Modal Verbs | MUST CAN WOULD SHOULD MIGHT WILL COULD SHALL MAY

hello and welcome back to english with

Lucy today I've got a grammar video for

you I know it's been a while since I did

a grammar video but a lot of you have

asked for a video on modal verbs so here

it is today I'm going to introduce you

to modal verbs i'm going to tell you the

rules how to use them when to use them

do note that there are a lot of

different situations in which you need

to use different modal verbs and it would

be impossible for me to go through them

all so this is an introduction and

hopefully you will leave the lesson

feeling a lot more comfortable when

using modal verbs let's get started

so firstly what are modal verbs well

they are part of a larger category

called auxiliary verbs and these are verbs

that add meaning to another verbnow modal

verbs are special because they follow a

strict set of rules and they are used in a

very specific way I'm going to talk

about the nine modal verbs today don't

get them confused with the semi models

that only follow some of the modal verb

rules now if I ask you right now to tell

me the nine modal verbs would you be

able to tell me them if you can

that's great but for those who can't

I've got a really easy way of

remembering them we've got 3 m's 2 w's

to c's and two s' so when you

write them out in a pattern it's much

much easier to remember them all

so we've got the 3 m's we've got must

might and may we've then got the 2 w's will

and would we then got the 2 c's can and

could and then the two S's shall and

should remember will and would our

special in spoken and informal language

they can be contracted so will can turn

into ' Double L i will i'll and would

can turn into apostrophe D so we have

she would she'd now the majority of

these modal verbs express different

meaning depending on

the context so you really have to

understand the sentence or question as a

whole

I'm going to help you with this today later

on in the video we can talk about the

different meanings that each modal verb

can express but firstly we need to go

through the rules

what can you do with them what can't you

do with them without these rules you're

going to find it very difficult to use

them but the good news is that all of

these rules apply to the nine modal

verbs that we're looking at in this

lesson so rule number one infinitives come

after modal verbs but without to ok so

we're saying i might eat pizza

I can play football rule number 2 modal

verbs take no s in the third person

singular she must leave or it might

happen

rule number three modal verbs do not

change their form according to tense so

they've got no past form and they've got

no future form it just stays the same so

the easy way of remembering it is modal

verbs don't change they stay exactly as

they are so rule number four we use

modal verbs in negative sentences like

we do with other auxiliary verbs ie

without the word do so the way we use

modal verbs in negative sentences is

subject modal verb not verb

let's look at some examples you must not

eat my food

you must not eat my food or i can not

speak French

I cannot speak French so it's always in

that order

just like we would with other auxiliary

verbs now remember you must learn the

contractions for the negatives which are

used quite frequently in spokane or

informal language might might not

mightn't must must not mustn't may may not

no contraction

can cannot can't could could not

couldn't will will not won't would would

not wouldn't shall shall not shan't

should should not shouldn't

ok so those were the negative

contractions number five

easy now we've looked at number four

with interrogative phrases modal verbs

are used like other auxiliary verbs

modal verb subject verb some examples

can you help me

can you help me will you let him will

you let him so those were the rules now

let's have a look at the individual

modal verbs and how and when we can use

them so firstly let's look at might

might can be used to show possibility

they might be eating lunch or she might

give us a discount then we have may may

can also be used to show possibility the

teacher may be late today and it can

also be used to ask for permission may I

leave now note that using may to ask for

permission can be seen as quite formal

then we have must must can be used to

show probability or to make a logical

assumption

she must be stuck in traffic must can

also be used to show necessity I must go

home right now and it can also be used

to show prohibition you must not smoke

here then we have will we'll can be used

to indicate future time i will leave at

seven o'clock

it can also be used to make a promise or

to show willingness i will give money to

charity this Christmas it can also be

used to ask a polite question will you

help me with this

for example then we have would

again would can be used to ask a polite

question would you help me with this

it can also be used for invitations or

preferences or desires i would like a

cup of tea or would you prefer apples or

oranges then we have can can can be used

to show ability i can speak English

it can also be used to suggest a

possibility or give an option for

example you can call him tomorrow it

could also be used to show impossibility

that can't be her and it can also be

used for a request can you help me could

on the other hand can show past ability

i could do trigonometry five years ago

it can also be used to ask a polite

question could i call you

it can also be used to show possibility

and impossibility

she could be here or she couldn't be

here and it can also be used to make a

suggestion

you could try doing this then we have

should-should is used to recommend you

should try this new bar

it can also be used to say what is

correct

or right for example we should deal with

this right now

it can also be used for an uncertain

prediction he should be home soon but

i'm not sure shall shall can be used to

make an offer

shall i help you with that it can also

be used for confirmation

I shall meet you there at midnight it

can also be used for promises you shall

be the first person to know

ok so that was my very condensed video

on modal verbs

so what can you do next well firstly

your homework is to comment below with

three sentences using modal verbs I want

one in affirmative one in the negative

and one in the interrogative and up

until midnight i will correct as many as

possible and then i would like you guys

to correct each other

don't forget to connect with me on all

of my social media remember I now upload

lessons on mondays

wednesdays and saturdays so i will see

you for another lesson very very soon mwah