Modal Auxiliaries

Some of the important Modal Auxiliaries or Modals are :

will/would/shall           should/ought to            must/have to    can/could

may/might        used to dare     need

Modals are never used alone, they are used with the First Form of the Verb.

Will/Would/Shall

1. In Future Tense, shall is used for the First Person (I, we) and will is used for all other Subjects .

I shall leave now.

We shall go to the pond and fish today.

She will knock at the door and wait.

Will it be the proper thing to do?

2. When a person is in a position of authority, like a master to his servant, or a teacher to a student, or father to a son, he uses will you or would you to make a polite request. Remember, would you is more polite than will you :

Will you call Mr. Sharma from his cabin, Kishan?

Would you lift this bag?

3. Would you like is used to make an offer to someone :

Would you like to go with us?

Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?

4. Would is used as the Past form of will in Indirect Speech :

She said that she would buy some sarees at the sale.

You told me that he would oppose my proposal.

Should/Ought to/Must

5. Should or ought to is used to give an advice :

You should do yoga in the morning.

He is tired, he should sleep now.

You ought to display good manners.

They ought not speak like this.

6. To give your opinion on a certain matter, you can use I think...should or I think...ought to. Its negative is I don't think...should/I don't think...ought to :

I think he should go to the main market.

I don't think anybody ought to behave like this.

Must/Have to

7. Must shows compulsion or necessity. Its negative is mustn't :

We must be there before nightfall.

The dinner will be over soon, they must eat now.

They mustn’t start late.

You have to finish the paper if you wish to pass.

8. Must is used to your strong opinion or suggestion on an important matter :

You must read the rules and then speak.

She must see the film before commenting on it.

The car is scratched, the driver must have hit it somewhere.

The whole area is flooded, a dam must have been damaged.

9. Must is also used to invite somebody :

You must have a cup of tea with me today.

Can/Could

10. Can (negative can't or cannot) is used to show possibility or ability :

He is hungry, he can eat two plates full of rice.

The customer is angry, he can refuse the delivery.

He can do such things easily.

I can write this lesson in not more than one hour.

11. Can I or could I is used to politely offer to do something for someone :

Can I help you lift the bag?

Could I offer you this seat?

12. Can you or could you is used to make a request politely. Could you is more polite than can you :

Can you give me two tickets?

Could you enter your name in this register, Sir?

May/Might

13. May or might is used to give and take permission. In this sense, might is more polite than may :

May I come in, Madam?

You might sit in the first row.

You may take my newspaper.

14.May shows possibility, and use might to express remote possibility :

It is sunny, it may not rain today. (It's possible.)

It is sunny, it might rain today. (There are hardly any chances.)

15.Use may to express wish :

            May you live long!

            May God help you!

Used to

16. It is used to express a past habit :

Your father used to talk to my father for long.

The guard used to stroll everywhere but stand at the gate.

Dare/dare not

17.It is used in interrogative and negative. It means 'to have the courage to' :

How dare he did it?

The enemy daren't attack now.

Need/Needn't

18.Need is also a Verb meaning 'to require'. We should not confuse it when we use it as a Modal. In this sense, it is used in the interrogative and negative :

Need you attend the meeting?

They needn't take this bag there.

Learn these short forms :

will not = won't                        would not = wouldn’t

should not = shouldn’t             must not = mustn’t

ought not = oughtn’t                can not = cannot = can't

could not = couldn’t                dare not = daren’t

need not = needn’t