Must may and might compared

Mrs.O-P: Tell me your tasks in order.

Mr. O: I must put my pyjamas in the drawer marked pyjamas.

Mr. P: I must take my cold bath which is good for me.

Mr. O: I must wear my flannel band to ward off sciatica.

Mr. P: I must dress behind the curtain and put on my apron.

Mr. O: I must blow my nose in a piece of tissue-paper which I afterwards burn.

Mr. P: I must take my salts which are nature’s friend.

Mr. O: I must boil the drinking water because of germs.

Mr. P: I must make my herb tea which is free from tannin.

Mr. O: I must dust the blinds and then I must raise them.

Mrs.O-P: And before you let the sun in? mind it wipes its shoes. 

11. Fill in the spaces with the right modal verbs.[27]

1. You ____ get up early tomorrow.
2. You ____ call a baby sitter.
3. We _____ watch the film tonight.
4. He _____ see me yesterday.
5. She ____ stay at school yesterday afternoon.
6. _____ go to the disco yesterday?
7. He _____ sleep now.
8. You ______ answer.
9. He _____ give evidence at the court yesterday.
10. Since he bought the new car he _______ sleep.

    12. Fill in needn't or mustn't.  
Example: You _____ forget your homework. (mustn't) [19]

1.	You   wash these fruits. I've already washed them.
2.	You   translate that. I understand what you say.
3.	You   tell Sandra. She can't keep a secret.
4.	You   lend me your umbrella. I love walking in the rain.
5.	You   call me. I will call you when I get home so that you save some money.
6.	We've got plenty of time. We   leave yet.
7.	We've got plenty of time. We   hurry.
8.	We   walk all the way home. We can take a taxi.
9.	We have enough food at home. We   go shopping today.
10.	Tom has broken his leg. He   walk a lot. It is not good for him.
11.	There's plenty of time for you to make up your mind now. You decide now.
12.	The last bus is at eleven. I   miss it or else I won't be able to get home.
13.	That's not a secret. You   whisper.
14.	That's a secret. You   tell anybody.
15.	Take your time. You   be back before eight.
16.	Jim gave me a letter to post. I   forget to do that.
17.	I   forget to do my homework.
18.	I know what you mean. You   explain further.
19.	I have to go now. I   be late for work.
20.	I can go on my own. You   come with me.

    13. Choose the correct answer: [4]

1. He … studied at the University.

a) may have   b) must  c) may   d) should

2. They … been at home.

a) must be   b) may be  c) may   d) may have

3. She … more careful.

a) might have been b) may not be

c) mustn’t have been d) may have

4. He … more attention to written exercises.

a) may have   b) must have c) might   d) could have

5. She took pains to learn all the rules. She … no mistakes this time.

a) may have made  b) may not have made

c) mightn’t have made d) couldn’t make

6. He … a lot aloud, his pronunciation is rather good

a) ought to read  b) must read  c) must have read  d) may read

7. They … found out the real reason for his silence.

a) might   b)must have  c) can have   d) might have

8. He … denied the truth of what they said.

a) must have  b) must  c) could   d) might

9. Some words of this conversation … reached him.

a) must have  b) must  c) can    d) may

10. She listened to me more attentively.

a) might have  b) need have c) must have  c) can have  

    14. Fill in the spaces with the right modal verbs.[17]

1. The teams ______have more than 11 players on the field during a match.
2. But there ___________even be 11 players playing for each team.
3. Players ________wear anything which might injure another player.
4. Players __________play the ball with their feet only.
5. Substituted players _______return to the game.
6. Players ___________leave the game without the referee's permission.
7. Players _________hold an opponent.
8. The referee _________send a player off if he has committed foul play.
9. However, if a player is sent off during the game, he ________be replaced.
10. A period __________be over after exactly 45 minutes.

 
 

    15.Check through the different uses.[24]

TYPE	USE	MODAL VERBS	EXAMPLE
1	to express possibilities for the future	MAY, MIGHT, COULD	It may rain tomorrow.
2	to express certainty	CAN'T, COULDN'T, MUST	She can't be Irish.
3	for possible explanations	MAY, MIGHT, COULD	She could be Scottish.

