The finites which express the mode or manner of the actions denoted in the principal verb are

termed as Modals. This class of helping verbs not only assists in forming questions and negatives,
but expresses a wide range of meanings also. These helping verbs are can, could, will, would,
shall, should, may, might, must, ought to, have to, has to and had to. These are also known as
modal auxiliaries. They express the degree of certainty of the action in the sentence or the
attitude or opinion of the writer/speaker concerning the action. Need, dare and used to are
called semi-modals.

Nature of Modals
Modals are never used alone.
e.g. (a) 1 can upon the harmonium. (Incorrect)
(b) I can play upon the harmonium. (Correct)
So, modals have a principal verb with them.
Modals don't change according to the number or person of the subject.
e.g. (a)Ican play. (b) He can play. (c) We can play. (d) They can play.
Modals don't have the infinitive form. We can't place 'to' with them in order to use them in
a sentence.

e.g. (a) We must to get there before time. (Incorrect)

(b) We must get there before time. (Correct)

Functions of Modals
Will
)To show promise, intention, willingness, determination with the first person (, we)
e.g. (a) I will give youa gift of your choice. (promise)
(6) We will help you. (willingness)
C)will change the system of our organisation. (detemination)
() To express request, invitation, insistence, assumption, characteristic or habit
eg. (a) Will you please help me? (request)
(0) She will be in the school during school hours. (assumption)
(C) The lion will usually kill other animals. (characteristic, habit)
 Negative Form ofwill: Will not/ Won't (i) To express opinion
eg. They shouid
be on the way to Jaipur.
eg (a) willnot spend my pocket money.
(b) She won't eat untlygienic food (ii) To give or take advice suggestion
or

(C) They won't win the match. e.g. (a) We should go to the temple
(d) My triend will not attend the party. We s/hould obey our elders
(b)
(iv) After'lest when someone expresses fear
Would (Past form of Will' e.g. (a) Walk carefuly lest you should fail down
(i) It expresses the past form of 'will (D) They started early lest they should ms n
He inlomed that he would dance at my train
g. (a) me

marriago lunction Negative Form of Should : Should not /Shouli

(b) The problem was how he would reach there. eg (a) You should not come to me daily
(i) 'lo express past habit (b) You shouldn 't make a noise here
0g (a) He woukd dtink a cup of colfee in the morning.
(c)They shouldn t tease others
(b) My father would gel up early in the morning
(d) We sthould not waste our time.
(iii) For request
e.g. (a) Would you please give me your bike? Can
(b) Would you like to spend this evening with me? (i) To express an ability. capability, capacity or powe
(iv) To express wish eg. (a) I can litt 60 kg. (Ability)
(b) She can pass the MBA examination.
.g. (a) 1 wish sthe woulld be healthy.
(b) You would be an engineer (Capability)
(c) Can you understand Englishlanguage
(v) To express an imaginary condition (Capabity)
eg. Iwould have a big house if l earnedR10crore everyyear. (d) I can grant you leave. (Power)
Would not/ Wouldn't (e) She can swim across the river. (Abilt)
Negative Form of Would
eg. She would not get up early in the morning (ii) To show possibility
e.g (a) She can tall on the road (6)I can go ther
Shall
(ii) To take or give permission
(i) To ask for suggestion, request, advice with the tirst
eg. (a) Can I sit here?
person (1, We) in the interrogative (b) You can park your scooter here.
eg (a) Shall we start the class? (advice)
Negative Form of Can : Cannot /Can't
(b) Shall I have a cup of coffee trom your shop?
eg (a) They cannot climb the mountain
(request)
(b) She can't run tast.
(c) Shall we open a new shop? (suggestion)
(c) I cannot speak against you
(in) In the second and third person to indicate threat,
warning, command, promise, assurance and Could IPast form of 'can
determination () To express ability/talent in the past
e.g (a) 1f you sitl with bad boys, you shall be punished. e.g. (a) They could win the game last month.
(tneat) (b) She could sing beautitully
(b) You shall go now. (command)
(i) To express polite request
(c) She shall get a bicycle. (promise)
e.g. (a) Could I have your pen?
Negative Form of Shall: Shall not/ Shan't (5) CouldI ride on your bike?
9 (a) She sthallnot sng tomorrow. Negative Form of Could: Could not/ Couldnt
(b) They shall not win the match
e.g. (a) Could you not smoke outside the house
(c) My triend sthan't be dismissed
(b) She couldn't cook delicious tooxd
Should (Past form of 'shall')
(i) To express duty or
obligation
May
e.g (a) I sthould help my friends. (duty)
() To show posibility or probability
(b) You soukd not be eg (a) The inspector may attend the school t
lazy. (obligation) (b) She may win the match
(c) You should espect your eldors. (dtly)
 (i) To give or take permission Negative Form of Have to: Don't have to
(a) May I come in ?
e.g. e.g. (a) I don't have to cook the food at home.
(b) Yes. you may come in. (6) She doesn't have to work till late in the office.

