Modals

Every sentence with a modal follows one simple discipline: the modal stays as it is, and the verb after it is plain. Four small concepts cover it.

1. The verb after a modal is always the base form (V1). Not V2, not V3, not V-ing, not V1 + s/es.

✘ She can speaks English. (use speak)
✘ I will completed the assignment on time. (use complete)
✔ Bhawna will visit the Eiffel Tower during her trip.

An adverb may stand between the modal and the verb (will probably leave, can easily do). The verb after the adverb is still V1.

2. A modal never takes s/es. The -s of the third person singular has no place here, because the modal is not a normal verb.

✘ He cans run fast. (use can)
✘ She wills go to Mumbai. (use will)
✘ Radhika mays miss you. (use may)

3. To express tense, a modal takes a helping verb, and that helping verb is also in the base form. Look at how one idea moves through time:

[[parse: S=He | MV=may | HV=have | X=been | V=working | A=here for long]]

4. After a modal we always write have, never has or had. With a third person singular subject we normally use has. But the verb after a modal must be in the base form, and the base form is have.

✘ He may has worked here. (use have)
✔ He has worked here. (no modal here, so has is right)
✘ Will Ramya had completed that work by 2025? (use have completed)

Modal + be + V-ing deserves a special look. When an action is going on at this moment, this structure gives a present assumption: "रहा होगा / रही होगी / रहे होंगे".

✔ He must be studying now, his exam is tomorrow. (strong guess)
✔ They could / might be playing cricket after class. (possibility)
✔ We should be leaving now to catch the train. (expectation)

The exam asks the continuous modal forms less often than the simple ones, but when it asks, it asks exactly this: will be drive, may be work. The moment be is seen, the next word must carry -ing.

✘ I will be drive into town later on. (use driving)
✔ I will be driving into town later on.

Some modals have a present form and a past form:

The concept. Can, may, will and shall are used only in the present and future. In a past sentence, or in a clause that depends on a past verb, we use could, might and would.

✘ He said that he may fail the test. (use might)
✘ I thought she will help me. (use would)
✘ Rohit told me that he may come tomorrow. (use might)
✔ He said that he might fail the test.
✔ I thought she would help me.

The same thing happens with if + past verb. The if clause is already in the past form, so the modal in the main clause must also be a past form.

✘ If you studied hard, you can pass the test. (use could)
✔ If you studied hard, you could pass the test.

But could, might and would are not only "past". They can be used in the present too, to show politeness or a weaker possibility. So the form alone tells nothing. The time of the sentence decides it.

Look at the first verb of the sentence. If it is said, told, asked, thought, hoped, the modal in the second part will be a past form. If the sentence tells us the time is past (when I was only five, as he was not well), the modal will be a past form too.

Can shows ability. It is also used to make an informal request, to ask for or give informal permission, and to speak of general possibility. Its Hindi sense is "सकता है".

✔ Radhika can lift this box. (ability)
✔ He can run fast. (ability)
✔ Can you give me your book? (informal request)
✔ You can go home now. (permission given)
✔ Can I borrow your calculator? (permission asked)

A quick way to tell request from permission. With you it is a request. With I it is a permission.

General possibility versus a specific chance. Can speaks about what is generally possible, a natural or general truth.

✔ Cactus can grow even in places with little moisture.
✔ Accidents can happen.

But when we speak about the chance of one specific event, we do not use can. We use may, might or could.

✘ It can rain tomorrow. (use may / might / could)
✔ It may / might / could rain tomorrow.

1. Do not put be able to after can. Can already means "be able to". Writing both says the same thing twice, so it is superfluous.

✘ You can be able to swim.
✔ You can swim.
✔ You are able to swim.

2. For an ability that has to be acquired in the future, use will be able to, not can. (For future availability can is fine: I can meet you tomorrow.)

✘ After this course you can speak fluent English. (use will be able to)
✘ I believe people can fly in future. (use will be able to)
✔ I will not be able to complete my assignment in time.

3. Can and not are written together. Cannot or can't, never can not.

✘ It can not be true.
✔ It cannot be true.
✔ It can't be true.

