Modals explanations and exercises - · PDF...

Modals in Reported (Indirect) Speech Rick Robinson © November 2014

Here is an example of what this section is all about: He said that he would arrive sometime today.

Before studying what happens to modals as they occur in the grammar structure that we call reported speech, it is useful to review what happens to regular verbs in reported speech. Reported speech is also often called indirect speech. Both names are kind of accurate but also, unfortunately, a little bit inaccurate. They are both accurate because (1) the word "reported" indicates that you are repeating something that someone else has said — which is true and (2) the word "indirect" indicates that you are giving a quotation indirectly rather than repeating the exact words of the original speaker—which is also true. The inaccurate part of both of these names is actually the word speech — because, in addition to our using the reported speech structure for something that has been spoken, sometimes we use it for an idea that was thought, believed, or even wondered about. The following are all examples of transformations from direct forms to reported or indirect forms of speech/thought/belief/memory, etc. Direct Quotation Reported or Indirect Quotation She told me, "I love you." She told me that she loved me. You said, "I did my homework earlier." You said that you had done your homework earlier. He thought, "She is beautiful." He thought that she was beautiful. We wondered, "Must we leave?" We wondered if we had to leave. I believed, "It will rain soon." I believed that it would rain soon. The first thing to notice about the examples above is that concordance of time, which is discussed in Unit III Verb Tenses, determines what happens to the verb inside the quotation. This means that, in all of the situations above, the speaker was "standing" at a time in the past while telling, saying, thinking, remembering or believing the statement that he or she made. The 1st speaker was saying it then. The second speaker is repeating the statement now.

"I love you (now)." She said …… Try to visualize the concept of concordance of time by looking at timeline above. The long arrow above represents time as it moves forward from left to right. The word "then" to the left side of the timeline represents the moment when the first speaker was talking (or thinking or believing, etc.). The word "now" to the right represents the current time, which is also the time that the second speaker is repeating the first speaker's statement. In a direct quotation, the second speaker quotes the first speaker in either of these two ways: (now) Direct quotation (now) Reported or indirect quotation She told me (then), "I love you (now) ." She told me (then) that she loved me (then). Concordance of time reminds us that the 1st speaker "loved me" at the same time that she said it.

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Rick Robinson © November 2014

How do we make reported speech? You probably studied reported speech in a lower level ESL class. But, in case you did not, here is how we form reported speech: If the statement was originally said or thought, etc, in the past, the verb in the first speaker's statement is changed from: Simple Present Tense Simple Past Tense

Simple Past Tense Past Perfect Tense

Simple Future Tense "will" future in the past "would"

Simple Future Tense "am/is/are going to" "was/were going to…"

Present Continuous Tense Past Continuous Tense

Past Continuous Tense Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Continuous Tense "would" + "be" + "ing"

Present Perfect Tense Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense stays Past Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Tense perfect modal "would have" + p.p.

To save space, we have not shown changes in the perfect continuous tenses in this list, but their transformations follow the same pattern. For the 13th Verb Tense, the changes are as follows: "used to" "had used to"

"would" stays "would"

You may have noticed from the chart above what happens with "will" and "would" in reported speech. The future modal "will" changes to "would," but the modal "would" doesn't change. You will see in the list below how the other modals are changed by reported speech: "can" "could"

(e.g. She said, "I can go now.") (e.g. She said that she could go then.

"shall" "should"

"will" "would"

"may" "might"

"must" (obligation) "had to" + base form

"must" (probably) perfect modal "must have" + p.p.

"could" (ability) "might" (permission) & "would" stay "could," "might" and "would"

“could” “might” (possibly) “could have” +p.p. or “might have” + p.p.

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Answer Key: Modals and Perfect Modals Exercises

If you don't find the answer that you expect in a particular exercise, you may assume that the modal or perfect modal that you have chosen is not correct.

1. You tell me, "It should be cooler tomorrow."

2. "It could be a boy." "It may be a boy." "It might be a boy."

3. "You must act / have to act good for the babysitter."

4-‐A. He said that he could help / would help me wash my car.

4-‐B. He said that he couldn't help / wouldn't help me wash my car.

5-‐A. "You shouldn't come / ought not come late again."

