Task A  -­‐ Modal verbs of ability

 A.  Underline the correct expressions.

1     Do you can come / Can you come to the training seminar next week?

2    I can come / I can to come to the training seminar next week.

3    Sorry that I didn’t could come / couldn’t come to the training seminar last week.

4    What we can do / can we do?

5    I hope to can / to be able to fly directly to Munich.

6    I must speak / I must to speak with Mr Reiner as soon as possible.

7    I managed to speak / I could speak to Mr Reiner yesterday.

8    The hotel was OK, but I managed to hear / I could hear a Iot of noise from the street.

B.   Complete the sentences with     can,   can’t,        could,     couldn’t       or     be able to.

1 l’m sorry, I can’t help you right now. Ask me again in an hour or so. 2 I don’t think I’ll ……………………….. come to the conference.

3    The negotiations broke down because we………………………………. agree on the quality standard.

4    I …………………………. see you were talking to a client, so I didn’t interrupt.

5 lf you…………………………….make a firm order today, we should ………………………. ship by Friday.

7 Sorry. I………………………..see you next week, but I might………………………….make the week after.

8    l’m sorry I ……………………………………. come to your talk yesterday. I had to sort out a problem.

9    I …………………………………… ski really well when I was in my twenties, but now l’m out of practice.

41.1.0.0.2 – C.    Write a few sentences about the things in the following list  using details from your personal or professional life, using modal verbs.

 ·         Two things you could do when you were younger but can’t do now.

·         Two things you couldn’t do when you were younger but can do now.

·         Two things you managed to/were able to do yesterday.

·         Two things you didn’t manage to/weren’t able to do yesterday.

   Modal verbs of necessity, permission, and prohibition

 Verbs used:          modal verbs:                         must, can

non-­‐modal verbs:                 have to, need to, be allowed to

41.1.0.0.3 – Note the following uses:

·        Necessary: must, have to, need to You must finish the report by Friday. You have to print out a hard copy.

·        Possible/permitted (but not necessary): can, don’t have to, don’t need to

You don’t have to finish it now. You can work on it tomorrow.

·        Prohibited: mustn’t, can’t, not allowed to

You mustn’t turn it in late.

You can’t send it electronically.

41.1.0.0.4 – Talking about the past

Task A

  Using suitable modal verbs, complete the following sentences in your own words.

1.       Children must not…..                                                                         7. We don’t have to ………..

2.       Children don’t have to……..                                                              8. We must not………….

3.       Drivers must not……..                                                                        9. (….) doesn’t have to ……..

4.       Drivers don’t have to……..                                                                10. (….) must not……..

5.       Lecturers must not…….                                                                     11. Waiters must not…….

6.       Lecturers don’t have to……..                                                            12. Waiters don’t have to……

41.1.0.0.5 – Task B

  Must, have to, must not, don’t have to. For each of the following sentences choose the correct modal verb to complete the sentence:

A. must / have to         B. must not          C. don’t have to

1.       Soldiers ……..………….disobey a superior officer.

2.       To stay alive, people …………….……. breathe oxygen.

3.       You …………..…….finish your work on this project before you go on vacation. You’ll probably lose your job is you don’t.

4.       If you have an aquarium, you…………………. give your tropical fish too much food or they’ll die.

5.       To be a successful mountain climber, you ………….………. have a great deal of stamina.

6.       Thank goodness we ………….……….eat fish again tonight. Dad didn’t catch any yesterday.

7.       You …………….……. exert yourself. You’re still not fully recovered from your surgery.

8.       My room is a mess, but I …………………. clean it before I go out tonight. I can do it in the morning.

9.       We really …………………. help Marge move to her new apartment over the weekend. Not only is it too difficult for one person, but she has her arm in a sling from her shoulder sprain a week ago.

10.    Bill is in the darkroom developing negatives of the photos he took on his last trip to Peru. You ……..…………. open the door while he’s in there because the light will ruin the pictures.

41.2 –

41.3 – Modal verbs of obligation and necessity

Example 1

A: I missed the last bus.

B: I missed the last bus so I had to walk home.

Example 2

A. I missed the last bus.

B: I missed the last bus, but I didn’t have to walk home because John gave me a ride.

1.       I missed the first bus, so I had to wait an hour for the next one.

2.       There were no seats on the train.

3.       I didn’t have any change for the ticket machine.

4.       I lost my dictionary.

5.       I couldn’t find a hotel.

6.       We didn’t know the way.

7.       I had no cash on me.

8.       I had forgotten his address.

9.       When I got to the door I found I had forgotten my key.

10.    My phone wasn’t working.

11.    Our lift was out of order.

12.    He had a flat tire.

13.    The lights went out during dinner.

14.    I didn’t understand the document.

15.    My licence was out of date.

16.    We couldn’t eat the youth hostel meals.

17.    She couldn’t hear what he was saying.

18.    One of the engines failed just after take-­‐off.

19.    I couldn’t put the fire out myself.

20.    I lost my wallet

41.4 – Modal verbs of opinions and advice / recommendations

41.5 –  

Verbs used:           modal verbs:             should, shouldn’t

non-­‐modal verbs:      ought to, ought not to, had better

Present tense: to give opinions, recommendations, advice

The government should / ought to collect more tax money. We should invest more money in research.

