Modals

• can (could)
  • Could you help me tomorrow? (possibility)
  • I can help you next week. (ability)
  • You can eat that pizza. (permission)
• may (might)
  • I might be able to come later. (possibility)
  • May I leave early today? (permission)
• *shall (should)
  • We should use a map so we don’t get lost. (necessity)
  • Jack should help Jane repair her car. (obligation)
  • The rain shouldn’t stop the football game. (inference)
• will (would)
  • I thought I would be rich by age thirty. (prediction)
  • I will finish the report soon. (intention)
  • Would you carry the groceries into the house? Yes, I sure will. (willingness)

*The modal shall is formal and seldom used in spoken English.

• You must be crazy to think I’ll give you my password. (necessity)
• To avoid jail, we must not break the law. (obligation)

The contraction of must not is mustn’t.

• Could you please give me a job referral?
• Would you let me use your car tomorrow? (“Can I use your car” is less polite.)
• Might you be able to help me? (formal – “Could you help me” is more common.)

• Jane ought to have studied more. (necessity)
• I should have completed my homework last night. (obligation)
• Christopher might have left early. (possibility)
• John must have been driving when I called. (prediction)

Ought to is used similarly to should. The negative is ought not to: We ought not to go there.