Uses of Modal Auxiliary Verb
1. Can:
Ability
|
I
can walk ten miles at a time.
|
permission
|
You
can go.
|
Seek
permission
|
Can
I talk to you?
|
Possibility
|
I
can go to your house.
|
Request
|
Can
you help me with some money?
|
2. May
Possibility
(less than can)
|
He
may come to my house.
|
Seek
permission gently
|
May
I come in?
|
Purpose
(present)
|
He
works hard so that he may prosper in life.
|
Wishes
and hopes
|
May
Bangladesh
long live.
|
Speculation
|
They
may be waiting at the station for you now.
|
Give
permission (2nd and 3rd person)
|
You
may go now.
|
3. Could
Past
ability/ habitual work
|
I
could walk ten miles at a stretch.
|
Polite
Request
|
Could
you help me?
|
Past
inability
|
I
could not understand you.
|
Suggestion
|
You
could talk to the Principal.
|
4. Could have
Someone
could do a work but did not do
|
You
could have done the sum.
|
5. Might
Possibility
(less than 'may)
|
He
might leave the country.
|
Purpose
(Past)
|
He
worked hard so that he might prosper in life
|
Speculation
|
They
might be playing now.
|
- Shall
Future
event (I,We)
|
We
shall go out for a visit.
|
Command, threat, Authoritative order (2nd,3rd
person)
|
You
shall Carry out my order.
|
Intention
of the speaker
|
You
shall have a nice pen.
|
Determination
|
The
weak shall be given equal rights.
|
7. Should
Obligation/Duty
|
We
should obey our parents
|
Advice/
recommendation
|
You
should stop smoking.
|
Polite
request
|
Shall
I help you?
|
Use
after ‘Lest’
|
He
walked fast lest he should miss the train.
|
Assumption
in present, past and future tense
|
It
should be raining now.
He
should have reached home by now.
He
should have much time to reach the station.
|
Past
obligation
|
He
should have read sincerely.
|
8. Will
Future
action
|
You
will do the work.
|
Future
prediction
|
He
will start a school very soon.
|
Order
(2nd and 3rd person)
|
You
will carry out my order.
|
Determination
(1st person)
|
I
will do the work at any cost.
|
Polite
request (2nd person)
|
Will
you post the letter for me?
|
Future
habitual action
|
Spring
will come again.
|
Conditional
|
If
you want, I will help you.
|
9. Would
Polite
request
|
Would
you post the letter for me?
|
Offer/invitations
|
Would
you mind having a cup of tea with me?
|
Purpose(
after ‘in order that’ and ‘so that’)
|
He
worked hard in order that he would shine in life.
|
Conditional
(past)
|
If
you wanted, I would help you.
|
Preference
(would rather/would better/would sooner)
|
He
would rather die than beg.
|
10. Must
Obligation
|
You
must obey your teacher.
|
Advice
|
You
must take regular exercise.
|
Logical
conclusion
|
You
must be hungry after a long journey.
|
Certainty
|
He
must be a good boy.
|
Determination
|
I
must see him punished.
|
Past
certainty
|
You
must have gone there.
|
11. Have to
Obligation
(have to, has to, had to shall have to/ will have to)
|
I
have to look after my old parents.
|
Indicating
advice
|
You
have to learn English.
|
12. Need
Modal
( need not)
|
He
need not do it.
|
Principal
(need)
|
He
needs to do it.
|
13. Dare
Modal
verb(negative/interrogative)
|
He
dare not do it.
|
Principal
verb (affirmative)
|
He
dared to go there
|
Challenge
|
He
dares me to do the work.
|
14. Used to
Discontinued
habit
|
I
used to drink tea; now I drink coffee.
|
Continued
habit
|
Omar
(R) used to lead a very simple life.
|
15. “Be” used as Modal Verb
Duty
or necessity (Am to/ is to/ are to)
|
I
am to look after my old parents.
|
16. Going to
For
future intention
|
They
are going to open a bank account.
|
17. Had better
Preference
|
You
had better go now.
|
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