4. Permission that comes from regulations takes can or be allowed to.

✘ You may vote when you are 18. (use can or are allowed to)
✘ You may park your car in the public parking. (use can or are allowed to)

5. Cannot also says "impossible" or "not allowed". Radhika cannot come means it is not possible that she will come. You cannot use your phone during the exam is a prohibition.

Formal or informal? Can is for informal talk. With a friend, Can I use your pen? is fine. With a boss or a teacher, May I...? is safer. We take this up again under may.

Please do not think that could is always past. Its Hindi sense is "सकता था / सकती थी / सकते थे", but it has four jobs:

• Past form of *can* (past ability): can was ability in the present, could is ability in the past.
• Polite request.
• Possibility (a remote one).
• Suggestion.

✔ I could run fast when I was young. (past ability)
✔ He said he could swim well. (past of can in reported speech)
✔ Could you lend me some money? (polite request)
✔ They could come by car. (= Maybe, they will come by car.)
✔ It could rain tonight. (remote possibility)
✔ You could talk to your teacher. (suggestion)

Politeness ladder. Can you help me? is a direct request. When we want to be extremely polite, we replace can with could. Compared to can, could always shows more politeness.

✔ Can you help me?
✔ Could you please help me?
✔ Could you please leave us alone?

The cue for past ability is a clause like when I was young, when she was five. It tells you the ability belongs to the past, so could.

1. Could does not go with be able to. Both mean the same, so use one.

✔ He was able to lift the box. = He could lift the box.
✘ He could be able to lift the box. (drop be able to)
✘ She told her teacher that she could not be able to attend the class. (use could not attend or was not able to attend)

2. General ability versus a single completed action. Could is fine for a general ability in the past. But when we speak of one particular action that was actually carried out on one occasion, we use was / were able to, managed to or succeeded in.

✔ I could swim very fast when I was five. (general ability)
✘ The boat was upset but we could swim to the bank. (one particular event)
✔ The boat was upset but we were able to swim to the bank.
✘ We got late but we could catch the train.
✔ We got late but we were able to catch the train.
✘ The police reached on time, but the robbers could escape.
✔ The police reached on time, but the robbers were able to escape.

3. In a negative sentence this restriction does not apply. Nothing was carried out, so even for a single past occasion couldn't is fine, and be able to is not needed.

✔ We got late, so we couldn't catch the train.
✔ I couldn't find her anywhere.
✔ Ravi couldn't come to the meeting as he was not well.

The last pair to remember: I could run 10 km yesterday is wrong, because yesterday's run is one event. I was able to run 10 km yesterday is right.

May has three jobs: possibility, formal permission, and wish / prayer / blessing / curse. Might is its partner: the past form of may, and a weaker possibility.

✔ It may rain in the evening. (possibility)
✔ May I come in, sir? (permission, formal)
✔ May God bless you! / May you live long! (blessing)
✔ She might come tomorrow. (weak possibility)
✔ You might want to check this. (polite suggestion)

Why May I come in, sir? and not *Can I come in?* At school the student speaks to the teacher with a formal responsibility, and formal permission asks for may. With a friend, can is enough.

Strength of possibility. Think of it as a ladder:

So if a sentence says Rohit told me that he may come tomorrow, the past verb told asks for might. If it is only a weak chance, might is again right: He might be the director of this coaching.

1. Do not use be likely to with may / might. The idea of "likely" is already inside them. (May possibly is acceptable; the extra word only adds emphasis, so it is not marked as an error.)

It may rain tomorrow. = It is likely to rain tomorrow. = It will possibly rain tomorrow. = It is likely / possible / probable that it will rain tomorrow.

✘ He may be likely to come today.
✔ He may come today.

2. In a question, possibility does not take may. It takes could.

✘ May it rain tomorrow?
✔ Could it rain tomorrow?

3. A request does not take may. May is for asking permission for yourself (May I...?), not for asking someone else to act.

✘ May you help me?
✔ Could you help me?

4. May not and cannot are not the same. Cannot negates the possibility itself. May not keeps the possibility alive, and negates the happening.

Radhika may not come means there is a chance she will stay away. Radhika cannot come means there is no chance she will come. In the same way, may not can also say a polite prohibition, You may not leave the room, while the wording mayn't is not used.

5. So that shows purpose, and in the purpose clause we use may / might (or can / could). If the first part is present, use may or can; if it is past, use might or could.

