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What are modal verbs in English Grammar?
Modal verbs are special helping verbs used to express possibility, ability, permission, obligation, advice, and more. Words like can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, ought to, need, and dare help shape the meaning and tone of a sentence.
Learning how to use modal verbs correctly allows speakers and writers to communicate more clearly and effectively. This guide includes clear examples and practical exercises to help you understand and apply modal verbs with confidence.
1] ‘DO’
The Auxiliary do is used:—
(1) To form the Negative of the Simple Present (one-word verb) and the Simple Past (one-word verb):
I do not know him.
He did not know me.
(2) To form the interrogative of the Simple Present and of the Simple Past (one-word verb):
Do you know him?
Did he come to the school?
(3) To emphasize a statement:
She does dance well.
I do need your help.
(4) To make a request in a persuasive way:
Please do come to my birthday party; I will wait for you.
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‘SHALL’
(1) According to grammar rules the Modal Auxiliary shall is used in the 1st person and will in the 2nd and 3rd persons to give information about future action:
I shall begin the work tomorrow.
You will begin the work tomorrow.
He will begin the work tomorrow.
(2) Shall is used in the 2nd and 3rd persons to express a command, threat or promise:
You shall leave this place at once. (Command)
If you make a noise, you shall be punished. (Threat)
He shall get a prize if he does not make a single mistake. (Promise)
In the past, rhymes like the following were found helpful to learn the uses of shall and will:
(a) When used in the First Person shall foretells,
In will a threat or else a promise dwells;
Shall in the Second and the Third does threat,
Will simply then foretells a future fate.
(b) ‘I will’, ‘you shall’, ‘he shall’, the speaker’s will express.
‘I shall’, ‘you will’, ‘he will’, the coming future guess.
Note: — These are old fashioned uses of shall implying Future Tense with 1st person and command or threat with 2nd and 3rd persons.
USAGE: In modern English there is a tendency to use will in all persons to indicate Future Tense or Command and Threat.
(3) In Interrogative Sentences, shall is widely used with the 1st person to indicate offer or suggestion and with the 3rd person to know the desire of the person spoken to:
Shall I make a cup of tea for you? (offer)
Which book shall I buy? (asking to suggest)
Shall the porter carry your box upstairs? (Do you want it so?)
Shall the messenger wait for the reply? (Do you want the messenger to wait?)
‘SHOULD’
The Modal Auxiliary should is used:
(1) As Past Tense of shall in Indirect Speech:
I said that I should report for duty the next day.
(I said, “I shall report for duty tomorrow.” — Direct)
(2) To express duty or obligation:
We should obey our parents and teachers.
(3) To express advice:
You should not tell lies.
(4) To express condition:
Should this happen, I will resign.
Should he turn up now, I have nothing to give him.
‘WILL’
The Modal Auxiliary will is used:
(1) To indicate Future Tense:
My friend will come tomorrow.
(2) To indicate request:
Will you have tea?
Will you please open the door?
(3) To indicate promise:
I will (= promise to) take care of your brother.
(4) To indicate determination:
We will (= are determined to) fight to the finish.
(5) To indicate characteristics or habit:
He will be talking all the time without doing anything.
This machine will work very well and will not give any trouble.
Mark the force of shall and will in the following sentences:
- The college will remain closed. (= It is probable that the college will remain closed.)
- The college shall remain closed. (= It is promised or ordered that the college shall remain closed.)
- You shall not harm the child. (= You are commanded not to harm the child.)
- You will not harm the child. (= You are not going to harm the child.)
- I shall not help him. (= I am not going to help him.)
- I will not help him. (= I am determined not to help him.)
‘WOULD’
The Modal Auxiliary would is used:
(1) As past tense of will in indirect speech:
He said to me that he would look into the matter.
(He said to me, “I will look into the matter.” — Direct Speech)
(2) As Past Tense of will to indicate past activity:
In the past he would go for a long walk every morning.
(Here would can be substituted by “used to.”)
(3) To express a wish or desire:
I would rather starve than beg.
(A wish or preference when used with rather)
I would like to ask you something.
(A desire or intention when used with like)
(4) To indicate a request:
Would you please close the door?
(“Would you?” is more polite than “Will you?”)
‘CAN’
The Modal Auxiliary can is used:
(1) To indicate permission:
Can I come in? (Am I permitted to come in?)
You can go now. (You are permitted to go now.)
You can’t do that. (You are not permitted to do that.)
