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    • Modal verbs exercises.

    MODAL VERBS

    Click here to download this explanation as a PDF.
    Click here for all the exercises about modal verbs.

    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!

    Click here to find out more about probability.

    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

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