✔ I worked hard so that I might succeed.
✘ I worked hard so that I might success. (success is a noun; use succeed)

6. In a blessing the order changes. May comes first, and the verb stays V1: May God bless you! (We study this under the Subjunctive Mood.)

Will and shall are the modals of the future. Their Hindi sense is "भविष्य", and each also carries a small extra job.

Will: future, willingness, promise, request, prediction, refusal.

✔ I will call you tomorrow. (future)
✔ I will help you. (willingness)
✔ We will never forget this day. (promise)
✔ Will you close the door, please? (request)
✔ I will not go to the party. (refusal)
✔ The forecast predicts that there will be little rain in July. (prediction)

Shall: an offer, a suggestion, a formal future with I / we, and legal or formal wording.

✔ Shall I open the window? (offer)
✔ Shall I wear the red one to the party? (asking for advice)
✔ I shall return soon. (formal future)
✔ The applicant shall submit the form before 10 am. (legal)

The traditional concept. To show the future, will is generally used with the 2nd and 3rd person, and shall with the 1st person (I, we).

✔ Ishita will come tomorrow.
✔ I shall help you whenever you need.

1. Informal way. In informal speech will can also be used with I and we.

✔ I shall continue my job.
✔ I will continue my job.

Modern English prefers will for I and we. Shall has stayed for legal and formal contexts. So in the exam, if both are offered for I / we and there is no formal or legal clue, will is the safe choice.

2. Formal context. In formal contexts shall is used with every subject, because will is considered informal. Here shall shows strong determination, or gives an order or instruction.

✔ You shall not catch me.
✔ He is determined that you shall succeed.
✔ Candidates shall remain in their seats until the papers have been collected.

3. Offer or suggestion with the 1st person. When the question is an offer or a suggestion, use shall with I / we, not will. A plain question about the future can take will (Will I need a ticket?), but in SSC exams, when only shall fits the offer sense, choose shall.

✘ Will I open the window for you? (an offer)
✔ Shall I open the window for you?
✔ Which book shall I buy? (asking for a suggestion)

Two points go with it. Will I...? does not ask permission or make an offer. Use Shall I...? or May I...? And Shall you...? is wrong for a request. A request to you takes will you / would you / could you.

4. Time and condition clauses. In the clause that comes right after a conjunction of time (when, as soon as, before, after, until, till) or condition (if, unless), we do not use will / shall. The present indefinite shows the future.

✘ When he will reach here, we will go to the cinema. (use reaches)
✘ If he will come here, I will tell you. (use comes)
✔ If I meet him, I will give him your message.

5. Be going to. This is the equivalent of will / shall, but it speaks of a plan that is already decided or a prediction from present evidence.

✔ I am going to start a new course next week. (decided, with a plan)
✔ Look at the clouds. It is going to rain. (evidence in front of you)
✔ I will buy a new bike. (an intention, no concrete plan yet)
✔ I am going to buy a new bike. (decided, with a plan behind it)

Will also has a safe partner for future ability: will be able to.

✔ After the end of this lesson you will be able to write a paragraph on this topic.

Would is the past form of will and shall, but in everyday English it does a lot more. Its Hindi sense is "आदत; offer". Its jobs are:

• the past form of will / shall (in reported speech);
• preference, with like, love, prefer, hate;
• a polite request or offer;
• the 2nd conditional ("If I had..., I would...");
• a repeated action in the past (past habit).

✔ She said that she would complete her work. (past of will)
✔ I would love to visit Japan. (preference)
✔ Would you like some coffee? (polite offer)
✔ Would you help me, please? (polite request)
✔ If I had money, I would buy a car. (2nd conditional)
✔ My grandfather would tell us stories. (past habit)

1. Reported speech. If the main verb is past, will becomes would.

✘ She said that she will complete her work. (use would)

2. Preference verbs. When like, love, prefer or hate is in the sentence, would is used for preference, not will.

✔ Would you like to have some coffee?
✔ I would hate to miss the train.

Would you like...? is a polite offer, not a habit, although it can look like one. Would is also the polite word for "want": I would like an apple, please.

3. Second conditional. The if clause has the past form; the result clause has would, never will.

✘ If I had money, I will buy a car. (use would)
✔ If I had money, I would buy a car.