Look at the following phrases and write in which type you think they are. Then use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill the gaps.

	TYPE
1	_______	They (may/must)________________ be away for the weekend but I'm not sure.
2	_______	He (can/could)________________ be French, judging by his accent.
3	_______	They (can't/may)________________ still be out!
4	_______	With luck, tomorrow (can't/could)________________ be a sunny day.
5	_______	You (can/might)________________ be right but I'm going to check anyway.
6	_______	The exam (can't/might)________________ be easy. You never know.
7	_______	It (may/can't)________________ be true about a sauropod dinosaur living in Lake Telé in the Congo. It's impossible.
8	_______	Dave reckons she's from The States but I think she (can't/might)________________ be from Scandinavia.
9	_______	I (can't/might)________________ go to the party but I'm not sure yet.
10	_______	This (must/could)________________ be the right answer but we'll have to check with your teacher to make sure.
11	_______	She (can't/could)________________ steal things from shops. She's rich and famous.
12	_______	I really think Real Madrid (can't/could)________________ lose the final of the King's Cup.
13	_______	She's been revising 10 hours a day for 3 weeks. She (could/must)________________ be exhausted.
14	_______	Nobody's answering. They (can't/must)________________ be out.
15	_______	He (can't/may)________________ be from the USA. He doesn't speak English.

 
 

    16. Fill in the spaces with the right modal verbs [20]

1. Ted's flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He ________________ be exhausted after such a long flight.
a)must	b) can	c) had better
2. The book is optional. My professor said we could read it if we needed extra credit. But we ________________ read it if we don't want to.
a) cannot	b) must not	c) don't have to
3. Susan ________________ hear the speaker because the crowd was cheering so loudly.
a) couldn't	b) can't	c) might not
4. The television isn't working. It ________________ damaged during the move.
a) must have been	b) must	c) must be
5. A: ________________ hold your breath for more than a minute?      B: No, I can't.
a) Are you able to	b) Might you	c) Can you
6. The lamp ________________ be broken. Maybe the light bulb just burned out.
a) might not	b) must not	c) could not
7. I've redone this math problem at least twenty times, but my answer is wrong according to the answer key. The answer in the book ________________ be wrong!
a) have to	b) must	d) should
8. You ________________ leave the table once you have finished your meal and politely excused yourself.
a) would	b) might	c) may
9. Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It ________________ a fortune.
a) must cost	b) must be costing	c) must have cost
10. The lamp ________________ be broken. Maybe the light bulb just burned out.
a) might not	b) must not	c) could not

 

17.Use modal verbs where possible. If a modal verb can't be used with a certain tense, use its substitute. [21]

1. You (must) get up early tomorrow.
2. You call a baby sitter.
3. We watch the film tonight.
4. He  see me yesterday.
5. She stay at school yesterday afternoon.
6. go to the disco yesterday?
7. He sleep now.
8. You answer.
9. He give evidence at the court yesterday.
10. Since he bought the new car he  sleep.

 
 

18. Use one of  the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap. [21]

1	They (can/might)________________ be away for the weekend but I'm not sure.
2	You (may/might)________________ leave now if you wish.
3	(Could/May)________________ you open the window a bit, please?
4	He (can/could)________________ be from Poznan, judging by his accent.
5	(May/Can)________________ you swim?
6	Listen, please. You (may not/might not)________________  speak during this exam.
7	They (can't/may not)________________ still be out!
8	You (couldn't/might not)________________ smoke on the bus.
9	With luck, tomorrow (can/could)________________ be a cooler day.
10	You (can/might)________________ be right but I'm going back to check the times.

 
 

19. Choose the correct MODAL: are, can, could, do, does, has, have, must, should, would. [21]

"UNDERGROUND MUSIC"

Waiting for the Metro in Paris is a lot more pleasant nowadays, thanks to a project orchestrated by transit officials.

As Jim Bittermann reports, it brings a whole new concept to the term "underground music."

It may be rush hour in the Paris underground, but these days down here there are good reasons to slow down a little when commuting is more than just getting from A to B, when the transit #1________________ be too rapid.

