What are modal verbs?
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs that behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like “work, play, visit…” They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions.
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Modals Exercise for Class 11 CBSE with Answers Pdf
The finites which express the mode or manner of the actions denoted in the principal verb are termed as Modals. This class of helping verbs not only assists in forming questions and negatives, but expresses a wide range of meanings also. These helping verbs are can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, ought to, have to, has to and had to. These are also known as modal auxiliaries. They express the degree of certainty of the action in the sentence or the attitude or opinion of the writer/speaker concerning the action. Need, dare and used to are called semi-modals.
Nature of Modals
Modals are never used alone. e.g.
(a) I can upon the harmonium. (Incorrect)
(b) I can play upon the harmonium. (Correct)
So, modals have a principal verb with them.
Modals don’t change according to the number or person of the subject. e.g.
(a) I can play.
(b) He can play.
(c) We can play.
(d) They can play.
Modals don’t have the infinitive form. We can’t place ‘to’ with them in order to use them in a sentence. e.g.
(a) We must to get there before time. (Incorrect)
(b) We must get there before time. (Correct)
The following table will help you in understanding the use of modals
| Modal | Usage to Express |
| Can | ability, permission, request, possibility |
| Could | ability, request, possibility, permission |
| Shall | futurity, willingness, suggestion, insistence, offer |
| Should | obligation, advisability, necessity, futurity |
| Will | : willingness, prediction, insistence, request in question |
| Would | willingness, habitual action in past, probability, wish |
| May | purpose, permission, concession, possibility |
| Might | possibility, permission |
| Must | compulsion, obligation, prohibition |
| Ought to | desirability, duty, obligation |
Functions of Modals with Examples
Will
(i) To show promise, intention, willingness, determination with the first person (I, we)
e.g.
(a) I will change the system of our organisation. (determination)
(b) We will help you. (willingness)
(c) I will give you a gift of your choice, (promise)
(ii) To express request, invitation, insistence, assumption, characteristic or habit
e.g.
(a) Will you please help me? (request)
(b) She will be in the school during school hours. (assumption)
(c) The lion will usually kill animals, (characteristic, habit)
Negative Form of will: Will not/ Won’t
e.g.
(a) I will not spend my pocket money.
(b) She won’t eat unhygienic food.
(c) They won’t win the match.
(d) My friend will not attend the party.
Would (past form of ‘Will’)
(i) It expresses the past form of ‘will’
e.g.
(a) He informed me that he would dance in my marriage function.
(b) The problem was how he would reach there.
(ii) To express past habit
e.g.
(a) He would drink a cup of coffee in the morning.
(b) My father would get up early in the morning.
(iii) For request
e.g.
(a) Would you please give me your bike?
(b) Would you like to spend this evening with me?
(iv) To express wish
e.g.
(a) I wish she would be healthy.
(b) You would be an engineer.
(v) To express an imaginary condition
e.g.
I would have a big house if I earned 110 crores every year.
Negative Form.of Would: Would not / Wouldn’t
e.g.
She would not get up early in the morning.
Shall
(i) To ask for a suggestion, request, advice with the first person (I, We) in the interrogative
e.g.
(a) Shall we start the class? (advice)
(b) Shall I have a cup of coffee from your shop? (request)
(c) Shall we open a new shop? (suggestion)
(ii) In the second and third person to indicate a threat, warning, command, promise, assurance, and determination
e.g.
(a) You shall go now. (command)
(b) If you sit with bad boys, you shall be punished, (threat)
(c) She shall get a bicycle, (promise)
Negative Form of Shall: Shall not/ Shalln’t
e.g.
(a) She shall not sing tomorrow.
(b) They shall not win the match.
(c) My friend shalln’t be dismissed.
Should (Past form of ‘shall’)
(i) To express duty or obligation
e.g.
(a) I should help my friends, (duty)
(b) You should not be lazy, (obligation)
(c) You should respect your elders, (duty)
(ii) To express an opinion
e.g.
They should be on the way to Jaipur.
(iii) To give or take advice or suggestion
e.g.
(a) We should go to the temple.
(b) We should obey our elders.
(iv) After ‘lest’ when someone expresses fear
e.g.
(a) Walk carefully lest you should fall down.
(b) They started early lest they should miss the train.
Negative Form of Should: Should not /Shouldn’t
e.g.
(a) You should not come to me daily.
(b) You shouldn’t make noise here.
(c) They shouldn’t tease others.
(d) We should not waste our time.
Modals Exercises for Class 10 CBSE with Answers Pdf
1. Fill in the blanks with shall, should, will or would.
- I …………… leave now as it is very late.