4. Polite request: Would you mind...?. After Would you mind, the verb takes -ing. Another form is Would you mind if I left early?

✔ Would you mind lending me your book for a day?
✘ Would you liked to have some fries? (would is a modal: use like)

5. Past habit. Would can show a repeated action in the past, but it cannot show a past state. For a state, use used to.

✔ When I was a child, I would visit my grandparents every weekend.
✘ She would look beautiful. (use used to look)
✔ She used to look beautiful.

6. Would rather. It shows preference and has three forms:

With a new subject after would rather, the verb is in the past form (had, not have or has).

7. Would better does not exist. Say had better or would rather.

8. Unfulfilled wish. Would have liked shows a wish that was not met: I would have liked a biscuit, but there were none in the house.

This group of modals gives advice, duty and expectation: should, ought to, had better and be supposed to. Their common Hindi sense is "चाहिए".

Should: advice or suggestion, obligation, expectation.

✔ You should study hard. (advice)
✔ You should study daily. (advice)
✔ He should be at his home now. Let's go! (expectation)
✔ He should be here by now. (expectation)

1. Lest. After lest we use V1 or should + V1. (Lest itself already has the sense of "not", so we do not add another not.)

✔ Work hard lest you should fail your examination.
✔ Work hard lest you fail your examination.

2. Should after "necessary" words. After words like necessary, mandatory, suggest, demand, willing, a clause usually takes should + V1 (or just V1). This belongs to the Subjunctive Mood.

✔ It is necessary that he should attend the meeting.
✔ His older brothers were quite willing that he should go to sea.
✘ His older brothers were quite willing that he should went to sea. (use go)

3. The past of shall is not always should. Many students think: can → could, will → would, so shall → should. That is not so. For the past form of shall the word is would.

But in the sense of asking permission or offering something, and in an interrogative sentence, the past form of shall is only should.

4. Ought to. It is almost the same as should, with a moral layer: duty and responsibility. Ought to can replace should in almost every case, but not the other way round. After ought to, the verb is V1.

✔ We ought to follow traffic rules.
✔ We ought to obey our parents.
✔ The train ought to arrive soon. (expectation)
✔ The pollution level ought to be kept under control. (passive: ought to be + V3)

5. Had better. It is used in the same sense as should, but for strong advice, with a bad result in view if the advice is ignored. It is always present in form: it is not a past structure.

Structure: had better + (not) + V1 = should + (not) + V1

✔ You had better not be dependent on others.
✔ Radhika had better study.
✔ Had Ram better not go there?
✔ Hadn't Ram better tell him the truth?
✔ We had better check that all the doors are locked before leaving the house.
✘ You had better not to try. (no to after better)
✘ You had not better try. (the order is had better not)
✘ I think you'd better paid online. (V1: pay)

6. Be supposed to. It means an obligation or an expectation: You are supposed to bring a glass of water. The class is supposed to begin at 10:00. The past form shows an expectation that was not fulfilled: The class was supposed to begin at 10:00, but it didn't begin until 10:15.

Should and supposed to are alternatives. They never come together: They should be supposed to arrive is wrong.

Must and have to / has to have four senses:

• Obligation or necessity (करना ज़रूरी है);
• Strong advice;
• Strong assumption (deduction);
• Inevitability, something that cannot be avoided.

✔ I must complete my work. = I have to complete my work.
✔ You must stay where you are. = You have to stay where you are.
✔ This must be the dress you want. = This has to be the dress you want.
✔ Everyone must die some day. = Everyone has to die some day.

1. Two sides of must: obligation and deduction.

Deduction means the fact is not stated, but the evidence makes one sure. The strongest guesses are:

✔ He is panting. He must be tired.
✔ The lights are off. He must be outside.
✔ You have travelled a long way. You must be tired.
✔ The ground is wet. It must have rained last night.

Which one, must or have to? Must is the speaker's own feeling (I must remember to call my mother. It is her birthday.). Have to is an outside requirement from a company, school or law (I have to wear a uniform.). The line between the two is blurry. If the exam does not specify the sense, either one fits.

2. Must has no past form for obligation. For a past obligation we use had to.

✘ I must go to the doctor yesterday. (use had to)
✔ I had to go to the doctor yesterday.
✔ She had to go.

