Explanations, Examples, Exercises
Common Modal Usage
Using Simple Tenses and Modals
To state facts
| Present | Past | Modal |
Lions live in Africa. | Dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions of years. | Mr. Jones can juggle. |
Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen. | My grandmother passed away last March. | He couldn’t swim at age 10. |
To express opinions
(I think) smoking is a disgusting habit. | That was delicious. | Gambling should be banned in the US. |
The Internet is more useful than the library. | I thought she gave an excellent performance. | He must really like ice cream. |
I think it was a beautiful concert. | You should have left earlier. |
To indicate actions which occur every day or on a regular basis
I get up at 7:30 every day. | When I was in high school, I got up at 6:30. | I have to be at the office at 7. |
My father drives to work on Tuesdays. | My mother rode the bus until she bought a car. | They used to take the subway. |
With frequency adverbs
Jerry always comes to class on time. | At camp, she usually ate breakfast before 7:00. | You should never be late for work. |
Using Modals in various situations
| Requesting | Asking Permission | Possibility | Hinting | Other |
Can you help me? | Can I help you? | I can use some help. | I can help you. | |
Could you help me? | Could I help you? | I could use some help. | I could help you. | |
May I help you? | I may need some | I may help you. | ||
help. (probably) | ||||
I might need some | I might help you | |||
help. (probably) | ||||
Will you help me? | I will need some | I will help you. | ||
help. (most likely) | ||||
Would you help me? | I would need some help. | I would help you. | ||
(I guess I probably can’t | ||||
do it by myself.) | ||||
Would you mind | Would you mind if | |||
helping me? | I helped you? |
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