VIDEO

EXECISES

Complete the sentences using the words listed in the box 

can     could     have to     must     might     should

1. Ted's flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He  be exhausted after such a long flight. He  prefer to stay in tonight and get some rest.

2. If you want to get a better feeling for how the city is laid out, you  walk downtown and explore the waterfront.

3. Hiking the trail to the peak  be dangerous if you are not well prepared for dramatic weather changes. You  research the route a little more before you attempt the ascent.

4. When you have a small child in the house, you  leave small objects lying around. Such objects  be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.

5. Dave:  you hold your breath for more than a minute?
Nathan: No, I can't.

6. Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It  have cost a fortune.

7. Please make sure to water my plants while I am gone. If they don't get enough water, they  die.

8. I  speak Arabic fluently when I was a child and we lived in Egypt. But after we moved back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost everything I knew as a child. Now, I  just say a few things in the language.

9. The book is optional. My professor said we  read it if we needed extra credit. But we  read it if we don't want to.

10. Leo: Where is the spatula? It  be in this drawer but it's not here.
Nancy: I just did a load of dishes last night and they're still in the dish washer. It  be in there. That's the only other place it  be.

11. You  take your umbrella along with you today. The weatherman on the news said there's a storm north of here and it  rain later on this afternoon.

12.  we pull over at the next rest stop? I really  use the bathroom and I don't know if I  hold it until we get to Chicago.

13. Oh no! Frank's wallet is lying on the coffee table. He  have left it here last night.

14. Ned:  I borrow your lighter for a minute?
Stephen: Sure, no problem. Actually, you  keep it if you want to. I've given up smoking.

15. I  believe she said that to Megan! She  insult her cooking in front of everyone at the party last night. She  have just said she was full or had some salad if she didn't like the meal.

16. Do you  chew with your mouth open like that? Geez, it's making me sick watching you eat that piece of pizza.

17. Mrs. Scarlett's body was found in the lounge just moments ago, and it's still warm! Nobody has left the mansion this evening, so the killer  be someone in this room. It  be any one of us!!!

18. Ted: I don't know why Denise starting crying when I mentioned the wedding.
Pamela: It  have been what you said about her brother. Or, perhaps she is just nervous. After all, the big day is tomorrow.

19.  you always say the first thing that pops into your head?  you think once in awhile before you speak?

20. I was reading the book last night before I went to bed. I never took it out of this room. It  be lying around here somewhere. Where  it be? be swallowed, causing serious injury or even death.

SHOULD

Usamos 'should' para expresar grado de posibilidad o probabilidad, así como también para obligación débil. Significa: debería, tendría que. I should study.I should - debería / tendría que

Affirmative

You should tell Miss Baker the truth.
Deberías decirle la verdad a la señorita Baker.

We should go to sleep.
Deberíamos ir a dormir.

I should call my mother.
Debería llamar a mi madre.

Negative

You should not say that.
No deberías decir eso.

Nick shouldn't be working.
Nick no debería estar trabajando.

It shouldn't take long.
(Esto) No debería tardar mucho.

Interrogative

Should I write Maggie a letter?
¿Debería yo escribirle una carta a Maggie?

Should we worry?
¿Deberíamos preocuparnos?

MUST

El verbo 'must' expresa una prohibición u obligación fuerte así como cierta certeza: I must go. She must be crazy. En español significa debo, debo de.


Affirmative

I must go to the library.
Debo ir a la biblioteca.

You must stay here until I come back.
Debes quedarte aquí hasta que yo vuelva.

We must be at the airport at three o'clock.
Debemos estar en el aeropuerto a las tres.

Everybody must wear a uniform.
Todos deben usar uniforme.

Negative

You must not talk to strangers.
No debes hablar con extraños.

We mustn't make noise.
No debemos hacer ruido.

Mr. Williams must not smoke.
El señor Williams no debe fumar.

Interrogative

Must we do everything today?
¿Debemos hacer todo hoy?

Must you go so soon?
¿Debes irte tan pronto?

MIGHT

MIGHT: puede que...

• There is a sarcastic sentence when you are listening something that you think it is very improbable you can add: "... Yes, and pigs might fly." but you really know that pigs can't fly."
• La probabilidad es muy dudosa: puede que, pudiera que...

Sirve para:

1. Expresar posibilidades muy dudosas: They might invite us to the wedding: pudiera que nos invitasen a la boda. (es poco probable que lo hagan) 
2. Hacer especulaciones: They might have broken the glass, but i don't know if they are guilty. pudiera ser que hubieran roto el cristal pero no sé si son culpables. - I might have know! ¡debería haberlo sabido! 
3. Hacer sugerencias: I haven't got that item, you might try mary's. no tengo ese producto, deberías probar en la tienda de mary. 
4. Sirve para realizar críticas: You might shut the door when you come into the house! ¡podrías cerrar la puerta al entrar en casa! - I might have offered to help dan. podría haberme ofrecido a ayudar a dan. - You might told me! ¡me lo tenías que haber contado! ¡habérmelo dicho! 

