Expressing prohibition

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 513.

Expressing absence of necessity

Expressing obligation/duty/necessity

Expressing lack of ability

Expressing ability

Functions of modal verbs

Grammar exercises

a) Terry is twenty years old. He can drive a car. (present)

b) When he was ten, he could/was able to ride a bicycle. (past repeated action)

c) Paula was able to climb to the top of the mountain. (managed to do; past single action)

a) Sue can't dance. (present)

b) He couldn't/wasn't able to play chess when he was younger. (past repeated action)

c) She couldn't/wasn't able to finish the book. (past single action)

a) You must attend the meeting. (You are obliged to/You have to/You need to/It is necessary.)

b) I must attend the meeting. (I have decided.)

c) We are to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow. (We have arranged.)

d) You are to go straight to your room right now! (Strict order.)

e) I have to attend the meeting. (Someone else has decided.)

f) We ought to/should respect the elderly. (less strong than must)

g) Need I buy her a present? (Is it necessary?)

a) She doesn't need to/doesn't have to/ needn'tdo the shopping. I'll do it later. (It isn't necessary)

b) She didn't need to/didn't have to do the shopping as I had already done it. (It wasn't necessary for her to do it.)

c) She needn't have done the shopping. (It wasn't necessary for her to do the shopping, but she did.)

You mustn't/can't be late for work. (it's forbidden/you are not allowed to/it's against the rules/law)