SUMMARY CHART OF MODALS AND SIMILAR
EXPRESSION
|
AUXILARY
|
USES
|
PRESENT/FUTURE
|
PAST
|
|
May
|
(1)
Polite request
|
May I borrow your pen?
|
|
|
(2)
Formal permission
|
You may leave the room
|
|
|
|
(3)
Less than 50% certainty
|
Where’s John ?
He may be at the library
|
He may have been at the
library
|
|
|
Might
|
(1)
Less than
50% certainty
|
Where’s John ?
He might be at the library
|
He might have been at the
library
|
|
(2)
Polite request (rare)
|
Might I borrow your pen?
|
|
|
|
Should
|
(1)
Advisability
|
I should study tonight
|
I should have studied last
night
|
|
(2)
90% certainty
|
She should do well on the
test.
(future only, not present)
|
She should have done well
on the test
|
|
|
Ought
to
|
(1)
Advisability
|
I ought to study tonight
|
I ought to have studied
last night
|
|
(3)
90% certainty
|
She ought to do well on the
test.
(future only, not present)
|
She ought to have done well
on the test
|
|
|
Had
better
|
(1)
Advisability with threat of bad result
|
You had better be on time,
or we will leave without you
|
(past form uncommon)
|
|
be
supposed to
|
(1)
Expectation
|
Class is supposed to begin
at 10
|
Class was supposed to begin
at 10
|
|
be
to
|
(1)
Strong expectation
|
You are to be here at 9:00
|
You were to be here at 9:00
|
|
Must
|
(1)
Strong necessity
|
I must go to class today
|
I had to go to class
yesterday
|
|
(2)
Prohibition (negative)
|
You must not open that door
|
|
|
|
(3)
95% certainty
|
Mary isn’t in class. She must
be sick. (present only)
|
Mary must have been sick
yesterday
|
|
|
Have
to
|
(1)
necessity
|
I have to go to class today
|
I had to go to class yesterday
|
|
(2)
lack of necessity
|
I don’t have to go to class
today
|
I didn’t have to go to
class yesterday
|
|
|
Have
got to
|
(1)
necessity
|
I have got to go to class
today
|
I had to go to class
yesterday
|
|
Will
|
(1)
100% certainty
|
He will be here at 6:00.
(future only)
|
|
|
(2)
Willingness
|
The phone’s ringing.
I’ll get it.
|
|
|
|
(3)
Polite request
|
Will you please pass the salt?
|
|
|
|
be
going to
|
(1)
100% certainty
|
He is going to be here at
6:00. (future only)
|
|
|
(2)
Definite plan
|
I’m going to paint my
bedroom. (future only)
|
I was going to paint my
room, but I didn’t have time
|
|
|
Can
|
(1)
Ability/possibility
|
I can run fast
|
I could run fast when I was
a child, but now I can’t
|
|
(2)
Informal permission
|
You can use my car tomorrow
|
|
|
|
(3)
Informal polite request
|
Can I borrow your pen?
|
|
|
|
(4) Impossibility
(negative only)
|
That can’t be true !
|
that can’t have been true !
|
|
|
Could
|
(1)
Past ability
|
|
I could run fast when I was
a child
|
|
(2)
Polite request
|
Could you help me?
|
|
|
|
(3)
Suggestion
|
I need help in math
You could talk to your
teacher
|
You could have talked to
your teacher
|
|
|
(4)
Less than 50% certainty
|
Where’s John?
He could be at home
|
He could have been at home
|
|
|
(5) Impossibility
(negative only)
|
That couldn’t be true !
|
That couldn’t have been
true !
|
|
|
be
able to
|
(1)
Ability
|
I am able to help you.
I will be able to help you.
|
I was able to help him
|
|
Would
|
(1)
Polite request
|
Would you please pass the salt?
Would you mind if I left early?
|
|
|
(2)
Preference
|
I would rather go to the
park than stay home
|
I would rather have gone to
the park
|
|
|
(3)
Repeated action in the past
|
|
When I was a child, I would
visit my grandparents every weekend
|
|
|
Shall
|
(1)
Polite question to make a suggestion
|
Shall I open the window?
|
|
|
(2)
Future with “I” or “we” as subject
|
I shall arrive at nine.
(will = more common)
|
|
THE PASSIVE FROM OF MODALS AND
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS
|
THE PASSIVE FORM : modal + be + past participle
a) Tom
will be invited to the picnic
b) The
window can’t be opened
c) Children
should be taught to respect their
elders
d) May I be excused from class?
e) This
book had better be returned to the
library before Friday
f) This
letter ought to be sent before
June 1st
g) Mary
has
to be told about our change in plans
h) Fred
is supposed to be told about the
meeting
|
|
THE PAST-PASSIVE FORM : modal + have been + pas participle
i)
The letter should have been sent last week
j)
This house must have been built over 200 years ago
k) Jack
ought to have been invited to the
party
|
