Oct 05, 2018 how to use may, might and could to talk about possibilities 1 hi. Might not and may not mean that it is possible that something is not the case, while could not means that something is impossible. Modal verbs of possibility and certainty esl activities. May expresses possibility epistemic and is often used subjectively. In this tutorial, you will learn 5 general rules about modal verbs and then i will look in detail at the modals of possibility. Could, may and might english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Ability we use cancould to describe ability, and we use cantcouldnt to describe absence of ability she could play the piano very well children cant concentrate for long periods of time i can speak chinese possibility we also use can to talk about possibility. Future possibility and probability modals exercise future possibility and probability modals exercise 1 choose the correct modal to complete the sentence. Deduction on a past event joe may might have taken the wrong train. C may, might, and could in the negative might not and could not may be contracted, but this is never done with may notjust try it, and you will see why. We use may, could or might to say that it is possible that something will happen in the future or is happening now they may be arriving tomorrow. It might not rain this afternoon they might win the competition i might not it is possible that i will not.
May to suggest a possibility it may rain this evening. Learn how to make predictions, speak about possibilities, andor to speak about future actions with will, may, and might. They cannot be used with the willfuture, they have no infinitive, no toinfinitive, no ing form, and no past. Choose the correct form of can, could, be able to affirmative or negative. Use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap. English modal verbs may, might, could, can talking about. Grammar worksheet modals of probability past find the matching sentences below be careful. English esl possibility worksheets most downloaded 16. Can could exercises may might must have to shall should will would mixed modals exercises had better home.
The most commonly used modals are shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must, ought to, used to, need and dare. English grammar practice exercise, intermediate level. Modals are those helping verbs, which express the mode or manner of the actions indicated by the main verbs. Type use modal verbs example 1 to express possibilities for the future could, may, might it may rain tomorrow. Written by bob wilson robert clifford mcnair wilson 2007 can, could, may and might exercise use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap. The possibility of melvin having more problems with his health due to the cortisone injectiions was strong in the doctors view, and thats why he used may. The worksheet has three similar practice activities with answer keys for each. You can use may might and could with the same simple structure if youre talking about the present or the future. This english modal verbs lesson will help you learn how to use may, might, could, and can correctly. In english, there are three main modals of possibility. We use might, might not when we think something is not or will not be true, but we arent sure. It could also be used to say that something was true in the past.
Auxiliary verbs cancould, maymightmust basic english. Esl modal verbs of possibility and certainty activity listening and speaking elementary a1a2 20 minutes here is a possibility and certainty guessing game to help students learn how to use the modal verbs could, may and might for possibility and must for certainty. They mean the same thing and youll have no problems. English modal verbs may, might, could, can talking. Modal verbs worksheets, printable exercises pdf, handouts. We are not certain that something will happen, but it is a possibility. Complete the following sentences using can, may, might or could. I you he she it we they must might could may cant have been at work. Modal verbs of probability exercise pdf autoenglish. Present modal verbs of deduction and probability exercise check through the different uses. May expresses a greater degree of certainty you should ask him. Could for possibility this holiday could be really good. In this example may is used to express the possibility of me becoming a doctor in the.
Auxiliary verbs exercises elementary, intermediate and adavanced level esl. I dont know that the proposition is false and put it forward as a possibility. Keep reading to download this free english lesson with exercises. Learn how to use the future with will and may and might in english. This lesson consolidates your students knowledge of expressing possibility and probability with the modal verbs may, might, could, must and cant with the opportunity to. Modal verbs can, could, may, might, should, must, would, will and shall are different from. May, might, can, could test a1 a2 level exercises 16 multiple choice questions with answers possibility, request and permission. There is a grammar explanation at the bottom of the page. You can find links to the exercises at the bottom of the page. Can, could, be able to ability and possibility test english. When do we use might and might not might not maybe it is not true. A modal auxiliary verb is used to modify the mood of a verb. Modal verbs of probability perfect english grammar.
Grammar exercises for practicing modal verbs may might 5,104 downloads. Write in the appropriate modal form, then press check to check your answers. Rob and stephen look at how must, could and perhaps can be used to speak about certainty and possibility. Modals of ability 1 can, could, be able to, may, might choose the best modal for each sentence. May is used to express what is possible, factual, or could be factual.
To talk about past ability and possibility, we use couldcouldnt or waswere able to. Fill in each gap using must, cant, could, may or might. The english modal verbs can, could, may and might are used to talk about possibilities. Modals of possibility may, might and could youtube. Use might or may to express an opinion that you think has a good possibility of being true. We use them in lots of different ways but an important one how we use them to express uncertainty when were not sure. Presenting modals by function can help english language learners keep them all straight. May and might a modal auxiliary verb is used to modify the mood of a verb. Use a form of be able to only if a form of can or could is not possible. Ability and possibility can could be able to by barbarai there is an explanation of the use of can, could and be able to for ability and possibility followed by a gap fill exercise and the key. May or might can be used to say that something is possible or probable now or in the.
Rob and stephen get stressed, and rob talks about will, could and might. Several modal verbs show possibility, including might, may, could, and must. The speaker wishes to express that something is likely. May might must worksheet may might handout can could may might. May 28, 2015 presenting modals by function can help english language learners keep them all straight. Future possibility and probability modals exercise 1 choose the correct modal to complete the sentence. Although i tried hard, i could not solve the problem. Modals of ability 1 can, could, be able to, may, might. Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb which express the mood of another verb. She might come this evening, but she also had some work to do. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device.
If you use might or may, you are not making a suggestion. In this exercise you will practise using modal verbs to express present probability. Can, could, be able to ability and possibility test. They express modes such as ability, possibility, probability, permission, obligation, etc. A in general the usual restrictions on the use of modals remain valid. The most commonly used modals are shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must, ought to.
May might possibility may might exercises can may might exercises. Could, may and might english grammar today cambridge. Remind lowerlevel students that a base verb is one with no endings no ing, ed. May, might and could are really useful english modal verbs. May and might english modal verbs woodward english. Unit 7 possibility and probability oxford living grammar explains how grammar works and when to use it. Could often means that something is possible but unlikely.
A collection of downloadable worksheets, exercises and activities to teach maymight, shared by english language teachers. Can, could, may, might, should, oughtto, shall, will. Might past form of may used to suggest a smaller possibility than may does actually, might is more common than may in american english. The exercises use reallife situations to practise grammar in context. This modal verbs for possibility lesson shows you how to use them all correctly in english. For preintermediate classes that need some extra practice with can, could, may, and might consider this practice activity.
May is often used for politeness, to make an order appear as a request. Below are some words that might be used or indicate use of will, may andor might. Both may and might are used to express the possibility of some future action. There are currently 66 worksheets on may might and they are all free to download, print, and use in class. There are currently 66 worksheets on maymight and they are all free to download, print, and use in class. In popular usage and speech, may and might are used interchangeably when referring to possibility and probability, but there is a slight difference between the two. A collection of english esl may or might worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about. May and might learning english grammar collins education. Mar 23, 2018 the english modal verbs can, could, may and might are used to talk about possibilities. Note that can and may are used in the present tense. Might tends to be a bit more tentative than may, but both indicate rather probability than possibility. We use may, might and could to say that something is possible, but not certain.
756 685 340 875 272 856 74 736 1262 1258 779 1603 581 830 963 269 1214 1411 1002 92 1061 705 984 419 1388 1598 1107 1481 1107 321 1167 1200 614 908 288 161 1163 762 1162 321 712 650 1142 232 1386 1422 646 934 1411