Modal

 MODAL

Here's a list of the modal verbs in English:

can	could	may	might	will
would	must	shall	should	ought to

Modals are different from normal verbs:

1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular.
2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?').
3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to').

Probability:

First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.

For example:

• It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.
• I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.
• This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!

Ability

We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.

For example:

• She can speak six languages.
• My grandfather could play golf very well.
• I can't drive.

Obligation and Advice

We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.

For example:

• Children must do their homework.
• We have to wear a uniform at work.
• You should stop smoking.

Permission

We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed.

For example:

• Could I leave early today, please?
• You may not use the car tonight.
• Can we swim in the lake?

Habits

We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past.

For example:

• When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.
• vipal will always be late!

                  

                             Ability Exercise 1

Modals of Ability 1
Put in 'can', 'can't', 'could' or 'couldn't'. If none of these is possible use 'be able to' in the correct tense.
1) you swim when you were 10? Could 2) We get to the meeting on time yesterday, because the train was delayed by one hour. couldn't 3) He arrive at the party on time, even after missing the train, so he was very pleased. was able to 4) He's amazing, he speak five languages, including Chinese. can 5) I drive a car until I was 34. Then I moved to the countryside, so I had to learn.. couldn't