3. Must and have to do not come together.

✘ He must have to isolate himself.
✔ He has to isolate himself.

4. Have to agrees with its subject. After have to / has to / had to the verb is V1.

✘ The country has to struggled with child labour. (use struggle)
✘ If a person tests positive for Covid-19, he have to isolate himself. (use has to)
✔ She reminds me always that I have to be a little more careful.
✘ The White man had to swallow his bombast and have completed the journey. (after had to, use V1: complete)

5. Must not and don't have to are not the same.

You don't have to do it. = It is not necessary that you do it.
You must not do it. = It is necessary that you not do it. (Subjunctive Mood)

The first one gives a choice. The second one is a ban.

6. Can't is the negative of a strong deduction. He is a policeman. He can't be a thief. If must be means "I am sure it is so", can't be means "I am sure it is not so" (we meet this again in the perfect forms).

Need shows necessity. Dare shows courage. Both are marginal modals: they work as modal verbs, and they also work as ordinary main verbs. The key point of the whole topic is knowing which of the two they are in a given sentence.

The concept in one line: as modals, need and dare are used mainly in negative and interrogative sentences. In an ordinary affirmative sentence they are main verbs (fixed patterns like You need only ask and I dare say are the exceptions).

✔ I needn't go there. (modal)
✔ I don't need to go there. (main verb)
✔ He dare not take such risks. (modal)
✔ He doesn't dare to take such risks. (main verb)

1. Need. As a modal, need not means "there is no necessity" (= don't have to). A modal never takes -s, so with he / she / it the modal form is need not, not needs not.

✘ He needs not be poor.
✔ He need not be poor.
✔ You need not worry.
✔ You need not come tomorrow.

In a positive sentence need is a main verb, so it takes to + V1 and agrees with its subject.

✔ You need to take some guidance in Chemistry.
✔ If somebody attacks you, you need to be able to defend yourself.
✘ You need take some guidance in Chemistry. (use need to take)
✘ The environment protection policy need to become stricter. (singular subject: needs to)

In a question the modal need is followed by V1, with no to.

✘ Need you to buy so many books?
✔ Need you buy so many books?
✔ Do you need to buy so many books?

2. Need with a noun. When need is the main verb, no and any work as determiners.

✔ I need no money. (no is a determiner)
✔ I do not need any money.
✘ I need not money. (a noun cannot follow the modal need not directly)

3. *Needn't have + V3.* Something was done, but there was no need. (See the concept on past modals.)

4. Dare. It shows courage. As a modal it is used in negative and interrogative sentences. As a main verb it takes to and also do / does / did.

✔ How dare you say that?
✔ I dare not tell him the truth. (lack of courage)
✔ He did not dare to speak directly to the principal. (main verb)

I dare say you are drunk is a fixed phrase meaning "probably". It is not a modal use.

5. Dare is courage, not ability. If the sentence is about being able to do something, use can.

✘ He is over eighty and dare not read without glasses. (use cannot read)

Used to is a marginal modal. Three structures look almost the same, and each has a completely different meaning. Learn them side by side.

1. Used to + V1: past habit and past state. Hindi: "करता था / करती थी / रहता था". It is only for the past, and the situation is over now.

✔ I used to play cricket. (habit)
✔ I used to live in Mumbai. Now I live in Delhi. (state)
✔ She used to look beautiful. (state)
✔ I used to visit my parents every weekend.
✔ Alexander used to believe about himself that he was not an ordinary man.

The cue is a past time (in my childhood, when I was in school, when she was a child) together with a repeated action.

✘ She use to eat a lot of chocolates. (the form is used to)
✘ When I was in 5th grade, I use to ride on my red bicycle.
✘ My father told me that in his childhood he was walking to school every day. (use used to walk or walked)
✘ I want to learn yoga when I was in school. (use used to learn)

A repeated past action cannot be shown with the past continuous. Was walking every day is wrong. Use used to walk, would walk or simply walked.

Negative and question. Use did: I did not use to go there, Did you use to have long hair? (After did, the form is use, because did takes V1.) The form I used not to go there is accepted in modern English, but it is rare.

