MODAL

VERBS

CAN COULDMAY MIGHT

WILL WOULD

SHALL SHOULD

MUSTOUGHT TO

Common Features:

1. They don’t add “s” for the 3rd Person Singular.

2. They have no –ing or –ed Forms.

3. They are followed by a 0 infinitive (except “Ought TO”).

4. They add “not” for the negative.

5. In questions, the word order changes to modal + subject + main verb.

Similar Structures

BE ABLE TOHAVE TO

HAD BETTERUSED TONEED TO/ NEEDN’T

Modal Verbs express ideas such as Possibility,

Intention, Obligation, Advice and Necessity

(More on the use of Modals and similar structures in your Textbook)

MODAL PERFECTS

FORM:

Modal (+not) + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

Interrogative: Modal + Subject + Have + Past Participle

(Remember: Always “Have”, Never “Has”)

USES:

Certainty, Guess, Regret, Possibility, Ability, …

IN THE PAST

Common Modal Perfects:

- Must have + past participle:

Deduction about the past we are certain about:

He must have left. I don’t see him anywhere.

(I am sure that he left)

- May / Might have + past participle:

Possibility that something happened in the past, doubt that something happened:

I may have left my keys at home this morning. (Perhaps I left them, I’m not sure)

Versus

- Could have + past participle:

Missed opportunity to have done something that we didn’t:

She could have passed last year. (She had the chance to pass but she didn’t)

- Should (ought to) / shouldn’t (oughtn’t to) have + past participle:

Regret about something that happened (or didn’t ) in the past:

I ought to have studied harder this term (I’m sorry I didn’t, I wish I had)

You shouldn’t have given him the bad news

(I wish you hadn’t told him, I’m sorry you told him)

- Needn’t have + past participle:

To refer to an unnecessary action that someone has done:

I needn’t have brought an umbrella. It’s sunny today.

(It wasn’t necessary for me to have brought an umbrella)

- Would(n’t) have + past participle:

Used mainly for 3rd Type Conditionals:

I would have gone out if I’d had time

You can watch this Presentation online and have more practice at:

http://englishteachermargarita.blogspot.com/