5-‐B. "You should come / ought to come on time in the future."

6A. "If you arrive late again, I will fire you."

6B. "You cannot arrive /mustn't arrive late again!"

7. If I had known that he needed money, I would have given / could have given him some."

8. You say, "Oh no! I should have filled the car with gas, but I'm so forgetful."

9. "It must have been Aunt Mary."

10. "On November 4, next year, I will have lived in the U.S. for ___?___ years. 11. "If you do your homework, you may go / can go / will be able to go to a movie."

12. "I wish that he would shut up / could shut up sometimes."

13. "She must be very beautiful."

14. He says that he may return / could return / might return to Canada next May.

15. He said that he might come / could come over.

16. "I should have given him some money."

17. "You should call / ought to call / (must call) your mother soon."

18. You say, "When I was young, I could play / was able to play chess."

19-‐A. "Could I have / May I have / Might I have some more coffee?"

19-‐A. "Could you give / Would you give / Can you give / Will you give me some more coffee?"

20. You say, "When I lived in my country, I used to take the bus to work every day."

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Rick Robinson © May 2012

Modals/Perfect Modals Exercise

DIRECTIONS: Write the correct modal, negative modal or perfect modal into the blank space in each sentence. NOTE: There may be more than one possibility for some situations.

1) The instructor said, "Your test will start at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow! You __________________ (be)

late." (Hint: Don't be late!) (Situation # _______ )

2) Entrance to the concert is free. You ________________________________ (pay) to get into it.

(Situation # _______ ) 3) I think that John ___________________ (be) angry when he found out that someone had stolen his car.

(Situation # _______ ) 4) "I don't know if I can come to your party next week. I ______________________ (be) out of town then."

(Hint: I will possibly be out of town.) (Situation # _______ ) 5) John said that he __________________________ (arrive) late to the party, but he wasn't sure.

(Hint: possibility & reported speech) (Situations # ____ & _____ ) 6) We ____________________ (get) to the office on time yesterday because BART was one hour late.

(Situation # __3B_Capability_) 7) I thought that he was an amazing person because he___________________ (speak) four languages.

(Situation # _______ ) 8) I read that paragraph twice last night, but I ____________________ (understand) what it meant.

(Situation # _______ ) 9) James __________________ (play) soccer really well, so he's the captain of his soccer team now.

(Situation # _______ ) 10) James _____________________________ (practice) soccer every day after school when he was a boy.

(Situation # _______ ) 11) By the year 2015, most of the people who are now over 60 ______________________ (already retired).

(Situation # _______ ) 12) Next Saturday, I __________________________ (come) to visit you at your home. I promise!

(Situation # _______ ) 13. If you had millions of dollars, _________________________ you (give) me some of the money?

(Extra credit: Which mood does the verb "have" use above?___________________ ) (Situation # _____ )

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14. I need to get a loan from the bank, so I ask them, "_____________ you (lend) me some money, please?"

(Situation # _______ ) 15. I need to get a loan from the bank, so I ask them, "________________ I (borrow) some money, please?"

(Situation # _______ ) 16. I read that, by the time the average U.S. child is 18 years old, his parents __________________ (spend) almost $500,000 on raising him. (Situation # _______ ) 17. Larry couldn't come to class yesterday because he _________________ (go) to a doctor's appointment.

(Situation # _______ )

18. A: "Why was Mary absent from class yesterday?" B: "I don't know. She ____________________________ (have) a doctor's appointment then."

(Situation # _______ ) 19. A: "I saw Suzie this morning, and she looked tired and hungry, so I told her to get something to eat." B: "Well, she looks happy now. I wonder what happened." A: "She ____________________________________________ (eat) something after I saw her."


20. A: "Class has just started, but Kathy has not arrived yet." B: "Don't worry. I saw her in the parking lot earlier. She _____________________ (be) here soon."


21. A: "I can't find my backpack. I don't know what I did with it."

B: "You _____________________ (look) in the "Lost and Found" office. They store lost things there.

(Hint: I suggest that you look in the "Lost and Found" office.) (Situation # _______ ) 22. A: "Why is Robert standing in front of the movie theatre?"

