Unit 5 Gateway grammar - modal verbs

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• Engels
• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 2

Gateway grammar
unit 5

Modal verbs

2 TTO

What grammar do you need to know?

• Modal verbs of obligation, prohibition and advice -
  present and past
  

• Modal verbs of speculation and deduction - present, past and future

Meaning?

• Obligation: something that you must do. (obliged, no real choice)
  
  

• Prohibition: the act of stopping something from being done or used. (it is not allowed, it is forbidden)
  

• Advice: giving guidance or recommendations about what someone should do. (give advice, say what you would do in their situation)

Modal verbs of
the present

Modal verbs of obligation - present

• Have to - to talk about things which are obligatory or necessary, often forced on us by other people or authorities
  As a police officer, you have to wear a uniform.
  

• Must - to express obligation because of rules, a law, or a requirement
  You must hand in your work before 9pm. Students must arrive prepared for class.

Modal verbs of obligation - present

• Need to - to talk about things which are obligatory or necessary. Often used when something is important one time, rather than a responsibility or duty. With needn't we do not use to before the infinitive.
  We need to get home before 11 pm tonight.
  You needn't worry about anything - everything is taken care of!

Modal verbs of prohibition - present

• Aren't allowed to - to talk about things that are prohibited or hindered by someone -  We aren't allowed to wear sneakers.
  
  

• Can't - to refuse permission - We can't run in the hallways.

• Mustn’t - to talk about rules, regulations and obligations, that often come from ourselves. - You mustn’t smoke so much!

Modal verbs of advice - present

• Should(n't), ought to, had ('d) better - to give advice and recommendations. - You should wear your hat - it looks cold outside!

Prohibition

Advice

Obligation

have to

must

should

ought to

can't

aren't allowed

need to

What modal verb(s) shows a prohibition?

A

need to

B

can't

C

mustn't

D

don't have to

"I have to help my mother with the dishes." What kind of modal verb is used here? (obligation, prohibition, or advice)

Modal verbs of
the past

Modal verbs of obligation - past

• Had to - to talk about things which were obligatory or necessary by other people or authorities.
  The conductor told me that I had to wear a facemask on a train.
  

• Didn't have to  - to talk about things which were not obligatory or necessary.
  You didn't have to bring me a birthday present!

Modal verbs of obligation - past

• Needed to - to talk about things that were obligatory or necessary.
  My father told me that I needed to walk the dog last night, so I did.
  

• Didn't need to  - to talk about things which were not obligatory or necessary. Maybe we did them, maybe we didn't.
  Okay, so I didn't really need to buy that pack of gum...

Modal verbs of obligation - past

• Needn't have + past participle - to talk about things that were not obligatory or necessary, but we did them.
  We needn't have cleaned the kitchen yesterday, so my mom was happy we did.

• 
  

Modal verbs of prohibition - past

• Wasn't/weren't allowed - to talk about past prohibitions.
  When I was a kid, I wasn't allowed to stay up late.

Modal verbs of advice - past

• Should/ought to have + past participle or shouldn't have + past participle - to criticise past actions or to say that they were a mistake. 
  You should have locked your bike. Now it has been stolen!

Prohibition

Obligation

Advice

needed to

had to

weren't allowed

ought to + past participle

shouldn't have + past participle

wasn't allowed

What modal verb(s) could you use in this sentence? "You ... the plants, why didn't you?"

A

had to water

B

weren't allowed to water

C

didn't have to water

D

should have watered

Modal verbs of speculation and deduction - 

present and future

• Must - when we are 90% certain that something is true
  We must have forgotten to water the plants - they are dead now.
  

• May, might, could, may not, mightn't - when there is a 50% possibility that something is true (or not). 
  She might get an 8.0 on our literature test, she knows everything!
  

• Can't - when we are 90% certain that something is not true.
  That can't be my neighbours cat. He already has a red one.
  
  

What modal verb do we use when we are 90% sure that something is true?

A

could

B

might

C

must

D

can't

Modal verbs of speculation and deduction - 

past

• Must have - when we are 90% certain that something was true
  I must have forgotten my phone at home. I was so busy.
  

• May have, might have, could have, may not have, mightn't have + past participle - when there is a 50% possibility that something was true (or not). 
  Our grandfather might have made millions of dollars, but he never told us.
  

• Can't have - when we are 90% certain that something was not true.
  She can't have known that I didn't like fish. I probably never told her!
  
  

What modal verb do we use when we are 90% sure that something was not true?

A

could have

B

might have

C

must have

D

can't have

What modal verbs can you use when there is a 50% possibility that something was true?

I completely understand these modal verbs now!