18/10 - Conditionals and Modal Verbs

What are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:

1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.

Examples:

• He can  speak Chinese.
• She should  be here by 9:00.

2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.

Examples:

• He should not be late.
• They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

Examples:

• He will can go with us. Not Correct
• She musted study very hard. Not Correct

Common Modal Verbs

Can Could May Might Must

Ought to Shall Should Will Would

When and how do we use modal verbs?
Open the following sheet summarizing http://goo.gl/146cz

The use of Would: http://goo.gl/pXKxI

Exercises

Modal Verbs Exercise 1

Gap-fill Exercise

Complete the sentences using the words listed in the box below.  Don't forget to capitalize when necessary. Some gaps may have more than one correct answer.

can     could     have to     must     might     should

1. Ted's flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He  be exhausted after such a long flight. He  prefer to stay in tonight and get some rest.

2. If you want to get a better feeling for how the city is laid out, you  walk downtown and explore the waterfront.

3. Hiking the trail to the peak  be dangerous if you are not well prepared for dramatic weather changes. You  research the route a little more before you attempt the ascent.

4. When you have a small child in the house, you  leave small objects lying around. Such objects  be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.

5. Dave:  you hold your breath for more than a minute?
Nathan: No, I can't.

6. Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It  have cost a fortune.

7. Please make sure to water my plants while I am gone. If they don't get enough water, they  die.

8. I  speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Egypt. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I  just say a few things in the language.

9. The book is optional. My professor said we  read it if we needed extra credit. But we  read it if we don't want to.

10. Leo: Where is the spatula? It  be in this drawer but it's not here.
Nancy: I just did a load of dishes last night and they're still in the dish washer. It  be in there. That's the only other place it  be.

11. You  take your umbrella along with you today. The weatherman on the news said there's a storm north of here and it  rain later on this afternoon.

12.  we pull over at the next rest stop? I really  use the bathroom and I don't know if I  hold it until we get to Chicago.

13. Oh no! Frank's wallet is lying on the coffee table. He  have left it here last night.

14. Ned:  I borrow your lighter for a minute?
Stephen: Sure, no problem. Actually, you  keep it if you want to. I've given up smoking.

15. I  believe she said that to Megan! She  insult her cooking in front of everyone at the party last night. She  have just said she was full or had some salad if she didn't like the meal.

16. Do you  chew with your mouth open like that? Geez, it's making me sick watching you eat that piece of pizza.

17. Mrs. Scarlett's body was found in the lounge just moments ago, and it's still warm! Nobody has left the mansion this evening, so the killer  be someone in this room. It  be any one of us!!!

18. Ted: I don't know why Denise starting crying when I mentioned the wedding.
Pamela: It  have been what you said about her brother. Or, perhaps she is just nervous. After all, the big day is tomorrow.

19.  you always say the first thing that pops into your head?  you think once in awhile before you speak?

20. I was reading the book last night before I went to bed. I never took it out of this room. It  be lying around here somewhere. Where  it be? be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.

Modal Verbs Exercise 6

Multiple Choice Exercise

Choose the correct answer for each gap below. Some gaps may have more than one correct answer.

1.
Donna: If I won the ten million dollar lottery jackpot, I couldmightshouldwould afford to quit my job and travel the world.

Sam: Where couldmightshouldwould you go if you had that much money?

Donna: I don't know, I couldmightshouldwould choose to spend a year in Paris - or perhaps I couldmightshouldwould go to Kenya.

Sam: How often do you buy lottery tickets?

Donna: Never... I guess if I want to win the lottery, I couldmightshouldwould try buying some tickets.

Sam: That couldmightshouldwould help.


2.
Waitress: Hi, my name is Sandy - I'll be your waitress tonight. What can I get for you?

Tony: I haven't decided yet. Is there anything you couldmightshouldwould recommend? Is there anything you think I couldmightshouldwould try?

Waitress: You couldmightshouldwould try the Cajun catfish - or perhaps the Gumbo. They're both delicious.

Tony: That sounds wonderful, but that couldmightshouldwould be a little too spicy for me. Actually, the prawns sound good. Umm, couldmightshouldwould I have the barbecued prawns?

Waitress: Sure, couldmightshouldwould you like a salad with that?


3.
Jan: What couldmightshouldwould we look for in a candidate when we vote in a presidential election?

Peter: I think citizens couldmightshouldwould vote for a President who has the ability to improve the quality of life in the United States.

Jan: What couldmightshouldwould you do if you were President of the United States?

Peter: I couldmightshouldwould focus on reducing environmental pollution.

Jan: Every candidate always says he's going to do that, but it's a really complicated problem - it's not one which is easily solved. What makes you think you couldmightshouldwould actually stop pollution?