Modal Verbs
Modal Verbs
Modal Verbs
Probability:
First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something
happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or
'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.
For example:
Ability
We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.
For example:
For example:
We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We
also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed.
For example:
Habits
We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the
past.
For example:
When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.
John will always be late!
Past modals
The past modals 'could have + past participle', 'should have + past participle' and
'would have + past participle' can be confusing.
1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or
you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it. (See
also modals of ability.)
I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam (= it was
impossible for me to have arrived any earlier).
He couldn't have passed the exam, even if he had studied harder. It's a really,
really difficult exam.
2: We use could have + past participle when we want to make a guess about
something that happened in the past. (See also modals of probability.) In this
case, we don't know if what we're saying is true or not true. We're just talking about
our opinion of what maybe happened.
We can also choose to use might have + past participle to mean the same thing:
1: Should have + past participle can mean something that would have been a
good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like giving advice about the past when you say
it to someone else or regretting what you did or didn't do when you're talking about
yourself.
Shouldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't a good idea, but
you did it anyway.
I should have studied harder! (= I didn't study very hard and so I failed the
exam. I'm sorry about this now.)
I should have gone to bed early (= I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired).
I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (= I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't
feel good.)
You should have called me when you arrived (= you didn't call me and I was
worried. I wish that you had called me).
John should have left early, then he wouldn't have missed the plane (= but he
didn't leave early and so he did miss the plane).
2: We can also use should have + past participle to talk about something that, if
everything is normal and okay, we think has already happened. But we're not certain
that everything is fine, so we use 'should have' and not the present perfect or past
simple. It's often used with 'by now'.
His plane should have arrived by now (= if everything is fine, the plane has
arrived).
John should have finished work by now (= if everything is normal, John has
finished work).
We can also use this to talk about something that would have happened if everything
was fine, but hasn't happened.
If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have
enough money, so I didn't buy a car).
2: Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or
not (volition), we can also use would have + past participle to talk about
something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third conditional,
but we don't need an 'if clause'.