 | > Other English exercises on the same topics: Speaking | Modals | Politeness [Change theme] |
| > Similar tests: - Vocabulary: greeting people - Vocabulary: on the phone - On the phone - Interacting with someone - Conditional clauses - Dialogue : What time...? - Differences between Like and As - Eating out-Vocabulary | |
| > Double-click on words you don't understand |
Can/could/may... Must/have to... - English lesson
After studying and making a difference between the modals expressing the uncertainty of an action test, we are now going to study other nuances of the modal auxiliaries concerning the freedom of action of a subject.
➡️ 1) CAPACITY and FREEDOM the SUBJECT has to ACT (or not):
- Physical or intellectual Capacity (in the present or in the past); CAN is the modal auxiliary expressing physical and intellectual capacity; in the negative, CAN'T expresses physical and intellectual incapacity.
eg.: The robot can move its lips in time with the words (physical capacity) and it can speak six different foreign languages ...(intellectual capacity).
ex: Melissa couldn't speak about her dilemma to anyone. (= incapacity in the past)
➡️ 2) PERMISSION (may/can): THE FREEDOM OF ACTION (to act, or not to act) is expressed with 'MAY', and refusal will be built with CAN'T.
Can I borrow your book, please? is less polite than 'May I borrow ... ?' or 'Could I borrow ...?'
eg.: Yes, Kevin, you may leave the table now, but you can't leave the house!
➡️ 3) OBLIGATION or INTERDICTION: in both cases, the FREEDOM of ACTION is denied.
- MUST indicates an obligation felt by the speaker:
eg.: I must go now, as I still have a lot of homework to do.
- HAVE TO insists on pure facts and regulations:
eg.: You have to leave now ! No visits after six !
- The absence of necessity minimizes the restriction of freedom. It can be expressed in three different, but equivalent, ways:
eg.: You needn't bring your own book!( = IN THE PRESENT)
eg.: You didn't need to bring your own book! (in another tense than the present) OR You didn't have to bring your own book!
Now, you're ready for the test ! 
Go for it! 
Twitter ShareEnglish exercise "Can/could/may... Must/have to..." created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test
Please log in to save your progress.End of the free exercise to learn English: Can/could/may... Must/have to...
A free English exercise to learn English.
Other English exercises on the same topics : Speaking | Modals | Politeness | All our lessons and exercises