2. Be used to + V-ing: accustomed. The to here is a preposition, so what comes after it is a gerund (V-ing) or a noun.

✔ I am used to playing cricket.
✔ I am not used to drinking coffee.
✔ I am used to hard work.
✘ I am used to play cricket daily. (use playing)
✘ I am not used to drink coffee. (use drinking)

3. Get / become used to + V-ing: becoming accustomed.

✔ We are getting used to living in the noisy city.
✔ When Veena returned to India, she had to get used to driving on the left.
✘ She had to get use driving on the left. (get used to driving)
✘ She had to get used to drives. (driving)

4. Be used to + V1 is the passive of use. The subject is a thing that is being employed. This is why I am used to play cricket daily cannot be right: the sentence would say that I am being used as an instrument to play cricket, which is not what the speaker means.

✔ This pen is used to write. (= People use this pen to write.)

Quick check. Used to alone = past, over now. Be / get used to + -ing = accustomed, and it can be in any tense (I am used to…, I was used to…, I will get used to…).

When a modal talks about the past, it takes the perfect form: modal + have + V3. Some of these forms show unreality: something that did not happen.

Compare:

• He could kill you. (he is able to)
• He could have killed you. (he was able to, but he did not)

• He should study hard. (his duty now)
• He should have studied hard. (it was his duty, but he did not)

Here is the full picture. Read the "feeling" column and the structure will follow.

1. Needn't have + V3. There was no need to do it, yet it was done. Compare didn't need to + V1, which only says there was no need and does not tell us whether it was done.

✔ You needn't have waited for me.
✔ Oh! What a lovely necklace! You needn't have bought such an expensive gift. (the necklace has already been bought)
✘ You need no buy such an expensive gift.

2. Can't / couldn't have + V3. This is the negative deduction about the past. Must have says "I am sure it did happen", while can't have says "I am sure it did not happen".

3. Could have, not can have. Can does not take the perfect form for a past possibility. Use could have.

✘ A little carefulness can have averted the accident.
✔ A little carefulness could have averted the accident.
✘ You can have accused me of being lazy, but I will not finish the project right now. (use can accuse, a present possibility)

4. Do not use must have for a past obligation. For a past duty use had to. Must have + V3 is only a guess.

5. The same sense with other expressions.

6. Use the time clue. In the past, yesterday, last night, although, a result that can be seen now (a wet ground), or but he did tells that the move to have + V3 is needed. Without a time clue, the simple form is the right one.

✘ He returned the purse although he could keep it. (use could have kept)
✘ He should study English in the past. (use should have studied)
✘ I had to reconsider my decision as going to Syria might been dangerous. (use might have been)

After the modal have is in the base form and the main verb is V3. Never write would have been looked, could have avert or might been.

Many modals have an equivalent: a phrase that gives the same meaning. The concept is simple: use one or the other, never both.

Examples of the same meaning, said two ways:

✔ She can solve this puzzle. = She is able to solve this puzzle.
✔ You must be there. = You have to be there.
✔ I have got to go. = I have to go.

Why can't they come together? The second one just repeats the first. Can be able to is like saying "able to be able to".

✘ You can be able to swim.
✘ The project is tough and I can't be able to complete it by Monday.
✘ Although we had very good batsmen, we couldn't be able to score high.
✘ A historian envisions a future in which humans cannot be able to survive at all.
✘ As I am tired, I cannot be able to climb this hill now.
✘ He must have to isolate himself.
✘ They should be supposed to arrive.
✘ He may be likely to come today.

What is allowed? Two things.

1. Will and be able to are not equivalents, so will be able to is perfectly fine. It is the standard way to show ability in the future.

✔ I will be able to help you.
✔ After the end of this lesson you will be able to write a paragraph on this topic.
✔ A historian envisions a future in which humans will not be able to survive at all.

2. A modal can be followed by a different kind of equivalent that does not repeat it, such as would be able to in reported speech.

✔ She had hoped that she would be able to qualify the CAT with a high percentile.

After be able to, the verb is V1. The to belongs to the infinitive.

✘ She would be able qualifying. (use would be able to qualify)
✘ I will not be able to completing my assignment. (use complete)

How to repair a double expression. Keep the modal, or keep the equivalent. When the time is future, the equivalent will be able to is the safer repair, because can has no future form.

✔ I can swim. / I am able to swim.
✔ He couldn't score high. / He was not able to score high.
✔ I will not be able to climb this hill now.