Modal verbs (will, can, may, must, etc.) are used to show if something is seen as certain, probable or possible (or not). They are also used in a sentence to express ability, asking permission, making requests and offers, and so on.
These modalities (ability, permission, advice, etc.) can be practised in the following exercises.
exercises
ability
- exercise 1: choose the correct modal verb to express ability
- exercise 2: choose between can, can’t, could, couldn’t and will be able to
- exercise 3: choose between met can, could and to be able to
- exercise 4: fill in the best modal: can, could, be able to, may or might
permission
- exercise 1: choose between can, could, may and might
- exercise 2: fill in can, could, may or might to ask permission or offer something
advice
- exercise 1: choose between could, would and should
- exercise 2: fill in the best modal: should, ought to or had better
- exercise 3: choose the most appropriate modal verb to express advice
deduction and probability
- exercise 1: modal verbs for past probability: choose between should have, might have, must have and can’t have
- exercise 2: modal verbs for past probability: fill in must have, might have, should have or can’t have
- exercise 3: modal verbs for past probability: choose the best auxiliary to express strong probability
- exercise 4: modal verbs for present probability: choose the correct sentence
- exercise 5: modal verbs for past probability: choose the correct form
- exercise 6: modal verbs for past probability: fill in must have, can’t have, couldn’t have, may have
- exercise 7: modal verbs for present probability: fill in must, can’t, could, may, might
necessity and obligation
- exercise 1: choose the most appropriate modal verb to express various ideas of necessity
- exercise 2: the difference between must and have to: choose the correct form
- exercise 3: modal verbs of obligation: choose between must, have to, should, ought to
- exercise 4: the difference between must and have to: choose the correct form
- exercise 5: fill in must, have got to or have to
request
- exercise 1: choose the appropriate form to express request or permission
- exercise 2: choose the best modal to express polite request: would you, could you, will you and can you
all modalities
- exercise 1: choose between can, could, may, might and must
- exercise 2: choose between can, could, may, might, must, must have, and should
- exercise 3: choose the correct modal verb
- exercise 4: choose the correct modal verb
- exercise 5: choose the correct modal verb
- exercise 6: choose the correct modal verb
- exercise 7: fill in can, could, have to, must, might or should
- exercise 8: fill in can, couldn’t, have to, might, must, ought to, shouldn’t or was able
- exercise 9: choose the correct modal verb
- exercise 10: choose the correct modal verb