- You …………… have seen him dancing – he was simply amazing!
- …………… you like a cup of tea, please?
- …………… we have lunch together?
- All citizens …………… abide by the law.
- I …………… like to have one more pencil.
- I …………… complete this task as per the procedure.
- This bucket …………… hold 20 litres of water.
- To keep fit you …………… take regular exercise.
- Copies of the report …………… be distributed at the meeting.
- It’s getting cold now …………… I close the window?
- I …………… think the cost of the repairs will be about 200 rupees.
- If Ashok had more free time, he …………… join a sports club.
- According to newspaper reports the price of petrol …………… not increase even next year.
- It’s a beautiful day today! …………… we go to the beach?
- It …………… be easier to find our way if we had a map.
Answer:
- should
- should
- Would
- Shall
- should
- would
- shall
- Will
- should
- will
- Shall
- should
- would
- will
- Shall
- would
2. Fill in the blanks in the dialogue given below
with may, should, can, could, would, will, shall, might or must.
Anjali was looking out of the window when she noticed the clouds in the sky. “Wow”, she called, “it seems like it (1) ……………. rain”
Anjali: Sarthak! I think you (2) ……………. take the umbrella with you.
Sarthak: Oh no! The umbrella is too big! I (3) ……………. not carry it by myself. I (4) ……………. rather leave it at home.
Anjali: What are you talking about? You (5) ……………. get wet for sure!
Sarthak: You know, Anjali, people (6) ……………. get wet. It’s not the end of the world. (7) ……………. I just go without it?
Anjali: No, you (8) ……………. not. Seema told her husband that he (9) ……………. leave without his umbrella and look what happened to him.
Sarthak: What happened to him?
Anjali: (10) ……………. you please stop talking and take your umbrella with you?
Sarthak: There aren’t that many clouds in the sky. It (11) ……………. not rain after all.
Anjali: You (12) ……………. be joking.
Sarthak: Well, a man (13) ……………. do what a man (14) ……………. do. I (15) ……………. take the umbrella. (16) ……………. I take anything else?
Anjali: If I were you I (17) ……………. be happy to take an umbrella.
Sarthak: I (18) ……………. like to be happy, but it’s too heavy!
Answer:
- may
- should
- can
- would
- will
- can
- Can
- can
- could
- Would
- might
- must
- must
- must
- will
- Should
- would
- would
Can
(i) To express an ability, capability, capacity or power e.g.
(a) I can lift 60 kg.
(b) She can pass the MBA examination.
(c) Can you understand the English language?
(d) I can grant you leave.
(e) She can swim across the river.
(ii) To show the possibility
e.g.
(a) She can fall on the road.
(b) I can go there.
(iii) To take or give permission e.g.
(a) Can I sit here?
(b) You can park your scooter here.
Negative Form of Can: Cannot /Can’t e.g.
(a) She can’t run fast.
(b) They cannot climb on the mountain.
(c) I cannot speak against you.
Could (Past form of ‘can’)
(i) To express ability/talent in the past
e.g.
(a) They could win the game last month.
(b) She could sing beautifully.
(ii) To express polite request
e.g.
(a) Could I have your pen?
(b) Could I ride on your bike?
Negative Form of Could: Could not/ Couldn’t
e.g.
(a) You could not smoke at the railway station,
(b) She couldn’t cook delicious food.
May
(i) To show possibility or probability
e.g.
(a) You may attend the school today.
(b) She may win the match.
(ii) To give or take permission
e.g.
(a) May I come in?
(b) Yes, you may come in.
(iii) To wish or pray
e.g.
(a) May you get well soon!
(b) May God bless you with a child!
(iv) To show a purpose
e.g.
(a) My friend is joining a new company, so that he may achieve his target.
(b) He is working hard so that he may win.
Negative Form of May: May not/ Mayn’t
e.g.
(a) It may not rain today.
(b) She mayn’t attend the meeting.
Might (past form of‘may’)
(i) To express less possibility e.g.
(a) He might help us.
(b) She might be a winner in the competition.
(ii) For permission e.g.
(a) Might I begin to reveal the truth?
(b) Might I start speaking?
(iii) To express guess e.g.
That might be Rohit.
Negative Form of Might: Might not/ Mightn’t
e.g.
(a) It might not rain.
(b) She mightn’t talk to me this evening.
TIP ‘May’ and ‘might’ can be used interchangeably to express possibility. However, we usually use ’might’ when something is less likely and ’may’ when it is more likely.
