Hi guys!
In the 'Modal Verbs' post in this blog (see here) I explained to you everything we are going to study this year about modal auxiliaries (next year we'll even expand all this!). Those modals are called present modals, since they are followed by present infinitives and they make reference to the present time -and the future. In this post, we are referring to the past time, I mean, modals in the past.
Must/May/Might/Can't + have + past participle are used to express certainty and possibility in the past.
Peter must have been in his office when the window glass broke
Jennifer may have passed her exams
She can't have killed the fox on her own
Should + have + past participle can be used to make an
assumption about something that has probably happened, if everything is
as we expect:
The train should have left by now
Phone Anna now, she should have come back home already
It can also express regret in the past:
I shouldn't have told Peter about his girlfriend's affair
Mat should have studied harder
For practice:
Exercise1, Exercise2, Exercise3
Nov 25, 2013
Modal Verbs
Main characteristics
1) Modal verbs are followed by a bare infinitive (except for have to and ought to, which both are known as semi-modal verbs). E.g.:
I must do my homework
They may be in the house
but: She ought to give up smoking
2) They don't need auxiliary verbs (except for have to). E.g.:
Can you do it?
You cannot swim
but: She doesn't have to come tomorrow
3) They admit contractions (except for may and have to). E.g.:
We can't speak Japanese
They mightn't work next week
but: You may not come in here
4) They never add 3rd-person singular -s ending in the Present Simple (except for have to):
Peter must work harder
She can jump very high
but: My girlfriend has to wear a school uniform
5) Some are defective: must and can. E.g.:
I can go today
I could go yesterday
I'll be able to go tomorrow
I must do it now
I had to do it yesterday
I'll have to do it tomorrow
Expressing Ability: CAN, COULD & BE ABLE TO
1) Present ability: Can
I can speak English
2) Past ability: Could
She couldn't swim when she was ten
3) Ability in other tenses: Be able to
We'll be able to pass English next term (Future)
They have been able to escape (Present Perfect)
Expressing Obligation: MUST vs. HAVE TO
1) Internal obligation: Must (in general expresses what the speaker thinks is necessary)
I must study for tomorrow's English exam (= I want to do it)
2) External obligation: Have to (in general suggests that somebody else has imposed the decision)
I have to be early at home (= my parents oblige me)
However, there's no difference between must and have to in American English. In British English, Have got to is often used in informal language instead of have to (colloquial short form gotta also used in American English, though).
I have to wear a helmet at work = I must wear a helmet at work (AmE)
I have to get up early = I've got to get up early = I've gotta get up early = I gotta get up early
Expressing Lack of Obligation: DON'T HAVE TO & NEEDN'T
I don't have to wear a uniform at my school
I needn't go to school in the evenings
Expressing Prohibition: MUSTN'T
You mustn't smoke in the school
We mustn't play football inside the hotel facilities
Expressing Advice and Recommendation: OUGHT TO, SHOULD & MUST
I think you ought to follow a low-fat diet (+ formal, rare in AmE)
You should come with us and forget about your problems (- formal)
In my opinion, you must speak to her (informal)
Expressing Certainty and Possibility: MUST, MAY, MIGHT, COULD, CAN'T
1) Certainty (100% sure): Must
Someone is knocking on the door, it must be mum
2) Possibility (50% likely): May
Peter may be in his office now
3) Probability (25% likely): Might & Could
They might come to the match with us tomorrow
4) Impossibility (0% likely): Can't
They telephone is ringing, but it can't be dad
Notice:
NEED is not a modal verb (it's lexical). It expresses necessity and can be followed by either a noun phrase or a verb (to-infinitive). Remember the lack of necessity is conveyed by means of DON'T NEED (TO) (kind of similar to don't have to when followed by a verb), and NEEDN'T is a different form (it is a modal verb) to express lack of obligation (same as don't have to):
I need some more apples
I need to buy some more apples (it's necessary)
I don't need to buy any more apples (it's not necessary)
I needn't buy any apples (I'm not obliged to)
Why not practise here?
Exercise1, Exercise2, Exercise3, Exercise4, Exercise5, Exercise 6, Exercise7.
1) Modal verbs are followed by a bare infinitive (except for have to and ought to, which both are known as semi-modal verbs). E.g.:
I must do my homework
They may be in the house
but: She ought to give up smoking
2) They don't need auxiliary verbs (except for have to). E.g.:
Can you do it?
