MODALS BACH

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MODAL VERBS AND MODAL PERFECTS

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3- Modals: necessity

2- Modals: advice

1- Modals: possibility and ability

5- Modal perfects

6- Now it's your turn!

4- Modals: obligation and prohibition

7- Thanks

MODAL VERBS: POSSIBILITY AND ABILITY

CAN'T

CAN

• Inability:

"She can’t play the violin."

• Prohibition:

"You can’t talk during the piano recital."

• Disbelief, deduction:

"That can’t be Beth. She’s in France!"

• Ability:

"Alice can play three instruments"

• Request:

"Can I go to the concert?"

• Possibility:

"You can buy the tickets on the Internet."

vs

MODAL VERBS: POSSIBILITY AND ABILITY

BE ABLE TO

• Ability:

"John is able to repair the broken quitar string."

• Possibility:

"We will be able to rehearse this evening."

MODAL VERBS: POSSIBILITY AND ABILITY

COULD

• Past ability:

"She could sing opera when she was young."

• Polite request:

"Could you take me to the audition?"

• Polite suggestion:

"You could invite a friend to a club."

• Possibility:

"Mark could learn music at school."

MODAL VERBS: POSSIBILITY

MAY / MIGHT

• Possibility:

"I may/might meet my friends tonight."

• Polite request, permission (MAY):

"May I borrow your iPad, please?"

MODAL VERBS: ADVICE

SHOULD / OUGHT TO / HAD BETTER

• Advice:

"You should/ought to/‘d better eat healthily." "You shouldn’t/ought not to/’d better not go to bed late."

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MODAL VERBS: NECESSITY

NEEDN'T / DON'T HAVE TO

NEED TO / HAVE TO

• Lack of necessity:

"You needn’t learn/don’t need to learn the lyrics of the song."

• Lack of obligation:

"I don’t have to take guitar lessons."

• Necessity:

"We need to find a place to practise."

• Obligation:

"Paul has left the band. We have to replace him."

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MODAL VERBS: OBLIGATION AND PROHIBITION

MUST

• Strong necessity:

"They must walk 90 minutes to get to the rehearsals."

• Strong belief:

"She gave a smashing performance. She must be very happy."

You HAVE TO PASS your exams or the university won’t accept you (EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES)- You MUST STOP smoking (INTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES)

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MODAL VERBS: OBLIGATION AND PROHIBITION

MUSTN'T

• Prohibition:

"You on the phone during the concert."

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MODAL VERBS

WOULD

• Formal request:

"Would you stop singing that song, please?"

• Offer:

"Would you like to get into the school band?"

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MODAL PERFECTS

modal verb + have + past participle

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COULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• Ability to do something in the past, but which wasn’t done in the end:

"The children were tired. They could have stopped to rest"

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CAN'T / COULDN'T HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• Certainty that something didn’t happen:

"Pam can’t/couldn’t have performed at the concert. She was ill."

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MAY / MIGHT HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• A guess about a past action:

"He may/might have lost the tickets."

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MUST HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• Certainty or logical conclusion about an event in the past:

"It must have been exciting for her to perform in front of thousands of people."

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SHOULD/OUGHT TO HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• Criticism or regret after an event:

"You should/ought to have told me you were coming tonight.""You shouldn’t have come by car."

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WOULD HAVE + PARTICIPLE

• Willingness or desire to do something, but which wasn’t actually done:

"They would have held the concert outside but it was raining."

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NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!

Let's go!

THANKS!