Must
(i) To express necessity or obligation
e.g.
(a) You must take part in the competition.
(b) We must love our motherland.
(ii) To indicate assumption or conclusion
e.g.
(a) She must be here in the evening.
(b) Mr AK Gupta must be a good teacher.
(iii) In case of prohibition
e.g.
You must not bunk school.
Negative Form of Must: Must not/ Mustn’t
e.g.
(a) You must not play in sunlight.
(b) You must not write your name on the walls.
(c) You mustn’t make a fuss over this.
Have to/ Has to/ Had to
(i) To express obligation or compulsion (While talking about rules, laws)
e.g.
(a) I have to reach school early.
(b) She has to work late in the office.
(c) They had to follow the instruction.
Negative Form of Have to : Don’t have to
e.g.
(a) I don’t have to cook the food at home.
(b) She doesn’t have to work till late in the office.
Fill in the Blanks with Modals with Answers Class 10 CBSE Pdf
1. Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with can, could, couldn’t, must or might.
Before this year, I (a) …………… move out of my parents’ house because I did not have a job. But now that I have finished college and have a job, I realise that living at home (b) …………… drive my parents and me crazy.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find a flat on rent in the city. Without an agent, you (c) …………… not be able to find all the available listings. Because of my agent’s help, I found a wonderful flat this morning and signed the lease. Before now, I couldn’t sign a lease, but now I (d) …………… because I am twenty-one.
I asked my friends to help me move because I knew that I (e) …………… fit all my possessions into my little car. My best friend said, “I (f) …………… help you move next Sunday.” He added, “I (g) …………… help in the morning as I am free.” My father also offered to help me move. He (h) …………… be really eager to have me move out!
Answer:
(a) couldn’t
(b) could
(c) might
(d) can
(e) couldn’t
(f) might
(g) could
(h) must
2. Fill in the blanks with have to, had to, must or must not.
(a) I …………… be at the meeting by 10.1 will probably take a taxi.
(b) You …………… remember to pay the rent tomorrow – the landlord is very strict about paying on time.
(c) The answer in the book …………… be wrong!
(d) You …………… not submit the application if it has not been completely filled up.
(e) You …………… be so rude! Why don’t you try saying ‘please’ once in a while?
Answer:
(a) must, have to
(b) must
(c) must
(d) must
(e) must not
Ought to
(i) To express moral obligation or duty
e.g.
(a) You ought to respect your parents.
(b) You ought to serve the nation.
(c) We ought to help our relatives.
(d) We ought to speak the truth.
(ii) To give advice
e.g.
You ought to study hard to achieve success.
Negative Form of Ought to: Ought not to/ Oughtn’t to
e.g.
(a) You ought not to hate your neighbours.
(b) You oughtn’t to insult your elders.
Use of ‘Need, Need to’,
‘Dare’ and ‘Used to’
Need and dare are considered semi-modals because they can be used either as modal auxiliaries or as main verbs.
Need/Need to
As a modal auxiliary verb in negative terms, it indicates the absence of obligation. It expresses the speaker’s authority or advice and is used for the present and the future, e.g. You needn’t type this letter.
(i) The interrogative is formed by inversion, e.g. Need I speak to him?
(ii) Its past is had needed to in the affirmative sentence, need not have in the negative and need have in the interrogative.
e.g.
(a) Need I have gone to him?
(Interrogative in the past)
(b) I had needed to go to him.
(Affirmative in the past)
(c) You needn’t have gone to meet him.
(Negative in the past)
(d) You need to go to the barber-your hair are too
long. (Affirmative in the future)
Dare
As a modal auxiliary, dare refers to being bold and courageous. The negative is formed by dare not and the interrogative by inversion,
e.g.
(a) Dare we talk to them?
(b) dare not disturb them.
Used to
(i) A discontinued habit or a past situation which is no more in the present.
e.g.
He used to drink daily. (Now he does not drink)
(ii) Something existing in the past.
e.g.
This used to be a dense jungle before.
Modals Exercises with Answers Pdf
1. Fill in the blanks with suitable modals from the box below.
should, might, can, could, have to, must
- She ………………… be exhausted after such a long flight.
- You ………………… research the route a little more before you set sail.
- When you have a small child in the house, you ………………… not leave small objects lying around.
- ” ………………… you hold your breath for more than a minute?” “No, I can’t.”
- Jasprit’s house is really large! It ………………… have taken a long time to build.
- Please look after my baby for two hours as I ………………… bring my mother from the station.
- I ………………… speak Gujarati fluently when I was a child.
