Modals of Present and Future Possibility
7.1
Present Modals
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT MODAL
MAIN VERB OR
BE
(+ VERB + -
ING
)
He
may
have a car.
might
She
could
be meeting
him now.
They
should
be home.
must
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
MODAL +
NOT
MAIN VERB OR
BE
(+ VERB +
-
ING
)
He
may not
have a car.
might not
She
couldn’t
be meeting him now.
can’t
They
shouldn’t
be home.
must not
Future Modals
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT MODAL
MAIN VERB OR
BE
(+ VERB + -
ING
)
He
may
get a car soon.
might
She
could
be meeting
him later.
They
should
be home soon.
will
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT
MODAL +
NOT
MAIN VERB
OR
BE
(+ VERB
+ -
ING
)
He
may not
get a car soon.
might not
She
couldn’t
be meeting
him later.
can’t
They
shouldn't
be home yet.
won’t
Modals of Present Possibility
• Modals have only one form with all subjects.
• Must not, may not, and might not have no contracted forms as modals of possibility.
Do not confuse the two words
may be
(modal +
be
) with
maybe
, a one-word adverb that often begins a sentence.
He may be late. Maybe he’s late.
!
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• Could and can are used to ask questions about present possibility. Might is very
uncommon. Use be in short answers to questions containing be.
A: Could he be sleeping? A: Can it be true?
B: He might be. B: It must not be.
• See 7.4 for contractions with should, could, and can.
Modals of Future Possibility
• Must (not), can’t, and couldn’t are not usually used to express future possibility unless
they are combined with the continuous.
She must not be getting a new car next month.
• Could may be used to ask questions about future possibility. Notice the short answers.
A: Could he arrive before we get home? B: Yes, he might. / No, he won’t.
• See 7.5 for contractions with will.
Present Phrasal Modals
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT MODAL
MAIN VERB
OR
BE
(+ VERB
+ -
ING
)
He
ought to be home.
She
has to
has got to
be riding her bike.
They
have to
have got to
have a car.
CONTRACTIONS
She’s
got to
They’ve
have a car.
Future Phrasal Modals
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS
SUBJECT MODAL
MAIN VERB OR
BE
(+ VERB +
-
ING
)
He
ought to be
home soon.
She
has to
has got to
be coming
They
have to
have got to
CONTRACTIONS
She’s
got to
They’ve
to be coming home soon.
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Phrasal Modals of Present Possibility
• The phrasal modal ought to has one form with all subjects. The phrasal modals
have to and have got to have different third-person singular forms.
• None of these phrasal modals is used in the negative to express possibility.
• Have got to has contracted forms (see 7.4). Ought to and have to do not.
Phrasal Modals of Future Possibility
• Have to and have got to are only used to express future possibility with the continuous.
They’ve got to be arriving soon.
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