Isabel Quesada Gmez

Fixed

forms (-s, -ed) Take no Auxiliary for the negative or interrogative + bare infinitive
(Except for Ought to/Need to/Have to)

 CAN

(ability) CANT (inability) Present COULD (General ability) Past BE ABLE TO ( ability in a particular situation) Present, Past and Future

 Will,

Must (logical deduction Certainty) Can, Could, May (may not), Might (might not / mightnt) (graded possibility) Cant (logical deduction Impossible / disbelief)
MUSTNT is not correct with this meaning

OBLIGATION/NECESSITY
MUST (external obligation / strong necessity) HAVE TO (internal obligation/necessity) NEED TO (necessity)

LACK OF OBLIGATION/NECESSITY
DONT HAVE TO /DONT NEED TO/ NEEDNT DIDNT NEED TO / NEEDNT

PROHIBITION
MUSTNT (stronger prohibition) CANT

 SHOULD
OUGHT

(NOT)

CAN

TO MAY HAD BETTER (NOT) COULD (polite) WOULD (formal)

(NOT)

In the PRESENT: NEED TO (+) /DONT NEED TO/Neednt (- / ?)

Do you need to see her today? Yes, I need to

speak to her urgently. Vegetarians think we dont need to / neednt kill animals to eat. You dont need to/ neednt hurry. Theres plenty of time. You dont need to / neednt come before 10. Work starts later on.

In the PAST: NEEDED (+) /DIDNT NEED TO / NEEDNT (-). Possible meanings:

Lack of obligation A) I didnt have to do it, so I didnt do it

B)I didnt have to do it, YET I did it

They didnt need to get up early, so they didnt. She didnt need to wash the T-shirt because it wasnt dirty. You neednt hurry as there was plenty of time.

I did something that wasnt necessary. C) Didnt have to do it but I didnt know I didnt have to. (regret).

I neednt have bought tomatoes. When I got home, I found that I already had some. She neednt have washed the T-shirt because it wasnt dirty. We neednt have taken the umbrella. But we didnt know this when we went out.

Must Certainty May/Might possibility Use a MODAL

Should Regret or Criticism Could alternative

Cant Impossibility Would Willingness

VERB + HAVE + V3

to make your modal perfect

(Image taken from Get it Right OUP)

http://www.english4u.de/modal_verbs1.htm (basic) http://www.english-grammarlessons.com/ http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omexer cise/contenidotematico.htm (Units 15 and 16) http://www.englishpage.com/modals/in teractivemodal1.htm