Note:
- These sentences show that the subject is seeking or granting permission to do something. Here can means be permitted to or be allowed to do something.
- May can also be used instead of can. Can is generally used in spoken English as it is less formal than may.
(2) To indicate possibility:
This road can be blocked. (It is possible for the road to be blocked.)
Accidents can happen any time. (It is possible for accidents to happen any time.)
Note: — Can indicates a theoretical possibility and may a factual possibility.
Compare:
This road can be blocked. (A theoretical possibility though nobody has blocked it at present.)
This road may be blocked today due to Ramleela procession.
(A factual possibility that the road may be found blocked.)
(3) To indicate ability:
He can speak English. (He is able to speak English.)
He can lift this heavy box. (He is able or powerful enough to lift this heavy box.)
He can solve this problem. (He knows how to solve this problem.)
Note: — Can means be able to. It has the power to know how to do a thing or be capable of doing a thing.
‘COULD’
The Modal Auxiliary could is used:
(1) As Past Tense of can in Indirect Speech:
He said that he could solve the problem.
(He said, “I can solve the problem.” — Direct Speech)
(2) To indicate ability in the past:
I could swim across the river when I was young.
Till 1999 I could read without glasses.
(3) To indicate permission:
Could I use your telephone?
(4) To indicate possibility:
This road could be blocked.
Note:
- Could can be used for theoretical or factual possibility and to indicate present or future time. Compare it with can and may.
- Could also expresses possibility in conditional sentences:
If I had the money, I could buy the house.
I could have helped him if he had asked me.
(5) To express a polite request in the form of a question:
Could you wait for a minute?
Could you lend me your bicycle for a day?
‘MAY’
The Modal Auxiliary may is used:—
(1) To indicate permission:
May I come in?
You may not go.
Note: — May is more formal than can. In the negative ‘may not go‘ is stronger than ‘cannot go‘, and ‘must not go‘ stronger than ‘cannot go‘.
(2) To indicate possibility:
The road may be blocked today due to the procession.
Note: — It is a factual possibility that the road will be blocked today owing to a procession. Compare it with can:
It can rain any day. (theoretical possibility)
It may rain this evening as the clouds are gathering. (factual possibility)
(3) To express a wish in formal English:
May you live long!
May God bless you!
May his soul rest in peace!
(4) To indicate a purpose:
We eat that we may live.
He flatters his boss that he may get a quick promotion.
‘MIGHT’
The Modal Auxiliary might is used:
(1) As past tense of may in Indirect Speech:
He said that he might come.
(He said, “I may come.” — Direct Speech)
(2) To indicate permission:
Might I use your telephone?
Note: — It is a less positive and hesitant way of saying “May/Can I use your telephone?” but it implies more politeness than may and can.
(3) To indicate possibility:
It might rain.
Note:
- Might is less positive and indicates remote possibility as compared to “It may rain.”
- In modern English, could and might are used as less positive versions of can and may.
‘MUST’
The Modal Auxiliary must is used:—
(1) To indicate obligation or compulsion:
You must be back by 10 o’clock.
You must not do it.
You must see a doctor.
(2) To indicate determination:
I must finish the work by next Monday at any cost.
(3) To express some strong possibility:
There must be some mistake somewhere.
All his money and jewels must be hidden somewhere in this cave.
‘OUGHT’
The Modal Auxiliary ought is used to express moral obligation, duty or desirability:
You ought not to speak to your parents in this manner.
We ought to love our neighbours.
Note:
- The verb that follows ought is a full-infinitive (having to before it). To stress this point, ought is sometimes referred to as ought to.
- The idea of obligation can also be expressed with should or must. However, ought to is used when a feeling of duty is involved.
- The negative form of ought to is ought not to.
‘DARE’
Dare and Need are used as Modal Auxiliaries or as Finite Verbs. Their uses in some cases may look a little different from those of the other Modal Auxiliaries.
Dare as a Modal Auxiliary means ‘be bold enough to’.
It is commonly used in Interrogative and Negative sentences. It can also be used with do/did.
The do/did Interrogative and Negative forms are followed in theory by the infinitive with to, but in practice the to is often omitted.
Examples:
- How dare you fight with me?
- He does not dare (to) fight with me.
- Does he dare (to) fight with me?
Note: Dare as a modal verb does not take -s in the third person singular present tense and is generally used in negative and interrogative sentences.
More Examples:
- Dare he fight with me? (= Is he bold enough to…?)
