Skip to main content

English modal verbs can could


Modal verbs can could


In English grammar, the modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, will, would, shall, should, ought to, need) are auxiliary verbs used to describe ability, possibility or necessity.

Use an English modal verb + infinitive form of the verb without to. Do not change their form:
      She could speak German and Spanish.(NOT She could to speak...)
      Could you speak German before you went to live in Germany? (NOT Did you could speak German...)

1. Ability

Use the following English modal verbs to express ability:

Present tense: can, can’t, be able to, manage to
      I can’t drive.
      I manage to concentrate, but it’s difficult sometimes.
      I’m able to speak three languages.

Past tense: could, couldn’t, be able to, manage to
      They weren’t able to find the address of the shop.

Perfect tenses: be able to, manage to
      Have you managed to complete the assignment yet?

Future tense: be able to, manage to
      He won’t be able to come to the meeting this afternoon.

Use can/could to describe general ability in the present and past. This is more common than using be able to:
      Can she remember anything about incident? = (Is she able to remember?)
      She could speak German and Spanish but she couldn’t remember what happened when she was attacked.

To express ability related to one specific occasion in the past use couldn’t, was able to, wasn’t able to, but NOT could
      The police were able to determine that she could speak German and Spanish. (not The police could determine that she...)
      She couldn’t remember what had happened.

Sometimes, we use manage to to demonstrate that something was hard/difficult to do/achieve:
      I’ve finally managed to work out what the problem is!

For perfect or future forms, use be able to or manage to:
      Apparently the police have been able to identify her.
      The police have managed to locate her family and inform them of the attack.
      Soon she’ll probably be able to remember more about the incident. (NOT Soon she can probably remember more...)

2. Other ways to use can

Use can as an alternative to mean sometimes:
      People can do strange things when they’ve experienced such a shock. (= people sometimes do strange things/ have strange behaviour.)

Use can for asking and giving permission:
      Can I borrow your laptop this morning?
      Yes, you can borrow it, but I need it back this afternoon.

3. Possibility
Use must, might, could, couldn’t and can’t when there exists evidence, information or you believe that something is probably or possibly true (or untrue). Choose the appropriate English modal verb depending on the strength of the evidence which supports the ideas.
      Highly unlikely: can’t, couldn’t
      Highly likely: must
      Possible: might, may, could, may not, might not

Could, may and might communicate the same degree of possibility:
      She may/might/could remember some details about the incident.

Couldn’t and can’t express the same degree of probability. Normally they are used to talk about the past:
      The authorities realised she couldn’t be American. (= it was very unlikely that she was American)

May not and might not do are not the same as couldn’t when expressing probability:
      The shopping mall may/might not be open tomorrow because of the public holiday. (NOT the shopping mall couldn’t be open...)

Present:
Use may/may not, might/might not, could/couldn’t, must, can’t+infinitive+without to to describe present possibility:
      She may remember some details about what happened already. (= it is possible she remembers some details about the incident now)
      It can’t be very easy talking with someone who doesn’t remember anything about the past. (= it is very unlikely that it is easy)

We use may/may not, might/might not, could/couldn’t, must, can’t+be+-ing to describe events (possibly) taking place or in progress when the person is speaking:
      Her family must be experiencing some difficulty adjusting to the situation.
      The phone is busy. She might be talking to her family.

Past:
We use may/may not, might/might not, could/could not, must, can’t+have+past participle to describe past possibility:
      During the attack she must have struck her head. (= there exists strong evidence that her head was struck)
      She could have been alone. (a possible situation)
      She can’t have been from around here. (= there exists strong evidence she was a visitor to the area)

Use may/may not, could/could not, must, can’t+have been+-ing to describe possible actions happening in the past:
      She might have been trying to find something.
      She may have been running away from someone.
      She could have been waiting to meet someone.

Future:
Use may/ may not, might/ might not, and could/ could not+infinitive without to to talk about future possibility or uncertainty:
      She could make a complete recovery soon.
      The doctor may release her from hospital this afternoon.
      Her family might take some time to come to terms with what happened.

We can use may/may not, might/might not, and could/could not, must, can’t+be+-ing to describe possible actions in the future:
      I might be going to the movies later tonight.
      She may move back in with her family after this ordeal.
      She might not want to live alone anymore.

How good is your knowledge of English modal verbs? Want to try a quiz?

English modal verb quiz


Popular posts from this blog

Cambridge 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 | Writing Practice for IELTS

How would you answer this Cambridge 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 question? Task 1 Question How to Answer Task 1 Questions Sample Answer Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) tests your written communication skills - how well you can report/describe information. Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 (Test 1) IELTS Writing Test Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words. International English Language Testing System How would you answer this IELTS 11 Writing Task 1 question about water used for different purposes? Writing Practice for IELTS Task 1: Sample Answer (useful vocabulary is highlighted ) The pie charts illustrates water usage in six different regions around t...
Read more

How To Answer Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 | IELTS Exam

Cambridge 8 Speaking Test 1 How to give your opinion in English Here are some questions from Cambridge IELTS Book 8 Speaking Test 1 . They include the IELTS Cue Card Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire . A native English speaker gave these sample answers to show you what someone might say. Remember, you can answer these questions in many different ways. Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 Tips for IELTS Speaking Do NOT try to memorize full answers - this is unnatural and IELTS examiners are trained to identify memorized answers. Cambridge IELTS 8 Test 1 Speaking Questions & Answers Part 1 Topic | Neighbours How well do you know the people who live next door to you? I know them quite well because we’ve lived beside each other for a couple of years now. The people who live to the right of me, well, it’s a family wi...
Read more

Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 | How to Answer This Question

How would you answer this Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 question: The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010? How to answer Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 Question This is a question that many people ask when they are doing IELTS exam prepartion . IELTS Writing Task 1 Structure If you want to do well in IELTS writing, it's important that you know how to answer Task 1 correctly! In this post, we will discuss some of the basics and give advice on how to write your answers for Task 1. IELTS writing Task 1 pie charts are an important part of the IELTS writing task. Pie charts have three main components: a title a description (including what the pie chart is showing) labels for each slice Pie Chart Task 1 Writing Tips Describing pie charts in the IELTS writing test Pie charts have three main parts: a title, desc...
Read more