You shouldn’t work such long hours.

Past tense (+ have + past participle): criticism of a something in the past that was not done right (advice about the past)

You should have taken the train. (but you didn’t)

We should have invested more money in research. (but we didn’t)

They shouldn’t have spent so much money on advertising. (but they did)

41.5.0.0.1 – Task A.  Work in pairs.

Speaker A: Your script is open. Present the problem as given in the text. Speaker B: Your script is closed. Give advice by using should, shouldn’t, ought to

1.       I’m writing a composition and there is a word I don’t know how to spell.

2.       I have trouble learning new vocabulary words.

3.       I don’t feel well. I think I’m catching a cold.

4.       I can’t see the board when I sit in the back of the classroom.

5.       I’m cold.

6.       My friend is arriving at the airport this evening. I’m supposed to pick him up, but I’ve forgotten what time his plane gets in.

7.       My apartment is a mess and my mother is coming to visit tomorrow.

8.       There is no food in the house and some guests are coming to dinner tonight.

9.       I can’t stop yawning.

10.    I need to improve my English.

11.    I have the hiccups.

12.    When William gets out of college, his parents expect him to manage the family business, a shoe store, but he wants to be an architect.

41.5.0.0.2 – Task B.  Criticism of past activity (advice about the past) Work in pairs:

Speaker A: Your script is open. Present the situation.

Speaker B: Your script is closed. Use should have + past participle in the response.

41.5.0.0.3 – Example:

Speaker A (script open) You failed the test because you didn’t study.

Speaker B (script closed) I should have studied.

1.       You are cold because you didn’t wear a coat.

2.       You misspelled a word because you didn’t look it up in the dictionary.

3.       Your friend is upset because you didn’t write him a letter.

4.       You are broke now because you spent all your money foolishly.

5.       The room is full of flies because you opened the window.

6.       You don’t have any food for dinner because you didn’t go to the grocery store.

7.       You overslept this morning because you didn’t set your alarm clock.

8.       Your friends went to Paris over vacation and they had a good time. You didn’t go with them and now you are sorry.

41.5.0.0.4 – Switch roles.

 9.       You didn’t have a cup of coffee and now you are sleepy.

10.    John loved Mary, but he didn’t marry her. Now he is unhappy.

11.    John loved Mary and he married her. Now he is unhappy.

12.    You were sick yesterday but you went to class. Now you feel worse.

13.    The weather was beautiful yesterday, but you stayed inside all day.

14.    The little girl told a lie. She got into a lot of trouble.

15.    You lent your car to a friend, but the friend had an accident.

41.7.0.0.4 – Tasks, modal verbs of probability and deduction

 Task A.  Underline the correct words.

1.       Look at those clouds. I think it can / might / must rain.

2.       That’s impossible. It can’t be / mustn’t be / may not be true.

3.       Well done! You may be / must be / might be very pleased.

4.       I’m not sure. I must not be / may not be / won’t be able to get there in time.

5.       That can’t be / mustn’t be / may not be Diana. She’s away at a conference.

6.       Lisa isn’t at home. She can be / must be / mustn’t be on her way here.

7.       Lisa hasn’t arrived yet, but she should be / can be / can’t be here soon.

8.       A: Who’s that man over there?

B: I don’t know. It can be / might be / mustn’t be the new Sales Director.

9.           I’m not sure where Sue is. She could be / must be / can be at lunch.

10.        I’ve looked everywhere for Sue. She could be / must be / can be at lunch.

41.7.0.0.5 – Task B.  Match each sentence 1-­‐7 with a similar sentence a-­‐g.

Task  C. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Use can’t, might, must or should.

1. Deliver by the end of the month? Yes, I expect we can do that.

Deliver by the end of the month? Yes, we …should….. be able to do that.

2. It’s possible that we will lose this client unless we’re careful. We _______________ lose this client unless we’re careful.

3. I’m sure this isn’t the right road.

This _______________ be the right road.

4. I’m sure you’re tired after your flight -­‐ I’ll let you get back to the hotel.

You _______________ be tired after your flight -­‐ I’ll let you get back to the hotel.

5.   It’s possible that I’ll be coming to Paris with Jack, but I don’t really know. I _______________ be coming to Paris with Jack, but I don’t really know.

6. It’s likely that we’ll make our sales targets this quarter. We _______________ make our sales targets this quarter.

From what I know about computers, that _______________ be the problem.

8. I suppose you’re Kate Perry. Pleased to meet you.

You _______________ be Kate Perry. Pleased to meet you.

41.7.0.0.6 – Task D.  Expressing certainty and uncertainty

See Globalization: is it a force for good or for bad? Headway Academic Skills Level 3, OUP

Underline the modal verbs which show uncertainty:

1.       India could be one of the major economic powers of this century.

2.       Small companies might also benefit from the increase in world trade.

3.       More globalization may have a negative impact on the environment.

Rewrite the statements to make them less certain, using the words in brackets:

1.       Buying more fair trade food leads to an increase in the use of planes. (may)

2.       Globalization has an effect on local culture and traditions. (could)

3.       An increase in exports leads to an increase in the number of jobs. (might)