ALL 9 English MODAL VERBS | Affirmative form | Negative form | Positive + Negative Question forms


Explanation + Extra Practice!

1. CAN

Use: Ability / Possibility / Permission

Base Sentence: She can swim very well.

  • Affirmative: She can swim very well.
  • Negative: She can’t (cannot) swim very well.
  • Positive Question: Can she swim very well?
  • Negative Question: Can’t she swim very well?

2. COULD

Use: Past ability / Polite permission / Possibility

Base Sentence: He could finish the project by Friday.

  • Affirmative: He could finish the project by Friday.
  • Negative: He couldn’t finish the project by Friday.
  • Positive Question: Could he finish the project by Friday?
  • Negative Question: Couldn’t he finish the project by Friday?

3. MAY

Use: Formal permission / Possibility

Base Sentence: They may join us later.

  • Affirmative: They may join us later.
  • Negative: They may not join us later. (no contraction)
  • Positive Question: May they join us later? (formal)
  • Negative Question: May they not join us later? (very formal, uncommon)
    ⚠️ Note: Negative questions with “may” are very rare in everyday English.

4. MIGHT

Use: Weak possibility / Suggestion

Base Sentence: It might rain this afternoon.

  • Affirmative: It might rain this afternoon.
  • Negative: It might not rain this afternoon. (no contraction)
  • Positive Question: Might it rain this afternoon? (formal)
  • Negative Question: Might it not rain this afternoon? (formal, rarely used)

5. SHOULD

Use: Advice / Recommendation / Expectation

Base Sentence: You should call your parents.

  • Affirmative: You should call your parents.
  • Negative: You shouldn’t call your parents.
  • Positive Question: Should you call your parents?
  • Negative Question: Shouldn’t you call your parents?

6. MUST

Use: Obligation / Strong recommendation / Deduction

Base Sentence: She must wear a uniform at school.

  • Affirmative: She must wear a uniform at school.
  • Negative: She must not wear a uniform at school. (means it’s not allowed)
  • Positive Question: Must she wear a uniform at school?
  • Negative Question: Mustn’t she wear a uniform at school? (rare, sounds old-fashioned)
    ⚠️ Be careful: “must not” = prohibition, not absence of obligation.

7. WILL

Use: Future certainty / Promise / Decision

Base Sentence: We will visit Grandma tomorrow.

  • Affirmative: We will (we’ll) visit Grandma tomorrow.
  • Negative: We won’t (will not) visit Grandma tomorrow.
  • Positive Question: Will we visit Grandma tomorrow?
  • Negative Question: Won’t we visit Grandma tomorrow?

8. WOULD

Use: Politeness / Hypothetical situations / Past repeated actions

Base Sentence: He would travel more if he had time.

  • Affirmative: He would (he’d) travel more if he had time.
  • Negative: He wouldn’t travel more if he had time.
  • Positive Question: Would he travel more if he had time?
  • Negative Question: Wouldn’t he travel more if he had time?

9. SHALL

Use: Formal suggestion / Legal obligation / Future (UK English)

Base Sentence: Shall we start the meeting now?

  • Affirmative: We shall start the meeting now. (formal, UK)
  • Negative: We shan’t (shall not) start the meeting now. (rarely used)
  • Positive Question: Shall we start the meeting now?
  • Negative Question: Shan’t we start the meeting now? (very rare)
    ⚠️ Shall is mainly used in formal or British English. In American English, “will” is preferred.

Extra Practice

🌟 Easy Modal Verbs Quiz: Change the Form!

Change each sentence into the form requested (affirmative, negative, positive question, or negative question).


1. CAN

Sentence: She can drive a car.
Task: Change to the negative form.


2. COULD

Sentence: He couldn’t swim last year.
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


3. MAY

Sentence: They may go to the concert.
Task: Change to the negative form.


4. MIGHT

Sentence: It might not snow today.
Task: Change to the positive question form.


5. SHOULD

Sentence: Should we leave now?
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


6. MUST

Sentence: They must be quiet in the library.
Task: Change to the negative form.


7. WILL

Sentence: Will she come to the party?
Task: Change to the negative question form.


8. WOULD

Sentence: He would never lie.
Task: Change to the positive question form.


9. SHALL

Sentence: We shall meet at noon. (formal)
Task: Change to the negative form.


Answers

  1. She can’t drive a car.
  2. He could swim last year.
  3. They may not go to the concert.
  4. Might it snow today?
  5. We should leave now.
  6. They must not be quiet in the library. (Note: means it’s not allowed)
  7. Won’t she come to the party?
  8. Would he ever lie?
  9. We shall not meet at noon.

🔷 Modal Verbs Quiz (Intermediate): Change the Form!

Change each sentence into the form requested (affirmative, negative, positive question, or negative question).


1. CAN

Sentence: He can finish the project by Friday.
Task: Change to the positive question form.


2. COULD

Sentence: She could have called earlier.
Task: Change to the negative form.


3. MAY

Sentence: We may have missed the bus.
Task: Change to the affirmative question form.


4. MIGHT

Sentence: They might join us later.
Task: Change to the negative question form.


5. SHOULD

Sentence: You shouldn’t have said that.
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


6. MUST

Sentence: She must have forgotten the meeting.
Task: Change to the positive question form.


7. WILL

Sentence: They won’t agree to those terms.
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


8. WOULD

Sentence: Would he have helped if I had asked?
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


9. SHALL

Sentence: Shall we go over the details now?
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


Answers

  1. Can he finish the project by Friday?
  2. She couldn’t have called earlier.
  3. May we have missed the bus?
  4. Might they not join us later? (Still formal, but acceptable in written or careful speech)
  5. You should have said that.
  6. Must she have forgotten the meeting?
  7. They will agree to those terms.
  8. He would have helped if I had asked.
  9. We shall go over the details now.

🔶 Modal Verbs Quiz (Advanced): Change the Form!

Change each sentence into the form requested (affirmative, negative, positive question, or negative question).


1. CAN

Sentence: The report can be completed by next week. (passive)
Task: Change to the negative question form.


2. COULD

Sentence: He could have been promoted if he had worked harder. (third conditional)
Task: Change to the affirmative question form.


3. MAY

Sentence: The data may have been lost during the update.
Task: Change to the negative form.


4. MIGHT

Sentence: She might have been told about the changes. (passive)
Task: Change to the affirmative question form.


5. SHOULD

Sentence: You should have been more careful with your words.
Task: Change to the negative question form.


6. MUST

Sentence: The documents must have been submitted already.
Task: Change to the negative form.


7. WILL

Sentence: Will the client have received the contract by tomorrow?
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


8. WOULD

Sentence: I would have gone if I had known earlier.
Task: Change to the negative question form.


9. SHALL

Sentence: Shall we start the meeting now? (polite suggestion)
Task: Change to the affirmative form.


Answers

  1. Can’t the report be completed by next week?
  2. Could he have been promoted if he had worked harder?
  3. The data may not have been lost during the update.
  4. Might she have been told about the changes?
  5. Shouldn’t you have been more careful with your words?
  6. The documents must not have been submitted already.
  7. The client will have received the contract by tomorrow.
  8. Wouldn’t you have gone if you had known earlier?
  9. We shall start the meeting now.

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