Tema 3.

- Some Modal Verbs

The verbs can, could, may, might, will, would, shall (mainly British English), should, must, have to and ought to are called modal auxiliary verbs. They are used before the infinitives of other verbs, and add certain kinds of meaning connected with certainty or with obligation and freedom to act. Need and dare, and the expression had better can also be used like modal auxiliary verbs.

Characteristics: Modal verbs have no s in the third person singular. She may know his address ( NOT She may.) Questions, negatives, tags and short answers are made without an auxiliary verb, just invert the subject and the modal verb or add not or n't to the modal verb: Can you swim? (NOT Do you can swim?) After modal auxiliary verbs, we use the infinitive without to of other verbs. Ought to and have to are exceptions. I must water the flowers. (NOT I must to water) Progressive, perfect and passive infinitives are also possible. I may not be working tomorrow. She was so angry she could have killed him. Modal verbs do not have infinitives or participles (to may, maying, mayed do not exist), and they do not normally have past forms (though would, could, should and might can sometimes be used as past tenses of will, can, shall and may). Other expressions are used when necessary. People realy had to work hard in those days. (NOT People really musted work) Id like to be able to skate (NOT Id like to can skate) Meanings:

can general ability could

Eagles can fly at 80 kph Molly could speak French

to be able to may can permission could might May Possibility and probabili ty impossibility prohibition Might Can Could Cant Must not Cant May not May Might Can request Could Will Would Must Cant Deduction or suppositi on Will Would Should Ought to Must order Necessity and obligatio n Invitation Will Must To have to Will Would Should Advice Ought to Must

They havent been able to win May I come in? / May I smoke? Can I stay? / Can I go? Mum, could I go and play in the garden? Might I make a suggestion? It may rain this afternoon It might snow too Can it be true? They could come by train That cant be true You must not disobey your father You cant park here You may not smoke here May I have some coffee, please? Might I have another cake? Can you help me, please? Could you lend me a pen, please? Will you please open the door? Would you please stop the car? She must be about seventy She cant be as old as that That will be the doctor You would be about five then They should be here by now They ought to have arrived by now You must be silent You will sit there You must come tomorrow too I have to be there before Monday Will you have another whisky? Would you like another cup? You should give up smoking You ought to slow down If you come to Granada you must visit the Alhambra

1.- Use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap :

(Can, Could, May, Might)

1.
but I'm not sure.

They (can/might) ___________ be away for the weekend

2. 3.
please?

You (may/might) ___________ leave now if you wish. (Could/May) ___________ you open the window a bit,

4.
his accent.

He (can/could) ___________ be from Sheffield, judging by

5. 6.

(May/Can) ___________ you swim? Listen, please. You (may not/might not) ___________ speak during this exam.

7. 8. 9.
day.

They (can't/may not) ____________ still be out! You (couldn't/might not) ____________ smoke on the bus. With luck, tomorrow (can/could) ___________ be a cooler

10. You (can/might) ___________ be right but I'm going back to check the times.

2.- Use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap :

(are, can, could, do, does, has, have, must, should, would)

"UNDERGROUND MUSIC"

Waiting for the Metro in Paris is a lot more pleasant nowadays, thanks to a project orchestrated by transit officials.

As Jim Bittermann reports, it brings a whole new concept to the term "underground music." It may be rush hour in the Paris underground, but these days down here there are good reasons to slow down a little when commuting is more than just getting from A to B, when the transit 1. _________ be too rapid. Increasingly, the underground tunnels Parisians know as the Metro echo with music worth being late for. That wasn't, and even today, isn't always the case. There's never a shortage of those risking starvation by attempting to sing for their supper, and there's always someone to appreciate an artist struggling. In the past, without much success, authorities periodically 2. __________ tried to eject the would-be musicians who inflict themselves on the travelling public. But with their numbers continually growing, the situation seemed to be getting out of hand. Transit officials came to the conclusion that if they 3. __________ not beat the musicians at their game, perhaps they 4. __________ perhaps join them, or at least organize it a little better. So just over a year ago, they set up auditions to select the 300or-so performers who 5. __________ become the official underground musicians of Paris. And it is now an ongoing process. Every six months, all the officially sanctioned musicians, minus those who 6. __________ found real work and plus those looking for a underground gig, 7. ___________ appear at a Metro audition. Antione Nazo, a one-time guitar plucker himself, video tapes them all for approval by a music committee. "We 8.

__________

not

have

the

pretension

that

we

9. __________ selecting music virtuosos," Nazo says. "We just put ourselves in the shoes of the riders. We want good quality music, not too aggressive, and as diversified as possible." Diversification 10. __________ never been a problem in Paris. A city which, as a current exhibition on street musicians plainly illustrates, has more than two centuries of encouraging the artists who work its boulevard. For those selected to be the Metro's officially sanctioned performers, there's a badge which ensures they 11. __________ work uninterrupted by transit authority police, and which often guarantees as well a good well travelled spot in a busy metro station, which

some musicians, when the mood of the travelling public is right, 12. __________ mean as much as 600 euros a day in income. Of course, that 13. __________ not happen every day to everyone. But many down here are not looking for a fortune. Paul Suzan said that "the people who play here play because they first of all, they love the music. But it keeps you in shape and gives you some pocket money". After a year in operation, Metro authorities believe their official musicians

14. __________ raised the quality of underground performances and the mood of the travelling public, and prove that there's more than one way an underground 15. __________ move people.