You cannot swim
but: She doesn't have to come tomorrow
3) They admit contractions (except for may and have to). E.g.:
We can't speak Japanese
They mightn't work next week
but: You may not come in here
4) They never add 3rd-person singular -s ending in the Present Simple (except for have to):
Peter must work harder
She can jump very high
but: My girlfriend has to wear a school uniform
5) Some are defective: must and can. E.g.:
I can go today
I could go yesterday
I'll be able to go tomorrow
I must do it now
I had to do it yesterday
I'll have to do it tomorrow
Expressing Ability: CAN, COULD & BE ABLE TO
1) Present ability: Can
I can speak English
2) Past ability: Could
She couldn't swim when she was ten
3) Ability in other tenses: Be able to
We'll be able to pass English next term (Future)
They have been able to escape (Present Perfect)
Expressing Obligation: MUST vs. HAVE TO
1) Internal obligation: Must (in general expresses what the speaker thinks is necessary)
I must study for tomorrow's English exam (= I want to do it)
2) External obligation: Have to (in general suggests that somebody else has imposed the decision)
I have to be early at home (= my parents oblige me)
However, there's no difference between must and have to in American English. In British English, Have got to is often used in informal language instead of have to (colloquial short form gotta also used in American English, though).
I have to wear a helmet at work = I must wear a helmet at work (AmE)
I have to get up early = I've got to get up early = I've gotta get up early = I gotta get up early
Expressing Lack of Obligation: DON'T HAVE TO & NEEDN'T
I don't have to wear a uniform at my school
I needn't go to school in the evenings
Expressing Prohibition: MUSTN'T
You mustn't smoke in the school
We mustn't play football inside the hotel facilities
Expressing Advice and Recommendation: OUGHT TO, SHOULD & MUST
I think you ought to follow a low-fat diet (+ formal, rare in AmE)
You should come with us and forget about your problems (- formal)
In my opinion, you must speak to her (informal)
Expressing Certainty and Possibility: MUST, MAY, MIGHT, COULD, CAN'T
1) Certainty (100% sure): Must
Someone is knocking on the door, it must be mum
2) Possibility (50% likely): May
Peter may be in his office now
3) Probability (25% likely): Might & Could
They might come to the match with us tomorrow
4) Impossibility (0% likely): Can't
They telephone is ringing, but it can't be dad
Notice:
NEED is not a modal verb (it's lexical). It expresses necessity and can be followed by either a noun phrase or a verb (to-infinitive). Remember the lack of necessity is conveyed by means of DON'T NEED (TO) (kind of similar to don't have to when followed by a verb), and NEEDN'T is a different form (it is a modal verb) to express lack of obligation (same as don't have to):
I need some more apples
I need to buy some more apples (it's necessary)
I don't need to buy any more apples (it's not necessary)
I needn't buy any apples (I'm not obliged to)
Why not practise here?
Exercise1, Exercise2, Exercise3, Exercise4, Exercise5, Exercise 6, Exercise7.
Nov 11, 2013
Thanksgiving Day
Hi you guys!
Definitely, it seems November is a month which is full of festivals, and that's true! Halloween, Bonfire Night, and now Thanksgiving Day. But actually, what's Thanksgiving? What's the origin of this festivity? Where and how is it celebrated nowadays? Let's watch a series of videos on Thanksgiving and learn about its history, customs and current celebrations.
First, a fun, cartoon-like slide that covers how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Ready to know about the Mayflower, the Pilgrim Fathers, the Native Americans and Squanto? Play the video and enjoy. Download a comprehension worksheet that I prepared for you here.
The second video is a historical clip with subtitles in English, which illustrates the history of the Pilgrims going to America and describes present-day Thanksgiving celebrations.
A third video tells us about the Thanksgiving history from the Native Americans' viewpoint.
Then, Thanksgiving in Canada, which is observed on a different day and has a different background from USA Thanksgiving Day. I'm leaving another worksheet here so that you can check your comprehension.
Just for fun, the real Thanksgiving story? :-)
And at last, a song entitled "It's Thanksgiving" by Nicole Westbrook. Download this worksheet from here and do it as you watch the music clip.
Definitely, it seems November is a month which is full of festivals, and that's true! Halloween, Bonfire Night, and now Thanksgiving Day. But actually, what's Thanksgiving? What's the origin of this festivity? Where and how is it celebrated nowadays? Let's watch a series of videos on Thanksgiving and learn about its history, customs and current celebrations.
