Modal Verbs (modal auxiliaries) II

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:

1. Modal verbs do not take “-s” in the third person. Examples:

• He can speak Chinese.
• She should be here by 9:00.

2. You use “not” to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past. Examples:

• He should not be late.
• They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past or the future tenses without changing form. Examples:

• He will can go with us. Not Correct. He will be able to go with us. Correct
• She musted study very hard. Not Correct. She had to study very hard.

4. All modal verbs except ought to and used to are used with the bare infinitive without to. Examples

• I must finish my homework.
• I ought to finish my homework.

Common Modal Verbs

Can Could May Might Must

Ought to Shall Should Will Would

For the purposes of this tutorial, we have included some expressions which are not modal verbs including had better, have to, and have got to and some others. These expressions are closely related to modals in meaning and are often interchanged with them.

The English modal verbs are often challenging for learners of English. This happens for many reasons, including both grammar and meaning. In this post, we’ll take a look at the different modal verbs and their usage. Have a look at this interesting and detailed tutorial.

Now, you can have some practice on them at http://www.englishpage.com/modals/modalintro.html

That’s all folks!!!     Let’s use them, shall we?

From: Your English Class Blog