Common Modal Usage
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Using Simple Tenses and Modals
To state facts
| Present | Past | Modal |
| Lions live in Africa. | Dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions of years. | Mr. Jones can juggle. |
| Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen. | My grandmother passed away last March.
| He couldn't swim at age 10. |
To express opinions | (I think) smoking is a disgusting habit. | That was delicious. | Gambling should be banned in the US. |
| The Internet is more useful than the library. | I thought she gave an excellent performance. | He must really like ice cream. |
| I think it was a beautiful concert. | | You should have left earlier. |
To indicate actions which occur every day or on a regular basis
| I get up at 7:30 every day. | When I was in high school, I got up at 6:30. | I have to be at the office at 7. |
| My father drives to work on Tuesdays. | My mother rode the bus until she bought a car. | They used to take the subway. |
With frequency adverbs
| Jerry always comes to class on time. | At camp, she usually ate breakfast before 7:00. | You should never be late for work. |
Using Modals in various situations
Requesting | Asking Permission | Possibility | Hinting | Other |
Can you help me? | Can I help you? | | I can use some help. | I can help you. |
Could you help me? | Could I help you? | | I could use some help. | I could help you. |
| May I help you? | I may need some | | I may help you. |
| | help. (probably) | | |
| | I might need some | | I might help you |
| | help. (probably) | | |
Will you help me? | | I will need some | | I will help you. |
| | help. (most likely) | | |
Would you help me? | | I would need some help. | | I would help you. |
| | (I guess I probably can't | | |
| | do it by myself.) | | |
Would you mind | Would you mind if | | | |
helping me?
| I helped you? | | | |
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