(ii) To wish or pray Ought to

e.g. (a) May you get well soon!
(b) May God bless you with a child! i)To express moral obligation or duty
e.g. (a) You ought to respect your parents.
(iv) To show a purpose
(b) You ought to serve the nation.
e.g. (a) My friend is joining a new company so (c) We ought to help our relatives.
that he may achieve his target. (d) We ought to speak the truth.
(6) He is working hard so that he may win.
Negative Form of May : May not/ Mayn't
il) To give advice
e.g. You ought to study hard to achieve success.
e.g. (a) It may not rain today.
(b) She mayn't attend the meeting. Negative Form of Ought to : Ought not to/ Oughtn't to
e.g. (a) You ought not to hate your neighbours.
Might (Past form of 'may' b) You oughtn't to insult your elders.
(i) To express less possibility
e.g. (a) He might help us.
(b) She might be a winner in the competition. Use of 'Need', 'Need to',
(ii) For permission 'Dare' and 'Used to'
e.g. (a) Might I begin to reveal the truth? Need and dare are considered semi-modals because they can be
(b) Might I start speaking?
used either as modal auxiliaries or as main verbs.
(i) To express a guess
e.g. That might be Rohit. Need/Need to
Negative Form of Might: Might not/ Mightn't As a modal auxiliary verb in negative terms, it indicates absence
e.g. (a) It might not rain. of obligation. It expresses the speaker's
(b) She mightn't talk to me this evening.
authority or advice
and is used for the present and the future.
e.g. You needn't
ATIP May' and 'might' can be used interchangeably to type this letter.
express possibility. However, we usually use 'might' when
something is less likely and 'may' when it is more likely
() The interrogative is formed by inversion.
eg. Need I speak to him?
Must (ii)Its past is needed to in the affirmative
sentence, need not
(i) To express necessity or obligation have in the negative and need have in the
e.g. (a) You must take part in the competition. e.g. (a) Needl have gone to him?
interrogative.
(Interrogative in the past)
(b) We must love our motherland. (b) Ineeded to go to him. (Affirmative in the past)
ii) To indicate assumption or conclusion c) You needn't have gone to meet him.
(Negative in the past)
e.g. (a) She must be here in the evening. (d) You need to go to the barber- your hair are too
(b) Mr AK Gupta must be a good teacher.
long.
(Afirmative in the future)
(i) In case of prohibition Dare
e.g. You must not bunk school. As modal auxiliary, dare refers to
a
being bold and courageous.
The negative is formed by dare not and the
Negative Form of Must: Must not/ Mustn't
e.g. (a) You must not play in sunlight. inversion.
interrogative by
(b) You must not write your name on the walls e.g. (a) Dare we talk to them?
(c) You mustn't make a fuss over this.
(b) I dare not disturb them.

Used to
Have to/ Has to/ Had to (i) A discontinued habit or a past situation which is no more in
To express obligation or compulsion (While the present.
talking about rules, laws) e.g. He used to drink daily. (Now he
e.g. (a) Ihave to reach school early.
does not drink)
(b) She has to work late in the office.
(ii) Something existing in the past.
e.g. This used to be a dense jungle before.
(cC) They had to follow the instruction.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Fill in the blanks using correct
modals have sandwich?
(a) Where. (b) .. like to a
we have our picnic? you

(c) (d) People. . excercise regularly.

we please go to some other place
(e) Arjun . eat with us tonight.
2 Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals.
(a) I . . . Swim when I was young. (b) .... I wait till he comes?
(c) You. not open this box. (d) He.. Come tomorrow.

(e) I . . . . do my best to satisfy you. ( I.. go home today.

(h) We. respect our elders.
gYou.. take complete bedrest.
(i) We... obey our teachers. G) He.join a college.
3 Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals.
(a) . you live happily and long!
(b) I ...-..
.. Swim across the river when I was young.
(c) I . . . . be twenty-five next birthday.
(d) This. . ... be the book you want, I suppose.
(e) I expected that I. get a first class.

(9We shouldobey the laws and children.. .. obey their parents.

gWe. to love our neighbours.
(h) How... . you contradict me?
(1) Do you. .. to go now:

G) You . . improve your spelling.

4 Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate modals.

God is greatand we
(a). be grateful to him. We (b)
do our duty and leave the reward in a
hands of God. Ultimately, God ( ) . .... help us. We (d)... .. leave everything to God.

5 Complete the passage by filling in the blanks withappropriate modals

Ifyou Oome assistance organising your desk, your cupboard and your room, Tidy l
(b) help. This student-run group raises money for charity by cleaning up. "We didn't realise it whe
we started, but we (¢)... thought of a better way to raise money", says 17-year-old Brian Mason. .

helped establish the group. We (d). Support such groups.

6 Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with appropriate modals.

Anubha ( a ) . hought she was dreaming when she heard that she'd won the National Secon
School Essay Contest. "I didn't believe it", she explains. "I just laughed at first, which I probably (b)
done. The prize, a cheque tor 1000 will be awarded to Anubha at a ceremony in March. "1 (0)-
guessed that there would be a price to pay for the award and there is. I (d) . write aspeech to gwe
ceremony, Anubha says. "I'm pretty nervous but I hope I (e) . . . . able to do a good job.
7 Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals.
(a) l'm nor sure where Nishant went. He .

gone to buy bread.

(b) I'm sorry I'm so late. You .
..
thought
. . I wasn'tcoming.

(c) You. brought the New World music CD. I wanted to listen to it while we studied.
(d) She.. ... bought three Tshirts, but she only had enough money for one.
(e) I really upset Shanti. I..... told her the terrible news about Jatin.

8. There is a missing word (modal) in each line of the following passage. Write the word before
and after the word that makes your answer as well as the missing modal.
Before Missing After
(a) People not ask a writer why he writes his
(b) biography. They know that every ***

(c) life be interesting if properly presented.

(d) Moreover, we learn many things if
(e) we want to, from a great lite. It not

() necessarily be the lite of a gre:at leader that inspire