15. Modal verbs (basic rules).
They are known as modal auxiliary verbs because they “help” other verbs.
E.g.You must do it.
I can play tennis.
The prices may rise soon.
A modal verb has the same form in all persons.
E.g.I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ they can swim.
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Positive |
Negative |
Questions |
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I can come. I could come. I must come. It may rain. You should see this film.
|
I can’t (cannot) come. I couldn’t (could not) come. I mustn’t (must not) come. You may not park here. You shouldn’t (should not) see this film. |
CanI come? CouldI come? MustI come? MayI go home? Should I see this film? |
Modal auxiliary verbs have no infinitives or participles, “must” doesn’t have a past form, “could” is used with a past meaning only in some cases. Instead we use other expressions:
M
ust
have to…
C
an/
could be able to…
Can – could – be able to…
We use “can (present)/ could (past)” to say that something is possible or that someone has the ability to do something.
E.g.I can speak three foreign languages.
I’m afraid I can’t help you with this work.
When I was young I could swim very fast.
Be able to is sometimes possible and sometimes necessary instead of can / could. Study how they are used in the present, past and future.
Present.
Compare: I can speak Greek.
I am able to speak Greek.
Both variants are possible, but “can” is more usual than “be able to…” in the present.
Past.
“Could”is used with a past meaning:
With the following verbs: see, hear, swell, taste, feel, remember, understand;
E.g.I could see that nobody wanted to join us.
To say that someone had the general ability to do something.
E.g.My grandmother could speak Italian.
But! We don’t use “could” to say that we managed to do something on one occasion. Instead we use “was/ were/ able to…” or “managed to…”
Compare:
When I was 5 I could swim well.
I was able to swim across the river in our village.
She could read when she was 6.
She was able to read a novel by A. Christie in one week.
The negative “couldn’t” is possible in all situations.
E.g. He couldn’t swim (general ability).
He couldn’t get to the station in time (he didn’t manage to do it).
Future. Speaking about the future we have to use will be able to.
E.g. One day I will be able to return here.
Ex. 1. Can you do these things? Say (write) sentences about yourself. Use I can or I can’t…
1. (swim) I can’t swim.
2. (skate)….
3. (roller-skate)…
4. (play chess)…
5. (speak French)…
6. (drive)…
7. (ride a horse)…
8. (do rafting)…
9. (cook)…
Now ask your partner if he/ she can do these things.
Ex. 2. Could you do these things when you were six years old. Say (write) sentences about yourself. Use’ I could or’ I could not….
(make a bed) I could not make my bed.
(boil an egg)….
(peel potatoes)…
(ride a bicycle)…
(start a car)…
(dance)…
(speak English)…
(draw)…
(knit)…
(count up to 100)…
Now ask your partner if she/ he could do these things.
Ex. 3. Fill the following spaces using can for present, could for past and will be able to … for future.
I think I … speak Spanish quite well in a few weeks.
I … speak Italian quite well when I lived in Rome.
I … type but I don’t like it.
When I pass my driving test I … to go anywhere by myself.
When the fog melts we … to see where we are.
When I was a child I … spend hours playing with toy-cars all by myself.
He … already walk when he was nine months old.
The view is wonderful, you … see mountains from the window.
You are speaking so fast that I … hardly follow you.
She … to walk again in a few days.
Ex. 4. Complete the sentences with could/ couldn’t/ was/ were able to.
He … repair the bicycle but it took him a long time.
He … understand what she was talking about.
He … help me because he himself was seriously ill.
After a ten-mile run I practically … move my legs.
… you speak Spanish before you moved to Madrid?
At last I … to explain to her what had happened.
I … swim across the river but it turned out to be harder than I had expected.
We saved a lot and finally … to buy a country house.
At school, she … run faster than anyone else.
It took us a long time but we … to find the necessary address.
When I arrived everybody was asleep but fortunately I … to wake my mother and she let me in.
He … leave the country because the police had taken his passport.
I … to repair the bicycle because I had the right tools.
She wanted to go to the cinema but we … get tickets.
Though she was very tired she … to finish her work.