Overview of modals
Modal verbs, semi-modal verbs (also called marginal modals) and other modal expressions are listed in alphabetical order in the table below. For a detailed discussion of each modal see the previous chapters.
| Form | Meaning/Function | Present/Future | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| be able to | general ability | I am not able to help you at the moment. I will probably be able to get there by nine. |
I was able to swim when I was 5. |
| "manage to" | Although the current was strong, I was able to swim to the other bank. | ||
| be allowed to | general permission | Are we allowed to smoke in this restaurant? Will journalists be allowed to ask questions? |
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| permission + action performed | Although I was underage, I was allowed to enter the race. | ||
| be bound to | probability, certainty | Kevin is stuck in a traffic jam, so he is bound to be late. | |
| be due to | arrangements | The film is due to start at 8 pm. |
Negotiations were due to take place later that week. |
| be going to | prediction | My sister is going to have a baby. | The sky was dark; it was going to rain. |
| intention | Do you think Sam's going to apply for the job? | I was going to call you, but my battery died. | |
| be likely to | probability | Smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer compared to non-smokers. |
He knew that he was likely to be promoted. |
| be likely that | probability | It is likely that he will win the race. | It was likely that Mrs Hancock would become president. |
| be to | arrangements + action performed | Mr Jones was to speak at the meeting. | |
| arrangements + action not performed | Mr Jones was to have spoken at the meeting, but he had to cancel because of his illness. | ||
| obligation | What am I to do? | ||
| official arrangements | The Prime Minister is to visit India next month. | ||
| official orders | At the end of the course, all students are to take a written exam. | ||
| prohibition | You are not to do that again! | ||
| can | ability | Tom can play the piano. If you ask him, he can probably help you. |
|
| criticism | You can be really annoying, you know! | ||
| offers | Can I help you? | ||
| permission | You can borrow my car if you want. Can I use your phone? Students can choose any topic for their project. |
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| possibility | Winters in Minnesota can be really cold. | ||
| requests | Can you lend me $10? Can I borrow your car? |
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| can't | ability | We can't enter this street because it's blocked. | |
| deduction | It's only 10 o'clock. He can't be at home. | It can't have been Carla you saw this morning. She is away on holiday. | |
| prohibition | I'm sorry, but you can't stay here. We can't eat in the library. |
||
| could | ability | I could see him through the window. | |
| criticism | George could really help you! | George could really have helped you! | |
| uncertainty | We haven't heard from him for 10 years. He could have died. | ||
| possibility | You could be right. | I could have caught the bus if I had hurried. | |
| requests | Could you tell me where the train station is? | ||
| general permission | When I was a child, I could do basically anything that I wanted to do. | ||
| asking for permission | Could I have a glass of water? | ||
| offers | I could give you a lift. | ||
| suggestions | You could talk to your parents and ask them. | ||
| couldn't | possibility | The food is delicious and the staff couldn't be more polite. | It was a great year, and I couldn't have been happier. |
| deduction | It's only 10 o'clock. He couldn't be at home. | It couldn't have been Carla you saw this morning. She is away on holiday. | |
| ability | She couldn't speak German then. I couldn't walk any further. |
||
| dare | "have the courage to do something" | How dare she criticise us? I daren't think how many victims there are. |
|
| dare (to) | Do you dare (to) tell him what happened to his bike? Don't you dare interrupt me! Who dares (to) argue with me? |
He didn't dare (to) look back. | |
| had better | advice | We'd better leave soon. | |
| have to | necessity, obligation | I have to get to work by 9 every day. You don't have to answer that question. Do you have to wear a uniform at your school? |
We had to start all over again. I didn't have to wait long. What did you have to do that for? |
| have got to | necessity, obligation | I've got to be home soon. You haven't got to go already, have you? Has he got to pay in advance? |
|
| may | possibility, uncertainty | You should ask him. He may know Susan's telephone number. | I may have told you this before. |
| permission | Children may use the pool with adult supervision. May I start my presentation? |
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| offers | May I carry your suitcase, Madam? | ||
| may not | prohibition | Non-committee members may not vote on committee issues. | |
| possibility, uncertainty | You should introduce yourself; he may not remember you. | I had better call Anne. She may not have read my e-mail. | |
| might | suggestions | You might consider taking up meditation. I thought you might want to read this. You might just as well order it on the internet. |
|
| permission | Might I ask you a question? | ||
| criticism | You might be more polite. | You might have told me you weren't coming! | |
| possibility, uncertainty | I might see you later. | I should call Anne. She might not have read my e-mail. | |
| must | deduction | That child is really talented. His parents must be proud of him. | That dress looks expensive. It must have cost a fortune. |
| obligation | I really must give up smoking. You must keep this secret. |
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| mustn't | prohibition | You mustn't touch that Ming vase. | |
| need | necessity, obligation | You needn't worry about that. You need only just ask. Need you make so much noise? |
We needn't have bought any milk. We still have plenty at home. |
| need to | necessity, obligation | Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something. I don't need to be told that I should lose weight. Do you need to use the hairdryer? If you want good results, you will need to work harder. |
I needed to have my hair cut. Why did they need to change the lock? We didn't need to buy any milk. We had plenty at home. |
| ought to | advice | You ought to thank her. | |
| obligation | We ought to protect the environment. | You ought to have told me earlier. Why didn't you tell me? | |
| assumption | Anne ought to be at home by now. | ||
| shall | formal rules and regulations, commands | Visitors shall be accompanied at all times by a security guard. You shall not kill. |
|
| offers | Shall I copy this document for you? | ||
| suggestions | Shall we throw a party sometime next week? | ||
| should | advice | You should smoke less. | |
| surprise | I'm sorry that he should feel that way. | It's surprising that she should have said that. | |
| criticism | You shouldn't be sitting here just doing nothing! | I should have booked a table in advance. | |
| obligation | I think you should leave. | You should have consulted a doctor. | |
| assumption | I should get back before 9. I have never tried setting up a website, but it shouldn't be too difficult. |
The plane should have landed by now. | |
| suggestions | Shouldn't we have a pizza instead? | ||
| used to | past habits and states | On Sundays, my parents used to take me to dance school. I didn't use to like dancing in those days. |
|
| will | willingness | I will take you to the airport. I have nothing to do tomorrow. If you will wait for a moment, I'll see if Mr Hawking is available. |
|
| requests | Will you turn off your mobile phone, please? | ||
| assumption | "The phone's ringing." "That'll be for me." There's no point in speaking louder. He won't understand. |
Some of you will have met me before. | |
| habits | A friend will always help you. | ||
| prediction | If you ask him, he'll probably give you a lift. Salty water will freeze at a lower temperature than pure water. |
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| intentions (spontaneous offers, promises, decisions) | Come on, I'll help you with those bags. I will always love you. I'll have a wiener schnitzel. |
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| won't | unwillingness, refusal | My bank won't allow me to make international transactions. Greg just won't answer the phone. The door won't open. |
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| would | requests | Would you open the door for me? Would you mind stepping outside for a moment? |
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| annoying habits | Tom would do something like that, wouldn't he? It's so typical of him! | ||
| habitual, repeated actions | From time to time, he would call her to ask if she wanted to meet for lunch. | ||
| unreal situations | It would be nice to live by the sea. It would be great to go hiking in the Appalachians again. I would help you if you asked me to. |
It would have been wonderful to meet you in person. I would have helped you if you had asked me to. |
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| wouldn't | unwillingness | I took the phone back to the shop, but they wouldn't give me a replacement. Try as I might, the door wouldn't open. |
