MODAL AUXILIARIES
I.NECESSITY/LACK OF NECESSITY/PROHIBITION
A.Complete the following sentences with the correct form of HAVE TO/NEED TO/MUST. Pay
attention to the tense.
1. I'm sorry I'm late. I....................................(take) my aunt to the airport. The traffic was terrible.
2. John.................................................(finish) the project before he goes on vacation. He'll probably
his job if he doesn't.
3. Susan..........................................(attend) the math lesson today. She has a very important exam.
4. Where is Sue? I........................................(see) her immediately. I have an urgent message for
her.
B. Rewrite the following using HAVE TO/NEED TO/MUST.
1. It was necessary for me tolook after Cindy, our cat when my parents were away.
2. It is compulsory for us to wear masks at school.
3. It will be necessary for every family to cut down on electricity in the following months as the
prices has dramatically gone up.
C. Complete the following sentences with NOT HAVE TO/MUSTN'T. Pay attention to the tense.
1. I
forget the take my keys with me.
2. Fortunately, I
take the language exam again next year.
3. Thank goodness! We
eat fish again last night. Dad didn't catch any!
4. My room is a mess but I
clean it now. I'll have plenty of time
tomorrow morning.
5. Johnny! You
play with sharp knives.
6. I
go to the doctor. I'm feeling much better.
D. Rewrite the following using NOT HAVE TO/MUSTN'T
1. It will not be necessary to go shopping as my mum has already bought what I was planning to
buy for my dad's birthday.
2. They don't allow smoking in the hotel rooms.
3. Cheating is strictly forbidden in the exams all over the world.
4. It was unnecessary to buy food as we were leaving the next day.
II. DEGRESS of CERTAINTY: Past time
A. Make your best guess from the information given. Use the verbs given.
1. Alice: Jack was absent yesterday morning. Where was he?
Bob: I don't know. He
(be) at home.
Sam: He
(be) at home. He
(be) at
the airport. (I heard him say. ''My dad's plane was late yesterday morning. I had to wait
three hours.)
2. Barry: You have a black eye! What happened?
David: I walked into a door.
Barry: Ouch! That
(hurt) a lot.
David: It did.
3. Sam: Fred fell asleep in class this morning.
Alice: He
(stay up) too late last night.
4. David: How did Fred get to school today?
Barry: I don't know. He
(take) the school bus. His father was here.
He
(drive) Fred to school.
5. Sam: Why are you here so early?
Barry: Fred told me that the party started at seven.
Sam: No,it doesn't started at 7. You
(misunderstand) him.
B. Complete the chart below using CAN'T HAVE, MIGHT HAVE, MIGHT NOT HAVE, COULD HAVE,
COULDN'T HAVE, MAY HAVE, MAY NOT HAVE, MUST
DEGREE OF CERTAINTY
Past time/positive
Past time/negative
almost sure
not sure (perhaps-brobably-maybe)
III. MISCELLANEOUS
A. Discuss the differences in meaning in the foolowing sentences. Explain in your own words.
1. He didn't need to/didn't have to prepare all that food. They phoned to say they wouldn't be
coming.
2. He needn't have prepared all that food. They phoned to say they wouldn't be coming.
3. He souldn't have prepared all that food.
4. He must have prepared all that food.
5. He could have prepared all that food.
6. He can't have prepared all that food.
7. He might not have prepared all that food.
8. Sam: Where is Fred?
Alice: He might be at home.
Joe: He might have gone home.
Barry: He must have gone home.
David: He could have gone home.
Jane: He had to go home.
Tom: He can't have gone home.
Mike: He need't have gone home.
B. Complete the following using a suitable modal with the verb in brackets.
1. What I like most about my new jobs is that I
(drive) through rush
hour traffic. I start work at 7 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m., which is so convenient for me.
2. Tom: Who's that across the street? It looks like Alex.
Cindy: It
(be)Alex, I talked to him on the phone this morning. He's
away on business in İzmir.
3. Barry: There's a big group of people from the office going out to dinner tonight. Why don't
you meet us at the restaurant?
Mike: I'm not sure. I
(come) later. It depends what time I finish
work.
4. Alice: This is Jason's fiancee. They're planning to get married next month.
Tim: But she
(be) more than 18 years old! Isn't she too young to
ger married?
5. Carl you
(run) into the street like that without looking first. It's
dangerous.
C. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the
words given.
1. There is no obligation to get an international driving license for this country. (TO)
You
an international driving license for this country.
2. I'm sure she hasn't refused such a good offer. (NOT)
She
such a good offer.
3. I went t the office then I remembered it was my dd off.(HAVE)
I
to the office as it was my dad off.
4. Perhaps we missed the correct turning. (MIGHT)
We
the correct turning.
5. It isn't necessary for her to phone my back (NOT)
She
me back.
6. It is forbidden to touch the paintings at the museum. (NOT)
You
the paintings at the museum.
7. If I were you, I would check the details before I sign the agreement. (CHECK)
You
beforeyou sign the agreement.
8. They took more luggage than was necessary. (TAKEN)
They
so much luggage.
9. The library was built too far away from the town centre. (HAVE)
They
the library closer to the town centre.
10. It was wrong of you cheat on the exam. (HAVE)
You
on the exam.
E. Match the explanations with the modals. There may be more than one correct answer.
1. It is used to express necessity or obligation.
2. It is used to express lack of necessity
3. It is used to express prohobition
4. It is used to express past necessity.
5. It is used to express lack of past necessity.
a. didn't have to.
b. don't have to
c. have to
d. must
e. mustn't
f. had to
II.DEGREES of CERTAINTY: Present time
A. Make your best guess from the information given.
1. Alice: Tom isn't in the office.
Bob: He
sick. (He is almost always here in time; I can't think of
any other possibility)
David: He
sick. (I don't know. Perhaps he is sick but there are
other possibilities.)
Barry: He
sick. (I just saw him driving along the King's Road.
(There is no possibility that he is sick.)
Sam: He
sick. (I do not know. Maybe he is not sick. Who
knows?
2. David: Have you noticed that our teacher wears something blue every day.
Sam: Yes, I have. He
blue.
3. Alice: Timmy has flunked every test so far this term.
Barry : He
so lazy. If he weren't, he would have passed at least a
few.
4. Bob: Someone is knocking on the door. It
Fred. (Perhaps it is
Fred but I am not sure.)
Alice: It
Fred. He went to a movie tonight.
5. David: Do you know why little Jane isn't eating her food?
Barry: I do not know. She
hungry.
Sam: She
hungry. I saw her eat u huge sandwich before the
break.
6. Tom: I wonder what that noise is.
His son: It
a bird.
Tom: It
a bird. It's running across the roof. Birds don't run
across roofs.
His son: It
a dragon!
Tom: Son, it
a dragon. They exist only in story books.
8. Complete the chart below using CAN'T, MIGHT, MIGHT NOT, COULD, COULDN'T, MAY, MAY
NOT, MUST
DEGREE OF CERTAINTY
almost sure
not sure (perhaps-brobably-maybe)
Present time/positive
Present time/negative