Basic Modals

Modal verbs are special auxiliary verbs that express ability, possibility, permission, obligation, or advice. The basic modals include: can, could, may, might, must, should, will, and would. These verbs have unique characteristics: they never change form (no -s, -es, or -ed endings), they are always followed by the base form of the main verb without 'to', and they cannot be used alone without a main verb except in short answers.

Modals do not have infinitive or participle forms. They help speakers express degrees of certainty, politeness, and various attitudes toward actions. Understanding modals is essential for IELTS as they demonstrate grammatical range and accuracy in both speaking and writing sections.

• Each modal has specific meanings and contexts.
• <b>Can</b> expresses ability and informal permission.
• <b>Could</b> indicates past ability, polite requests, or possibility.
• <b>May</b> shows formal permission or possibility.
• <b>Might</b> suggests less certain possibility than may.
• <b>Must</b> expresses strong obligation, necessity, or logical deduction.
• <b>Should</b> gives advice or recommendations.
• <b>Will</b> indicates future actions, promises, or willingness.
• <b>Would</b> is used for polite requests, past habits, or hypothetical situations.
• In IELTS Writing Task 2, using a variety of modals appropriately demonstrates grammatical range.
• For Speaking, modals help express opinions with appropriate levels of certainty and politeness, which examiners assess positively.