Modals in English Grammar - Can Could May Might Shall Should Will Would Must
⌄Modals in English Grammar - Can Could May Might Shall Should Will Would Must - ऑनलाइन प्रैक्टिस क्विज़
Learn Modals - can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, need, dare, used to, semi-modals, uses of modals, modal-based error detection for SSC CGL, CHSL, CPO, Railway, Banking, CTET.
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What are Modals in English Grammar?
Modals are helping verbs that show ability, possibility, permission, obligation, advice, necessity, habit. Main modals are can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, need, dare, used to. For SSC CGL, CHSL, CPO, Railway, Banking, CTET modals are very important for error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks because students confuse can vs could vs may vs might, shall vs will, should vs must, need and dare as modal vs main verb. Important property: Modals take base form of verb without s, without to, without ing - He can go (not He can goes / to go), She may come, They must work, You should try. Modals have no tense form themselves? Can has past could, may has past might, shall/will have past should/would but meaning changes. Modals have no -s in he/she - He can (not cans), She may (not mays). Modals have no infinitive to + modal? No to can, to may wrong, but ought to is exception takes to.
Types and Uses of Modals
Can, Could, May, Might, Shall, Should, Will, Would, Must
Can shows ability, permission, possibility present - I can swim, You can go now, It can rain today. Could shows past ability, polite request, possibility less - I could swim when young, Could you help me?, It could rain. May shows permission formal, possibility 50%, wish - May I come in?, It may rain, May you live long. Might shows less possibility than may, polite - It might rain, Might I suggest? Shall shows future with I/We, offer, suggestion, legal obligation - I shall go, Shall I bring tea?, You shall obey law (legal). Should shows advice, duty, expectation, should have - You should work hard, You should obey parents, He should be there now. Will shows future willingness, promise, habit - I will go, I will help you, He will smoke. Would shows past of will, polite request, imaginary condition, habit past - I would go, Would you help?, If I were you I would go, He would go for walk daily (past habit). Must shows strong obligation, necessity, compulsion, conclusion - You must work hard, You must not smoke, He must be ill (conclusion).
Ought to, Need, Dare, Used to, Semi-Modals and Error Detection
Ought to shows moral duty, advice same as should but with to - You ought to help poor, You ought to obey parents. Need as modal means necessity and takes base verb without to, no s, used in negative and interrogative mostly - Need I go?, You need not go, He need not come. Need as main verb means requires, takes to, has s - He needs to go, He needs money, Does he need help? Dare as modal means challenge, takes base verb without to, no s, used in negative interrogative - Dare he come?, How dare you say so?, He dare not go. Dare as main verb means to be brave, takes to, has s - He dares to go, He does not dare to go, Does he dare to go? Used to shows past habit which is no more - I used to play cricket, He used to smoke, Used to takes to + V1. Semi-modals: need to, dare to, ought to, used to are semi-modals because they take to. Also be able to, have to, has to, had to are semi-modal substitutes for can, must. Error detection: Common SSC traps: He can goes wrong, should be He can go base form. He needs not go wrong as modal need not go correct. He dare not goes wrong, should be He dare not go base. He used to goes wrong, should be He used to go base.
| Modal / Type | Use and Example |
|---|---|
| Can - ability, permission, present possibility | I can swim (ability), You can go now (permission), It can rain (possibility) |
| Could - past ability, polite request, less possibility | I could swim in childhood (past ability), Could you help me? (polite request), It could rain (less possible) |
| May - formal permission, 50% possibility, wish / Might - less possibility 30% | May I come in? (permission), It may rain (50% possible), Might I come? It might rain (30% less possible) |
| Shall - future I/We, offer, suggestion, legal must / Will - future willingness, promise | I shall go (future I/We), Shall I bring tea? (offer), You shall not steal (legal), I will help you (promise) |
| Should - advice, duty / Must - strong obligation, necessity / Ought to - moral duty | You should work hard (advice), You must obey rules (strong obligation), You ought to help poor (moral duty) |
| Need / Dare - as modal no s, no to, base form, used in negative/question / As main verb needs to, dares to | Need I go? You need not go (modal), He needs to go (main verb), Dare he come? He dare not go (modal), He dares to go (main verb) |
| Used to - past habit no more / Semi-modals - be able to, have to, had to | I used to play cricket (past habit), I am able to swim (can), I have to go (must), I had to go (past must) |
Common Modal Errors for SSC Exams
Most common SSC errors: 1) He can goes - wrong, He can go base form correct. 2) He cans go - wrong, He can go no s with modal. 3) He should goes - wrong, He should go base. 4) He must to go - wrong, He must go no to. 5) He ought to go? Ought to takes to correct, He ought to go correct, He ought go wrong. 6) He need not goes - wrong, He need not go base. 7) He needs not go - wrong as modal, should be He need not go (modal) or He does not need to go (main). 8) He dare not goes - wrong, He dare not go base. 9) He dares not go - wrong as modal, should be He dare not go (modal) or He does not dare to go (main). 10) He used to goes - wrong, He used to go base. Also: Can you? Could you? May I? Would you? for polite request - Could and Would more polite than Can and Will. Must not vs Need not - Must not = strong prohibition, Need not = not necessary.