- The teacher said we ………………… read the book if we needed extra credit.
Answer:
- must
- should
- must
- Can
- must
- have to
- could
- should
2. Fill in the blanks with either ought to or need to.
- You ………………… switch off the light when you leave the room.
- You ………………… get up very early in the morning if you want to catch the Shatabdi train.
- I ………………… replace the front tyre of my bike as it is totally worn out.
- We ………………… hurry if we want to reach Gwalior by nightfall.
- Ravi ………………… give evidence at the court tomorrow.
- You ………………… park in the designated parking space only, otherwise, you may be fined.
- All children ………………… obey their parents.
- You ………………… drive carefully in bad weather.
Answer:
- ought to
- need to
- need to
- need to
- ought to
- ought to
- ought to
- ought to
3. Fill in the blanks in the passage about football given below with either must not or need not.
The teams (1) ………………… have more than 11 players on the field during a match. But there (2) ………………… even be 11 players playing for each team. Players (3) ………………… wear anything which might injure another player. Players (4) ………………… play the ball with their feet only; they can use their head and body, but not their hands. Substituted players (5) ………………… return to the game. Players (6) ………………… leave the game without the referee’s permission. Players (7) ………………… hold or catch an opponent. The referee (8) ………………… send a player off if he has committed a foul for the first time in the game.
Answer:
- must not
- need not
- must not
- need not
- need not
- must not
- must not
- need not
Modals Practice Exercises with Answers for Class 11 CBSE Pdf
Error Correction
Each of the following sentences in this exercise has an underlined word/phrase and three words/phrases are given after the sentence. If one of the given words/phrases makes the sentence grammatically correct, select the word/phrase as your answer. If the sentence is grammatically correct as it is, choose option (d) as your answer.
Question 1.
Walk slowly lest you might fall down.
(a) should
(b) could
(c) can
(d) No correction
Answer:
(a) should
Question 2.
One ought to respect one’s elders.
(a) may
(b) could
(c) would
(d) No correction
Answer:
(d) No correction
Question 3.
Tendulkar would play cricket when he was 3.
(a) shall
(b) can
(c) could
(d) No corrçction
Answer:
(c) could
Question 4.
Should you hit the nail on the head?
(a) Must
(b) Can
(c) Shall
(d) No correction
Answer:
(b) Can
Question 5.
Revneet may come to the party today evening.
(a) can
(b) ought
(c) have to
(d) No correction
Answer:
(d) No correction
Question 6.
You will not take so many leaves.
(a) must
(b) must not
(c) ought to
(d) No correction
Answer:
(b) must not
Question 7.
Should you please lend me your scooter?
(a) Could
(b) Must
(c) Might
(d) No correction
Answer:
(a) Could
Question 8.
Vimal is going to a new company so that he can get a good sa1ary
(a) should
(b) must
(c) may
(d) No correction
Answer:
(c) may
Question 9.
If I get selected for the exam, I could go on a vacation.
(a) would
(b) can
(c) must
(d) No correction
Answer:
(a) would
Question 10.
I wish she would pass the exam
(a) could
(b) must
(c) can
(d) No correction
Answer:
(a) could
Question 11.
You can follow the traffic rules
(a) may
(b) will
(c) must
(d) No correction
Answer:
(c) must
Question 12.
Sudhir might allow me to come late in the evening.
(a) can
(b) must
(c) ought to
(d) No correction
Answer:
(d) No correction
Question 13.
Look at the time. The match would have started.
(a) will have
(b) could have
(c) shall have
(d) No correction
Answer:
(a) will have
Question 14.
It was half-past six. My brother will have finished work. :
(a) could have
(b) ought to
(c) would have
(d) No correction
Answer:
(c) would have
Question 15.
If we don’t hurry we could be late.
(a) should
(b) need to
(c) dare
(d) No correction
Answer:
(d) No correction
Question 16.
You cannot spend a lot of money on presents.
(a) need
(b) dare not
(c) need not
(d) No correction
Answer:
(c) need not
Question 17.
I need to go for a morning walk when I was in Delhi.
(a) used
(b) used to
(c) have to
(d) No correction
Answer:
(b) used to
Question 18.
No one dare to go there.
(a) may
(b) ought not
(c) need
(d) No correction
Answer:
(d) No correction
Question 19.
Medical facilities may be free.
(a) ought not
(b) ought to
(c) shall
(d) No correction
Answer:
(b) ought to
Question 20.
Najtjlc would have done well in life but he did not believe in himself.
(a) shall have
(b) will have
(c) could have
(d) No correction
Answer:
(c) could have