The above sentences use ‘can’ as a Modal Auxiliary Verb to express the ability of completing a specific task (verb). (future possibility), There may be a power cut today. Another consists of forms of have: have, has, had and having. Modal Auxiliary Verb ‘can’ can be used to make requests as shown in below example sentences-, In the above sentences Modal Verb ‘can’ is used to make requests, but its Negative form can be used to make refusals as demonstrated below-, There are various ways in which ‘could/couldn’t’ can be used, as explained below-, Could/Couldn’t can be used as the past tense of can/can’t as shown in the examples below-, ‘Could’ can also be used to make polite requests as shown in the sentences below-, ‘Could’ can also be used to express the Possibility of the occurrence of an event ‘now’ as shown in sentences below-. In the sentence Squiggly is running a marathon, the verb is is a helping verb, but in the sentence Squiggly is Aardvark’s second-best friend, it’s a linking verb. In fact, you might not have even realized that some modal verbs are actually past-tense forms. He may come for the meeting. (unsure), 23) He _________ appear in the function. (In case you’re wondering why the forms doing and done aren’t in the list, you can consider those helping verbs, too, if you like. Aside from modal remoteness, the other function that modal past tenses perform is backshifting, or as it’s sometimes known, sequence of tenses. Intransitive Verbs (Polite request), 19) The flight _________ arrive on time. Auxiliary Verb ‘ought’ is used to express a duty or an obligation and is always followed by ‘to’. (inability), 6) ________ you prepare the dinner please. It means they’re missing some forms. For Ex- They can, he can, she can, it can and I can. (Past Tense), It might have hurt you, had you not been careful. (anytime in near future), He will come to the party. When they were kids they wouldn’t play all day long. Fill In The Blanks/MCQ Exercises/Worksheet/Activities On Modal Auxiliary Verbs With Answers: Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct Modal Auxiliary Verbs from the choices given below ever question. See episode 320 for more about the overall strangeness of the verb do. Nonfinite Verb Modal auxiliary verbs are defective—yes, that’s the actual term, defective. That’s because the past tense could presents the scenario of someone doing you a favor as less likely than the present tense can does. For example, people who live in the South often use something called a double modal in sentences such as We might could harvest the corn. If helping verbs were a football team, though, doing and done would be the benchwarmers, who never actually get sent in to play. Note-, Auxiliary Verb ‘shall’ is used to offer, when the speaker is assured of an affirmative reply. Finite Verb (request), They can’t enter without permission. The fourth group, you may have guessed, consists of the modal auxiliaries, but before we talk about them, I should note that be, do, and have aren’t always helping verbs.