Modal Review: meanings in present and past tense

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Modal Review

Cut the hedge

would have

I will cut the hedge. / I would have cut the hedge.

Meanings in present and past tense

Do these modals mean the same in present and past tense?

PRESENT	will	may	can	shall	must
PAST	would	might	could	should	(had to)

In these sentences, the meaning is the same:

PRESENT	PAST
He says that he will come late. (intention)	He said that he would come late. (intention)
He says that he may come late. (possibility)	He said that he might come late. (possibility)
He says that he can help. (ability)	He said that he could help. (ability)
He says that we shall help them. (obligation)	He said that we should help them. (obligation)

In these sentences, the meaning is different:

PRESENT	PAST
I can drive there. (ability)	I could drive there. (permission / ability / potential)
I could be a little late. (possibility)	I could have been a little late. (option, possibility)
I may smoke here. (permission)	I might smoke here. (possibility)
Shall we go in there? (invitation)	Should we go in there? (warning)
I will go jogging later. (intention)	I would go jogging daily. (past habit)
You must eat this. (necessity)	You must have eaten this. (conclusion)

Take a Second Look

These modals have multiple meanings and some can be used in the present time frame even though they look like past tense forms. *This action was hypothetical, it did not actually occur.

MEANING	TENSE	MODAL	SIMILAR EXPRESSION
FUTURE	PRESENT	I will leave tonight.	He is going to leave tonight. (intends to) / He leaves tonight. (as scheduled)
	PAST	He said that he would leave. (Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't.) * He would have left, but his car was not working. (He didn't leave.)	He said that he was going to leave. (but he didn't.) He said that he was going to leave, but he didn't.
INVITATION	PRESENT	Shall we go into this restaurant?	Let's go into this restaurant. / Why don't we go into this restaurant.
	PAST	(none)
REQUEST	PRESENT	Would you please close the door?	Please close the door. / Do me a favor and close the door.
	PAST	(none)
PERMISSION	PRESENT	May I come in? Can I come in? (informal) Could I come in? (polite) Might I come in? (old formal)	Do I have permission to come in? Am I permitted to come in? Let me in. (permission or demand)
	PAST	He said that we could come in.	He said that we had permission to come in. He said that we were permitted to come in.
ABILITY - Physical	PRESENT	She can run twenty six miles	She is able to run twenty six miles.
	PAST	She could run twenty-six miles (always or multiple events) Because she was naturally strong, she could lift 75 pounds.	She was able to run 26 miles. (single- or multiple events) After working out for six months, she was able to lift 75 pounds.(one-event )
ABILITY - Mental	PRESENT	She can solve that problem.	She knows how to solve that problem.
	PAST	She could solve that problem.	She knew how to solve that problem.
SUGGESTION	PRESENT	You could try a new method. You should try a new method.	Why don't you try a new method. I suggest that you try a new method.
	PAST	You could have tried a new method. ((but you didn't.)) You should have tried a new method. ((but you didn't.))
PREFERENCE	PRESENT	She would rather come today. She would rather come today than tomorrow.	She prefers that you come today.
	PAST	She would rather have come today than tomorrow.
LOST OPPORTUNITY	PAST	* You could have gone with us if you had said something. ((but you didn't.) )
POSSIBILITY	PRESENT	He may be hurt. He might be hurt. He could behurt.	It is possible that he is hurt. Possibly, he is hurt. Perhaps, he is hurt.
	PAST	He may have been hurt. He might have been hurt. He could have been hurt.	It was possible that he was hurt. Possibly, he was hurt.
ADVICE	PRESENT	You should write to your family.	You ought to write your family. (You ought not to write that to them.) You had better write your family. (You'd better not do that.) It's a good idea to write your family I am supposed to write to my family. (social expectation)
	PAST	* You should have written to your family. ((but you didn't.))	You ought to have written to your family. You ought not to have written to them.
NECESSITY	PRESENT	I must talk to you right away.	It is necessary that I talk to you I have to talk to you. I need to talk to you.
	PAST		I had to talk to you right away. I needed to talk to you. It was necessary that I talked to you.
EXPECTATION / PROBABILITY	PRESENT	His train should arrive soon	I expect that his train will arrive soon. It is probable that his train will arrive soon.
	PAST	* His train should have arrived. (but it didn't)	I expected that his train would have arrived soon.
CONCLUSION	PRESENT	He is not at work. He must be sick. (a sure guess)	He's not here, so I guess / believe / think he is sick. (sure guess) I conclude he is sick.
	PAST	He wasn't at work. He must have been sick.	I concluded that he was sick.

*This action was hypothetical, it did not actually occur.

Practice

Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.

#	YOUR RESPONSE	CHECK ANSWER
1.	Keiko needs to ask permission to buy a plane ticket to Japan. She will ask her parents: I buy a ticket home?
2.	Eddy has a good friend who is moving into a new apartment. Last month this friend helped him, therefore, he has an obligation to help. He help his friend.
3.	Katie knows how to do Karate. In other words she: She do karate.
4.	Jackson has future plans to go to Peru. He go to Peru.
5.	Wilson wasn't in class yesterday. He wasn't outside playing with his friends either. We couldn't find him anywhere on campus. What can you conclude? He stayed home yesterday.
6	Wilson wasn't in class today. He said he wasn't feeling well yesterday. He be sick today .
7	Where's Sharon? Class has just started and she is not here. She's occasionally late, but she always comes. (What do you expect to happen?) She be here soon.
8	Junko lost her backpack. She has also lost all her notes, class books, and other personal supplies. Make a suggestion. She look in the "lost and found" box in the main office.
9.	Jonah was offered tickets to go to a rock concert, but he was too tired to go. (It was a lost opportunity.) He gone to the rock concert, but he didn't.
10.	Evelyn prefers to sit in the corner and not by the window. What can you say about her preference? She sit by the window.
11.	Nina's mother had a heart attack. It was necessary for Nina to take her mother to the hospital. She take her to the hospital.
12.	I waited for my friend after school so I could give him a ride home, but he didn't come. When I got home, he was sitting on my doorstep. (How do you conclude he got home?) He gotten a ride home from someone else.
13.	Jonathan knows a lot of facts and trivia about sports. How do you think he gets that knowledge? He read about sports everyday..