MAY

• Sirve para pedir algo de forma educada: "May I leave the classroom?" 
• Sirve para dar permiso: "You may go to the bathroom." 
• Sirve para expresar posibilidad presente o futura. "The headmaster may visit the class today."
• Cuando may indica posibilidad indica que algo no es seguro (quizá, tal vez, puede que...) 
• Sirve para hacer especulaciones "That may be the thief that was arrested."

• Posibility: 

          + It may rain.  Puede que llueva. es posible que llueva.
          + They may have gone out.  Puede que hayan salido.

• Permission: 

          + May I go now?   ¿Puedo irme ya? 

          + May I come in? ¿se puede?. ¿puedo entrar?
          + May i go out? ¿puedo salir? ¿puedo irme?
          +May i help you? ¿qué desea? ¿te podría ayudar?

• Wishes: 

         + May you have a happy life together! ¡que seaís felíces!
         + May god bless you! ¡que dios te bendiga!

COULD

-Sirve para expresar habilidad en pasado: "When I was a child I could climb trees."
-Sirve para expresar posibilidad o imposibilidad en pasado: "Desert was so hot that we couldn't walk in the sand." 
-Sirve para pedir algo educadamente: "Could you pass the salt, please?" 
-Sirve para hacer especulaciones de posibilidad muy remota: "The wallet could be his, but i could be wrong".
-Sirve para hacer sugerencias: "We could play scrabble today."
-Sirve para reemplazar el can en estilo indirecto: " He said he could do it". 
-Sirve para expresar una crítica: "You could have bought another one for me."
-We use "could + inf" and " was/were allowed to + inf" to talk about
permission in the past. "Unfortunately, many years ago people could smoke anywhere". 

-We use "couldn't + inf" and "was/were not allowed to + inf" to talk about prohibition in the past. "British schoolchildren couldn't have long hair in the 1950's."

BE ABLE TO

"BE ABLE TO": complementa a "can" cuando indica habilidad y posibilidad.

"CAN": es una habilidad que se posee.
Ojo. "I can speak english" no hay que traducirlo como " puedo hablar inglés" sino como " sé hablar inglés" ya que se trata de una habilidad." I can cook spanish omelette",no sería " puedo cocinar tortilla" sino "se cocinar tortilla"...

"BE ABLE TO": es la capacidad de hacer algo, de tener una habilidad, "ser capaz de". "spiderman is able to stick to surfaces, magneto is able to move the iron, superman is able to fly, dr xabier can read the mind..." son cosas no muy corrientes.
otros ejemplos: "her car broke down, but she was able to repair it","yesterday i missed the bus but i was able to get a taxi".

CAN / PODER

• Sirve para expresar habilidad: I Can cook very Well
• Sirve para expresar posibilidad o imposibilidad: I Can't Dance today
• Sirve para expresar o pedir permiso: Can I leave the office early today?
• En negativo sirve para expresar una deduccion: She Can't be at school, it is holiday
• En negativo tambien sirve para expresar prohibicion: You Cannot smoke here

LICENSE TO KILL (MODAL VERBS)

I HAVE JUST WRITTEN THAT PARAGRAPH BECAUSE WE CAN FIND A LOT OF MODAL VERBS INSIDE IT.

<<SHOULD HE CONTACT LONDON? PERHAPS HE SHOULD TELL HIS BOSS THAT EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED AND THAT HE NEEDED SOME HELP FROM LONDON. THERE WERE SOME DANGEROUS PEOPLE DOING SOME BAD THINGS ON JAMAICA. BOND COULD ASK M TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY AND TO SEND MORE AGENTS. HE COULD TELL M THAT DOCTOR NO HAS TRIED TO KILL HIM WITH POISONED FRUIT. BUT WAS THAT A GOOD IDEA? HE DIDN'T KNOW YET IF THE FRUIT WAS POISONED. AND HE WASN'T SURE THAT DOCTOR NO HAD SENT IT. M MIGHT THINK, "WHAT A NONSENSE ABOUT POISONED PEACHES? 007 HAS COMPLETELY LOST HIS NERVE AND NOW HE'S BECOME CRAZY. HE MUST COME HOME." AFTER A FEW MINUTES, BOND DECIDED NOT TO CONTACT LONDON. BUT HE WAS TAKING A RISK. IF SOMETHING DID GO WRONG NOW, AND HE HADN'T SENT A WARNING TO M, BOND WOULD BE IN TROUBLE. HE MIGHT LOSE HIS JOB. OR HE MIGHT DIE.>>

Modals Verbs

Los modal verbs pueden expresar obligación, necesidad, prohibición. ausencia de ncesidad, probabilidad, posibilidad, habilidad...

Caracteristicas:

• No llevan -s en la tercera persona del singular del presente simple
• No necesitan -do o -does para formar la negativa ni la interrogativa.
• Nunca llevan infinitivo con to detrás, excepto be able to, need to, have to y ought to..
• No tienen infinitivo, participio ni tiempos compuestos.

NOTA: Los verbos have to y need to también se consideran “verbos semimodales” porque no cumplen todas las características propias de los verbos modales.

Modals Verbs