B: "Well, his favorite movie "Titanic" is going to start playing there soon. He _______________ (wait)

to buy a ticket when the ticket office opens." (Situation # _______ ) 23. Oh, no! My car has just run out of gas. I'm so stupid. I _____________________ (fill) the car with gas!

(Situation # _______ ) 24. I thought that I _____________________ (come) to your party, but, unfortunately, I couldn't. I'm sorry.

(Situation # _______ ) 25. If I had known that you needed money, I __________________________ (give) you some. I'm sorry, I

just didn't realize that you were broke! (Situation # _______ )

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Rick Robinson © May 2012

Modals/Perfect Modals Exercise

ANSWER KEY: In some the exercises below, more than one answer has been given. If you don't find an answer that you expect, you may assume that your modal or perfect modal will not work there.

1) The instructor said, "Your test will start at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow! You mustn't be / can't be late."

(Hint: Don't be late!) (Situation # __4___ )

2) Entrance to the concert is free. You ___don't have to pay______ to get into it.

(Situation # ___9__ ) 3) I think that John must have been angry when he found out that someone had stolen his car.

(Situation # __10__ ) 4) "I don't know if I can come to your party next week. I may be/might be/could be out of town then."

(Hint: I will possibly be out of town.) (Situation # __10__ ) 5) John said that he might arrive/could arrive late to the party, but he wasn't sure.

(Hint: possibility & reported speech) (Situations # _8_ & _10_ ) 6) We couldn't get/were not able to get to the office on time yesterday because BART was one hour late.

(Situation # __3B_Capability_) 7) I thought that he was an amazing person because he could speak four languages.

(Situation # __3__ ) 8) I read that paragraph twice last night, but I couldn't understand what it meant.

(Situation # __3__ ) 9) James can play soccer really well, so he's the captain of his soccer team now.

(Situation # __3__ ) 10) James used to play/would play soccer every day after school when he was a boy.

(Situation # __6__ ) 11) By the year 2015, most of the people who are now over 60 will already have retired .

(Situation # __7__ ) 12) Next Saturday, I will come to visit you at your home. I promise!

(Situation # __7___ ) 13. If you had millions of dollars, would you give me some of the money?

(Extra credit: Which mood does the verb "have" use above? Subjunctive mood ) (Situation # __11_ )

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14. I need to get a loan from the bank, so I ask them, "Could/Would/Can/Will you lend me some money, please?"

(Situation # __1__ ) 15. I need to get a loan from the bank, so I ask them, "Could/Can/May/Might I borrow some money, please?"

(Situation # _2__ ) 16. I read that, by the time the average U.S. child is 18 years old, his parents will have spent almost $500,000 on raising him. (Situation # _7__ ) 17. Larry couldn't come to class yesterday because he had to go to a doctor's appointment.

(Situation # __9__ )

18. A: "Why was Mary absent from class yesterday?" B: "I don't know. She could/may/might have had a doctor's appointment then."

(Situation # __10__ ) 19. A: "I saw Suzie this morning, and she looked tired and hungry, so I told her to get something to eat." B: "Well, she looks happy now. I wonder what happened."

A: "She must have eaten something after I saw her." (Situation # __10__ )

20. A: "Class has just started, but Kathy has not arrived yet." B: "Don't worry. I saw her in the parking lot earlier. She should be here soon."

(Situation # __10__ )

21. A: "I can't find my backpack. I don't know what I did with it."

B: "You should look in the "Lost and Found" office. They store lost things there. Might/can/could look are also possible.

(Hint: I suggest that you look in the "Lost and Found" office.) (Situation # __9__ ) 22. A: "Why is Robert standing in front of the movie theatre?"

B: "Well, his favorite movie "Titanic" is going to start playing there soon. He must be waiting

to buy a ticket when the ticket office opens." (Situation # __10__ ) 23. Oh, no! My car has just run out of gas. I'm so stupid. I should have filled the car with gas!

(Situation # __9__ ) 24. I thought that I might/could come to your party, but, unfortunately, I couldn't. I'm sorry.

(Situation # _10 & 8_ ) 25. If I had known that you needed money, I would/could have given you some. I'm sorry, I just didn't

realize that you were broke! (Situation # __11__ )

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