The past modals 'could have + past participle', 'should have + past participle' and 'would have + past participle' can be confusing. When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed. We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.Ĭlick here to find out more about obligation Permission My grandfather could play golf very well.Ĭlick here to find out more about ability.We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability. Can I sit here You can use my car if you like. Permission can We often use can to ask for and give permission. Grammar explanation We often use verbs with modal meanings to talk about permission and obligation. £200 for two cups of coffee!Ĭlick here to find out more about probability. Grammar test 1 Read the explanation to learn more. It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'. Probability:įirst, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. Here's a list of the modal verbs in English: canġ: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular.Ģ: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?').ģ: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to'). Click here to download this explanation as a pdf.Ĭlick here for all the exercises about modal verbs

Modal verbs questions exercises