Level: beginner
The modal verbs are:
| can may must shall will |
could might should would |
We use modals to show if we believe something is certain, possible or impossible:
My keys must be in the car.
It might rain tomorrow.
That can't be Peter's coat. It's too small.
We also use them to do things like talk about ability, ask permission, and make requests and offers:
I can't swim.
May I ask a question?
Could I have some tea, please?
Would you like some help?
- Modal verbs
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Hello Mina Mantzorou
We use many modal verbs quite often, so I would say that it's important to recognise them and know their main uses and meanings. It's probably better to concentrate on just a few modals at a time, as each one has different meanings and uses and it can take time to learn to really use them.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello rosario70,
The first sentence is rather odd. If you use did not drive then you are taking about Mr. Neal's general ability (that he knows how to drive) rather than what he did in a particular case. Therefore had not driven (talking about what Mr. Neal did on one particular journey) makes more sense.
In the second sentence you should use if I let rather than if I would let. We very rarely use would or will in the if-clause of conditonal sentences.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
The sentence describes an external obligation rather than something we impose on ourselves, so 'have to' is a more natural choice. However, the distinction between 'must' and 'have to' is a subtle one and I would not say that 'must' is wrong here.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello autumn
I'd say 'Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. There was a chance I was going to be out of town that weekend, but now I know I will be here. I would love to attend.' Maybe I've been too enthusastic at the end by saying 'I would love to attend' but you can change that to what you suggested.
You are right about 'could have'. Here it's a case of the future in the past (see the section called The future in the past on this page). We often use 'would' here, and you could say 'would' instead of 'was going to', but that's what came first to mind. There's no real difference in meaning between 'would' and 'was going to' in this case.
I hope you enjoy attending the event!
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello AminulIslam.,
In some contexts the difference between can and may is very slight. For example:
The first sentence could mean 'it is possible because you are allowed to enter', a different meaning to the second sentence. But it could also mean 'it is possible because you are good enough', which is very similar to the second sentence. The context is key here.
The other sentence is not correct as it stands. We would say this:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi SonuKumar
Yes, the context is key to understanding these sentences. English modal verbs (like 'may' and 'must') are used to mean different things in different contexts and so without knowing the context for these two statements, I can't say for sure what they mean. The sentence with 'must', for example, can mean 'You really need to know this' or 'I can't believe that you don't know this' (meaning I think you do know it).
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Adya's
Modal verbs in English are used in so many different ways that it's difficult for a statement like the one you mention to be accurate in all circumstances. Could you give a specific example? We could help you out with a specific case, but I'm hesitant to make any generalisations for fear of missing something out.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Cijo,
That rule is not correct. In 1, although 'done' is formed from the past participle, it is an adjective in this case. In 2, 'have done' is a present perfect verb. The other two forms you mention are not correct, I'm afraid.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ifencing,
Both sentences are fine.
'Have to' can be used with both meanings, so you could use 'have to' in the second sentence as well.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi rosario70,
I'm afraid that's not grammatically correct. If I understand what you mean, then I would recommend something like: 'The manager asked if one of us was willing to go to Morocco. The person who goes will be given a raise'.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Patricia MacDougall,
In most cases, 'shall' and 'will' are interchangeable. However, when used in contracts there can be a difference. 'Will' refers simply to a future time, while 'shall' represents an obligation, requirement or duty.
The topic is discussed on this page, which I think will clarify it for you:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/3389/shall-and-will-in-legal-requirements
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello shani,
'Depending on' is a participle phrase, not a phrasal verb. The verb is 'depend' and it is often followed by a preposition ('depend on') but it can also be used by itself:
You can see a list of common verbs which are followed by prepositions on this page.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello amol,
In terms of grammar, you can say 'I was to have left' or 'I had to leave', but the meaning is slightly different.
'I was to have left' means the same as 'I was supposed to leave'. It describes a plan or intention which was not completed.
'I had to leave' describes an obligation. It suggests that something made it necessary for you to leave. This may have been something you know in advance or something which surprised you.
There is a problem with the sense of the second sentence, however. 'I had to leave' suggests you had no choice, but the second part of the sentence makes it clear that you did have a choice, because a cold was enough to change your mind. This would appear to be contradictory.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello SonuKumar,
Both are possible.
There are many ways of talking about future time. If we are asking about a person's intention or plan then 'going to' is appropriate. If we are asking about a decision made at the moment of speaking then 'will' is more likely.
You can read about future forms on our page on the topic.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Amaavee,
Moving items is done by clicking rather than dragging. Click once on the item and then click again on the box where you wish it to go. If you click on an item already in the box you will swap it for the new item; if you click on the box itself you will add the item.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello jitu_jaga,
'would' can be used to speak about willingness to do something in the past – that is how I would understand this here. It's another way of saying 'Why did you want to say this?'
'would' is also used to express a hypothetical situation; perhaps one could argue that that is how the boy was thinking about it, but in this context I'd say it's more an expression of willingness.
In any case, it's clear that it means the same thing as the past simple form you suggest in this context.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello SonuKumar,
If you say I had to wash a lot of clothes then we do not know if you washed them or not; we know only that you had this obligation. We may guess what you did, but the sentence does not tell us.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Carmen,
There structures in these three sentences are different. In 1, 'in case' is not followed by 'would', but rather by a past tense verb. In this case, the verb should be in the past simple, since this sentence refers to the past. I can see how 'would' would seem to make sense here, as it speaks about a hypothetical situation, but 'would' isn't used in a clause beginning with 'in case'.
In 2, 'It's essential that' begins a clause that speaks of necessity. Although 'should' is not exactly wrong here, a subjunctive form such as 'arrive' is more common. 'would' isn't used here.
In 3, 'should' indicates what we expect to communicate probability. 'would' can be used to indicate probability in some cases, but this form is a little unusual and is not usually used in one clause connected to another clause.
I hope that helps you.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Adya's,
The examples you provided are inconsistent in my opinion. As you mention, the problem is the use of would for real or certain future events. There needs to be an explicit or implied qualification of some kind to make the event unlikely or uncertain.
In your examples we have the opposite. We have decided introduces a decision which has been taken and is, therefore, necessarily real; will is needed here, not would. In the second example the phrase if you buy today makes it clear that a real or likely situation is in mind and so would is inconsistent.
I can't really think of a context in which would would be appropriate here, and I think it is far more likely that these are simply inaccurate sentences and that the newspapers in which they were published would benefit from better proofreaders!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Adya's,
Those do not look like standard sentences to me. I can't comment on their use because I don't know the source or context but I would not say that those are correct examples.
Remember that people do not always speak in fully grammatical forms. We make mistakes or change our minds in the process of expressing ourselves. This may be the issue if these are direct quotations from people.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Learner Kid,
This is an example of the modal use of 'need'. A test is to try to replace the word with other modal verbs:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello SonuKumar,
As you know, modal verbs are very much context dependent in terms of meaning so it's not really possible to give an answer to this question without guessing what the context might be. In general, 'has to' suggests that something is necessary, required or obligatory while 'should' could suggest a preference or an expectation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team