Unit 5 Modals to Express Degrees of Necessity

ModalsThey are auxiliary verbs.Can, could, had better, may might, must, ought to, shall,

should, will, and would, have to, have got to, suppose toModals are used to talk about obligations, advice,

expectations, and suggestions.Simple Modals

Used for the present and futureModal + base formShould invite, must go, will eat

Perfect ModalsPastModal + have + past participleShould have invited, must have gone, will have eaten

Must/ Have to/ Have got toShow strong necessitySimilar in meaningMust

Formal/show a strong obligationAll students must attend class or they will be sent back to

their home country.Have to

Useful in all situations where there is necessityTo speak English more fluently, students have to practice.

Have got toInformalTonight, I have got to do some homework.

Will have to/ Had toWill have to

Future necessity or obligationNext semester, I will have to take English,

History, Biology, and Art.Had to

Past necessityLast weekend, we all had to do a group project

for class.

Must not/ Had betterMust not

Its not necessary or it is prohibitedYou must not smoke within 25 feet of any EKU

entrance.Had better

Warning that something bad or negative will happen if the advice isn’t followed.

The students had better do their work or they will fail.

Should or ought toAdviceThey mean “It would be a good a idea if…”Examples:

You should/ought to study for class everyday so you will make good grades.

Use should, not ought to, in questions and negatives:Should I invite more friends to the party?

CorrectOught I to invite more friends to the party?

Incorrect

Should have/Ought to haveExpress advice about past situationsExamples:

You should have/ought to have wiped your feet before coming inside. This suggests that the person did NOT wipe their

feet.The student should not have/ought not to

have spoken to the teacher like that. This suggests that the student did speak like that.

Be supposed toShow an expectationOnly in the present and the pastPresent

We are supposed to wear tuxedos to their wedding.

PastThe affirmative suggests that the actions didn’t

happen. Everyone was supposed to meet at six o’clock.

The negative suggests that the action did happen. You are not supposed to ask any personal

questions.

Could/Might and Could/Might havePolite, flexible suggestions about the future

You could/might take your girlfriend some flowers to make her feel better.

Could/Might havePolite suggestions about a past opportunityWell, you could/might have visited the

Washington Monument while you were in D.C.

Don’t/doesn’t/didn’t have toNot necessary

You don’t have to have a lot of money to be happy.

She doesn’t have to go to an expensive college to get a good education.

Didn’t have toSomething was not necessary in the pastYou didn’t have to get me a birthday gift, but

thank you.

Listening ExerciseP. 84, Exercise 6

Weekend AssignmentCome up with 5 interview questions using modals.

Example: In your country, should I dress a certain way in public?

You can use Exercise 8 on page 86 to help you come up with questions.

Using your 5 questions, interview someone from a different country than you. Make sure they are comfortable answering your questions.

Write a short 3-4 paragraph essay comparing your country to their country based off the interview.

Monday you will turn in your interview questions, their answers, and your short essay.