Grammar - Modal verbs - Unit 6

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Such pretty colours! What could it be?

Congratulations if you guessed it correctly! It's a light bulb!

Today's lesson

Modal Verbs (page 72 of Result book) 

Grammar information can be found on page 175

There are 10  modal verbs :

can	could	should	ought to
must	will	shall	would
may	might

These five verbs and expressions act in the same way

be able to	have to	need to
had better	used to

Think of a caption using a modal verb

If only they wouldn't keep the fish in the top drawer.

We could do with being a bit taller.

We might need some help here.

We ought to have asked Tiger for help, he is bigger than us.

Three easy rules!

How to use Modals

Rule 1

Rule 2

Rule 3

Underline all verbs and Modal verbs

I am going to tell you the story of Helen Keller, who could neither see nor hear from the time she was a baby. Yet the brilliant girl was able to overcome all those handicaps, and graduated from a college with honors and became a useful citizen.

As a baby, Helen grew bigger and stronger. She was able to walk when she was a year old; she could even say a few words.

But one day the child fell ill. For days she was laid up with a high fever and soon the parents learned that their darling might never be able to see and hear.

Modal verbs and verbs

I am going to tell you the story of Helen Keller, who could neither see nor hear from the time she was a baby. Yet the brilliant girl was able to overcome all those handicaps, and graduated from a college with honors and became a useful citizen.

As a baby, Helen grew bigger and stronger. She was able to walk when she was a year old; she could even say a few words.

But one day the child fell ill. For days she was laid up with a high fever and soon the parents learned that their darling might never be able to see and hear.

Usage

Ability           - "David can speak three languages."

(can, could, be able to)

Permission - "David is allowed to go to the bathroom."

(can, could, may, be allowed to)

Possibility   - "David says it might rain later today."

(may, might, can, could)

Modal: Might/May/Could.            Usage: Possibility

In Pairs – one is a journalist and the other a famous actor’s manager. Both of you have diaries and the journalist needs to try to schedule an interview that will take about 2 hours. 

The manager needs to be cagey about the actor’s free time. The journalist should try to make an appointment during the week and the manager should rebuff him/her with phrases such as: “You could come on Friday morning, but only for 15 minutes”, or “He might have time Monday at 3 pm, but only for an hour”. Finally, there should be a 2 hour slot in the diary and only when the journalist guesses it can the appointment be made.