Unit 5

Modals to Express Degrees of Necessity

Modals
They are auxiliary verbs.
Can, could, had better, may might, must, ought to, shall, should, will,
and would, have to, have got to, suppose to
Modals are used to talk about obligations, advice, expectations, and
suggestions.
Simple Modals
Used for the present and future
Modal + base form
Should invite, must go, will eat
Perfect Modals
Past
Modal + have + past participle
Should have invited, must have gone, will have eaten
Must/ Have to/ Have got to
Show strong necessity
Similar in meaning
Must
Formal/show a strong obligation
All students must attend class or they will be sent back to their
home country.
Have to
Useful in all situations where there is necessity
To speak English more fluently, students have to practice.
Have got to
Informal
Tonight, I have got to do some homework.
Will have to/ Had to
Will have to
Future necessity or obligation
Next semester, I will have to take English, History,
Biology, and Art.
Had to
Past necessity
Last weekend, we all had to do a group project for class.
Must not/ Had better
Must not
Its not necessary or it is prohibited
You must not smoke within 25 feet of any EKU
entrance.
Had better
Warning that something bad or negative will happen if
the advice isn’t followed.
The students had better do their work or they will fail.
Should or ought to
Advice
They mean “It would be a good a idea if…”
Examples:
You should/ought to study for class everyday so you
will make good grades.
Use should, not ought to, in questions and negatives:
Should I invite more friends to the party? Correct
Ought I to invite more friends to the party? Incorrect
Should have/Ought to have
Express advice about past situations
Examples:
You should have/ought to have wiped your feet before
coming inside.
 This suggests that the person did NOT wipe their feet.
The student should not have/ought not to have
spoken to the teacher like that.
 This suggests that the student did speak like that.
Be supposed to
Show an expectation
Only in the present and the past
Present
We are supposed to wear tuxedos to their wedding.
Past
The affirmative suggests that the actions didn’t happen.
 Everyone was supposed to meet at six o’clock.
The negative suggests that the action did happen.
 You are not supposed to ask any personal questions.
Could/Might and Could/Might have
Polite, flexible suggestions about the future
You could/might take your girlfriend some flowers to
make her feel better.
Could/Might have
Polite suggestions about a past opportunity
Well, you could/might have visited the Washington
Monument while you were in D.C.
Don’t/doesn’t/didn’t have to
Not necessary
You don’t have to have a lot of money to be happy.
She doesn’t have to go to an expensive college to get a
good education.
Didn’t have to
Something was not necessary in the past
You didn’t have to get me a birthday gift, but thank
you.
Listening Exercise
P. 84, Exercise 6
Weekend Assignment
Come up with 5 interview questions using modals.
Example: In your country, should I dress a certain way in public?
You can use Exercise 8 on page 86 to help you come up with
questions.
Using your 5 questions, interview someone from a different
country than you. Make sure they are comfortable answering
your questions.
Write a short 3-4 paragraph essay comparing your country to
their country based off the interview.
Monday you will turn in your interview questions, their
answers, and your short essay.