First, a fun, cartoon-like slide that covers how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Ready to know about the Mayflower, the Pilgrim Fathers, the Native Americans and Squanto? Play the video and enjoy. Download a comprehension worksheet that I prepared for you here.
The second video is a historical clip with subtitles in English, which illustrates the history of the Pilgrims going to America and describes present-day Thanksgiving celebrations.
A third video tells us about the Thanksgiving history from the Native Americans' viewpoint.
Then, Thanksgiving in Canada, which is observed on a different day and has a different background from USA Thanksgiving Day. I'm leaving another worksheet here so that you can check your comprehension.
Just for fun, the real Thanksgiving story? :-)
And at last, a song entitled "It's Thanksgiving" by Nicole Westbrook. Download this worksheet from here and do it as you watch the music clip.
Nov 4, 2013
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
The
year was 1605. Two years earlier, the old Queen, Elizabeth I, had died.
She had ruled England for 45 years. She died unmarried and without
children. Her nearest relative was King James VI of Scotland, who
travelled south to London to become James I of England.
At that time there were bitter divisions in Western Europe between Protestants and Catholics. England was predominantly a Protestant country, but there were some powerful Catholic families. (Some old houses near Birmingham have secret rooms -- priest holes -- where Catholic priests could be hidden at times of persecution.) Many Catholic families, despite their religion, were loyal to the King. But others wanted to overthrow the King and replace him with a Catholic monarch. They looked to France and Spain for help.
One such group included a man called Guy Fawkes. He was a professional soldier, who had fought in the Spanish army in the Netherlands. He and his fellow conspirators rented a storeroom beneath the Houses of Parliament. Secretly, they filled it with barrels of gunpowder. They planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November at a time when the King and many of the most powerful men in England were there. They hoped that Catholics in England would then rebel, and that Spain would send an army to put a Catholic king on the throne of England.
But one of the plotters sent a secret letter to Lord Monteagle advising him to stay away from Parliament. Monteagle was a Catholic, but he immediately gave the letter to Robert Cecil, the King's chief minister, who ran a security and intelligence service. Cecil sent men to search the Parliament building. They found Guy Fawkes and 36 barrels of gunpowder. The rest of the plotters were quickly arrested, or died in a fight with the King's men at Kingswinford near modern Birmingham. The survivors were tried and executed in a horrible way.
And ever since then, English people have celebrated the
discovery of the Gunpowder Plot by building bonfires and letting off
fireworks on 5 November. Often they place an effigy of Guy Fawkes on the
fire. They have an old rhyme which goes:
At that time there were bitter divisions in Western Europe between Protestants and Catholics. England was predominantly a Protestant country, but there were some powerful Catholic families. (Some old houses near Birmingham have secret rooms -- priest holes -- where Catholic priests could be hidden at times of persecution.) Many Catholic families, despite their religion, were loyal to the King. But others wanted to overthrow the King and replace him with a Catholic monarch. They looked to France and Spain for help.
One such group included a man called Guy Fawkes. He was a professional soldier, who had fought in the Spanish army in the Netherlands. He and his fellow conspirators rented a storeroom beneath the Houses of Parliament. Secretly, they filled it with barrels of gunpowder. They planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November at a time when the King and many of the most powerful men in England were there. They hoped that Catholics in England would then rebel, and that Spain would send an army to put a Catholic king on the throne of England.
But one of the plotters sent a secret letter to Lord Monteagle advising him to stay away from Parliament. Monteagle was a Catholic, but he immediately gave the letter to Robert Cecil, the King's chief minister, who ran a security and intelligence service. Cecil sent men to search the Parliament building. They found Guy Fawkes and 36 barrels of gunpowder. The rest of the plotters were quickly arrested, or died in a fight with the King's men at Kingswinford near modern Birmingham. The survivors were tried and executed in a horrible way.
And ever since then, English people have celebrated the
discovery of the Gunpowder Plot by building bonfires and letting off
fireworks on 5 November. Often they place an effigy of Guy Fawkes on the
fire. They have an old rhyme which goes:Remember, remember the Fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
In the picture, people from Lewes, near Brighton (south England) celebrating Bonfire Night with parades along the night.
Would you like to listen to it?
Further Practice:
Reading on Guy Fawkes Night here.
Watching a video with comprehension questions here.
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