✏️ Grammar

Modals

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📖 Modals

Modal	Use	Example
Can	Ability, Permission	"You can tell jokes."
Could	Past ability, Polite request	"Could you tell me a joke?"
May	Permission, Possibility	"May I share a funny story?"
Might	Possibility	"It might be funny."
Should	Advice	"You should watch more comedies."
Must	Strong obligation	"You must see this show!"

📌 Important

Modals are always followed by base form (V1)
No "s" in third person singular
No "to" after the modal (except "have to")

✏️ Practice

Choose the correct modal

1. She (can/must) speak three languages.

2. You (should/could) watch more comedies. (advice)

3. You (can/must) see this show! (strong recommendation)

4. (Could/May) you tell me a joke? (polite request)

MathMaroc · Learning guide

Modals: obligation, advice and deduction

Original practice material · explained answers · no official-exam attribution

Understand the rule

A modal is followed by the base verb without to, except in expressions such as ought to. Can describes ability or permission in context. Should often gives advice. Must can express a strong obligation or a confident deduction; have to often expresses an external requirement. Mustn’t means prohibition, while don’t have to means absence of obligation. May, might and could can express possibility. A perfect modal uses modal + have + past participle to refer to a past situation.

Follow a method

Identify the communicative meaning before selecting a modal. Check whether you are advising, forbidding, describing ability or making a deduction. Distinguish present and past reference. Avoid adding -s to a modal or using two modals together.

Worked example

You mustn’t share another person’s private information: prohibition. You don’t have to print your answer: printing is optional. She must be at school: a confident inference, not a command. She might have missed the bus: a possible explanation about the past.

Practise and explain your answer

01Complete a prohibition: You ___ smoke here.

mustn’t — prohibition, not don’t have to.

02Give advice to a tired student.

You should take a break and organise your revision.

03Correct: He cans speak English.

He can speak English. Modal can has no third-person -s.

04Express uncertainty about a past event.

Example: They might have forgotten the meeting.

05Explain: We don’t have to wear a uniform.

A uniform is not compulsory. Wearing one may still be allowed.