English Q1

• Modals


  • Helping verb (also called Auxiliary verb)
  • Used to clarify and be specific
  • Cannot stand alone
  • Needs a main verb
  • Used in expressing permission, prohibition, obligation
• Prohibition


  An act of disallowing or prohibiting
• Can't / cannot


  Tells about laws, policies. The speaker is not the one who sets the rules.
• Musn't / must not


  Not permitted to do something. The speaker is the one who sets the rules.
• Permission


  Consent or authorization
• Can


  To ask/give permission (informal)
• Could


  Polite/more formal
• May


  Most polite and formal
• Has / Have to

  Used when an authority, rule, or law sets the obligation
• Must


  Comes from the speaker itself
• No obligation


  The absence of commitment
• Don't (Doesn't) have to


  Used to express no obligations
• Possibility and impossibility


  • Could (very polite) - shows that something is possible, but not certain
  • Can (less polite) - to make general statements about what is possible
  • Can't / Cannot - use to say something that is impossible
• Ability


  • Can/Can't - talk about someone's skill or general abilities
  • Can/Can't - to talk about the ability to do something at a specific time in the present or future
  • Could/Couldn't - to talk about the past
• Permission


  • Can - to ask for permission to do something
  • Can - to give permission
  • Can - to say that someone has permission to do something
  • Can't - to refuse permission or say that someone does not have permission
  • Could - more formal and polite than can
• Requests


  • Could you - a polite way of telling or asking someone to do something
  • Can - is less polite
• Offers


  • Can I - to make offers
  • I can / I could - to make an offer
• Suggestions


  Could - to make suggestions
• Will vs Would


  • Will - to express beliefs about the present or future, to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do, to make promises offers and requests
  • Would - past tense form of will, used to talk about the past, to talk about hypotheses (when we imagine something), for politeness