Increasingly, the underground tunnels Parisians know as the Metro echo with music worth being late for. That wasn't, and even today, isn't always the case. There's never a shortage of those risking starvation by attempting to sing for their supper, and there's always someone to appreciate an artist struggling.

In the past, without much success, authorities periodically #2________________ tried to eject the would-be musicians who inflict themselves on the travelling public. But with their numbers continually growing, the situation seemed to be getting out of hand.

Transit officials came to the conclusion that if they #3________________ not beat the musicians at their game, perhaps they #4________________ perhaps join them, or at least organize it a little better. So just over a year ago, they set up auditions to select the 300-or-so performers who #5________________ become the official underground musicians of Paris.

And it is now an ongoing process. Every six months, all the officially sanctioned musicians, minus those who #6_______________ found real work and plus those looking for a underground gig, #7________________ appear at a Metro audition.

Antione Nazo, a one-time guitar plucker himself, video tapes them all for approval by a music committee. "We #8________________ not have the pretension that we #9________________ selecting music virtuosos," Nazo says. "We just put ourselves in the shoes of the riders. We want good quality music, not too aggressive, and as diversified as possible."

Diversification #10________________ never been a problem in Paris. A city which, as a current exhibition on street musicians plainly illustrates, has more than two centuries of encouraging the artists who work its boulevard.

For those selected to be the Metro's officially sanctioned performers, there's a badge which ensures they #11________________ work uninterrupted by transit authority police, and which often guarantees as well a good well travelled spot in a busy metro station, which some musicians, when the mood of the travelling public is right, #12________________ mean as much as 600 euros a day in income.

Of course, that #13________________ not happen every day to everyone. But many down here are not looking for a fortune.

Paul Suzan said that "the people who play here play because they first of all, they love the music. But it keeps you in shape and gives you some pocket money".

After a year in operation, Metro authorities believe their official musicians #14________________ raised the quality of underground performances and the mood of the travelling public, and prove that there's more than one way an underground #15________________ move people. 

    Modal verbs present specific problems for both teachers and learners. Quite apart from the numerous difficulties associated with meaning, their use also differs from other verbs in a number of ways, notably: forming the interrogative through inversion rather than the use of the auxiliary verb ‘do’ (so ‘Can I?’ rather than ‘Do I can?’), forming the negative by adding ‘not’ to the modal verb rather than using the auxiliary verb ‘do’ (‘You mustn’t’ and not *‘You don’t must’), no –s ending in the third person singular, and no consistent past forms in some cases. ‘Have to’, however, is different, forming interrogatives and negatives using ‘do’ and having a ‘normal’ past form.

    In terms of teaching the modal verbs, the list of verbs in the first question suggests that the distinction between ‘ought to’ and ‘should’ and ‘must’ and ‘have to’ respectively is the key point, which also suggests that the learners in question have reached a fair degree of proficiency in English.

    A key distinction between ‘must’ and ‘have to’ can be found in the negative forms. Whereas ‘You must go’ and ‘You have to go’ can be regarded as broadly the same in terms of meaning, ‘You mustn’t go’ and ‘You don’t have to go’ are quite different, the first indicating that going is prohibited in some way, or even dangerous, while the second implies an absence of obligation or need.

    Another difference between ‘must’ and ‘have to’ in the sense of obligation can be found in the nature of the obligation. It is possible to say ‘I’m sorry. I can’t come to the meeting tomorrow because I have to go to the dentist at 3 o’clock’ but not ‘I can’t come to the meeting tomorrow because I must go the dentist at 3 o’clock’. On the other hand, if you have a raging toothache, you would probably say ‘I really must go to the dentist’, although ‘have to’ could replace ‘must’ in this sentence. A generalized distinction would be that ‘must’ refers to an internal need or obligation while ‘have to’ is used to refer to an external need or obligation. It is probably true to say, however, that ‘must’ can generally be replaced by ‘have to’ but ‘have to’ often cannot be replaced by ‘must’ so in terms of teaching, it is probably a good idea to teach ‘have to’ for obligation because it is nearly always correct whereas ‘must’ is often inappropriate. ‘Must’ and ‘must not’ are useful for official notices and instructions, e.g. ‘You must carry your passport at all times’ and ‘You must not smoke in the toilets’.