- He dare not fight with me. (= He is not bold enough to…)
Dare as a Finite Verb means ‘challenge’. As a Finite Verb it is limited by the number and person of the subject.
- He dares (= challenges) me to jump over the wall.
‘NEED’
Need as a Modal Auxiliary means ‘be obliged’, ‘be necessary’.
It is commonly used in Negatives and Interrogatives.
Interrogatives and Negatives are followed by infinitives without ‘to’.
Note: As a modal verb, need:
- Does not take “-s” in third person singular present.
- Can also be used with do/did when followed by an infinitive with ‘to’.
Examples:
- Need I tell him to go? (Is it necessary?)
- He need not go. (It is not necessary.)
- I need hardly tell you. (You must already know.)
- Does he need to go so soon?
Need as a Finite Verb means ‘want’, ‘require’ or ‘be in need of’.
As a finite verb, it follows the number and person of the subject.
Examples:
- Does he need (require) any help?
- He did not need (require) to be reminded.
- This house needs (requires) repairs.
- I need (want) him at once.
‘USED (TO)’
Used (to) as an adjective means ‘accustomed (to)’ — shows habit or routine.
Examples:
- He is quite used to hard work.
- You will soon get used to it.
As a modal auxiliary, it shows a discontinued habit or past situation.
Examples:
- Here I used to live when I was a child.
- She used to drink milk; now she takes tea.
- I used to smoke; now I have left it.
Used is followed by to + infinitive.
It is often referred to as “used to”, just like “have to”.
Note:
- Used to is always in the past form.
It has no present tense.
Right: “I used to work in Delhi” is past.
Wrong “Now I use to work…” is incorrect.
Say: “Now I work in Kolkata”. - ‘Used to’ ≠ Finite verb ‘use’.
I used to use this desk in the past, but now it is used by my brother.
‘Differences Between Auxiliaries and Ordinary Verbs’
(1) Auxiliaries form interrogatives by inversion:
- Can Priya speak English?
- Are you going to school?
(2)
(a) They form negatives by adding ‘not’:
- I will not go.
(b) They take contracted forms with not:
- isn’t, haven’t, don’t, oughtn’t, etc.
(3) Auxiliaries and Question Phrases:
Auxiliaries are the only verbs that can be used as common ‘question tags’ or question phrases:
- She can sing, can’t she? (For confirmation)
- It’s raining outside, isn’t it? (For confirmation)
- They mustn’t do that, must they? (Conversational remark)
- It’s a nice day, isn’t it? (Conversational remark)
(4) Auxiliaries in Short Answers:
(a) Used for short answers to questions:
- Will he help us? — No, he won’t.
- Who wrote this letter? — I did.
(b) Used to express agreement/disagreement:
- Ram has passed the exams. — Yes, he has.
- He will pay the money. — No, he won’t.
(5) Auxiliaries in Special Constructions:
Auxiliaries are the only verbs that can be used in the following special constructions:
- Arun must come and so must Ali.
- You will help this child and so will I.
- Arun must not come, neither (nor) must Ali.
- He doesn’t speak Russian, neither (nor) do I.
EXERCISE-1
Fill in the blanks with ‘Shall’ or ‘Will’ as required:
- Shall I be killed if I move out of doors?
- Will he not do as he wishes?
- He will succeed if he tries harder.
- Will you give me your dictionary?
- “I shall die, and no one will save me,” cried the swimmer.
- Will you be good enough to send me a copy of your grammar book?
- I shall not be able to go to the office today.
- He will never repeat that mistake.
- If you go to the station, you will find someone to guide you.
- On receipt of this letter, you shall at once leave for Lucknow.
- He who wastes not shall never want.
- What shall we do this evening? We shall go to the cinema.
EXERCISE-2
Strike out the Wrong Words in the following sentences:
- I will/shall be able to visit you. ✅ (Correct: shall)
- I shall/will never submit to this disgrace. ✅ (Correct: shall)
- If I go into deep water, I will/shall probably lose my life. ✅ (Correct: will)
- I will/shall be happy to come to you. ✅ (Correct: shall)
- The Assembly shall/will never forget its first elected President. ✅ (Correct: will)
- We will/shall get all the things we beg for. ✅ (Correct: shall)
- The more we labour, the more we will/shall increase our chances of success in life. ✅ (Correct: shall)
- We expect that our committee shall/will do what is necessary. ✅ (Correct: will)