes? Jewellery?
14. Who discovered these ruins? Livingstone? Aznar? An
archaeologist?
 1. Is this a crime scene?
2. Is the victim on the floor a man or a woman?
3. Is this a home or an office?
4. How did the assailant enter the room?
5. Was there a fight?
6. What was the murder weapon?
7. When did the murder happen?
8. How long has the victim been there?
9. When was the crime discovered?

10. Why was the victim murdered?

 Was he a spy?
 Was he working on secret computer programmes?
 Was he a scientist?
 Was he a cleaner?

1. How old is this lady?

2. What nationality is she?
 French?
 English?
 Chinese?
 Italian?
 Indian?
 Spanish?

3. Is she married? If so, when did she get married?

 1926?
 2002?
 1958?
4. Where is her husband now?
5. Is she a widow?
6. Is she in her home or in a small family hotel?
7. Does she live alone?
8. What did she do before retiring?
9. Why does she use an elevator?
10. Is she ill?

1. Is he a singer or an actor?
2. Is he a footballer or a painter?
3. Is he Spanish or a North American Indian?
4. Is he political leader?
5. Was he born in India or China?
6. What does he do for a living?
7. Is he well known?
8. Did he make a record last year?
9. Has he made any films?
10. Where does he live?
11. What kind of music do you think he plays?
12. Has he made any records with Rosario Flores?
13. Will he be famous this summer?
14. Does he play an instrument?
15. When did he learn to play the piano?
Hypothesise! Imagine! Conclude! Theorize!

1. Will Miguel Bosé win the next elections?

2. The Real Madrid is playing against the Peña Castillo, which team will win?
3. How soon will the future Queen of Spain have children?
 After 6 months of marriage?
 After a year of marriage ?
 After two years of marriage?
 After 10 years of marriage?

4. How much do you think the Lord Mayor of Olea earns?

 1 million pesetas a year?
 5 million pesetas a year?
 25 million pesetas a year?
 100 million pesetas a year?
5. Do you think Celta will win the league?
6. What chance is there that Mily will get 100% pass this year?
7. Did Mily get 100% pass last year?
8. Why did the Government pass a law regarding smoking in public places?
9. If you become an adult at 18, why can you leave school at 16?
10. How many students do you think there are in the academy?
 50?
 150?
 250?
 1000?
11. What percentage is inflation at the moment?
 1,5%?
 5%?
 25%?
 100%?
12. How many dollars to the euro?
 $0.50?
 $1.20?
 $2.50?
 $10.00?
13. You see Car A and B have collided at a crossroads with traffic lights. Car A was
going north, Car B was going east. What happened?
14. A child is walking alone along the street and crying, what has happened?
15. At the zoo you hear a woman scream for help, and she is at the lion’s enclosure
with an empty push-chair. What has happened?
16. You see a young person lying on the pavement unconscious with a bottle of wine
by his side. What has happened?
17. You see a group of people in a coffee shop, what are they drinking? Coffee?
Wine? Water?
18. You see an old woman with a white cane in her hand, is she blind?
19. You see a group of Racing fans singing down the road, did their team win?
20. You see police raiding a local club, why?
21. You see a mother spanking a child, why?
22. You see clouds in the sky, will it rain?
23. You see a man with a knife running down the road, what has happened?
24. You see a student looking at a notice-board and he looks like he wants to cry,
why?
25. Your neighbour’s white poodle is being looked after by another family, when
they return the dog it is no longer white but bright blue, what has happened?
26. Your brand new trousers don’t fit you anymore, why?
27. Your best friend has a new boyfriend, where did they meet?
28. You see a person wearing a coat, gloves, scarf, and a hat, what’s the weather
like?