XI MODAL AUXILIARIES AND RELATED VERBS What do these sentences express? Match A and B. A B 1 I can type twenty-five words a minute. --> c a) prediction 2 You should do as you’re told. --> f b) permission 3 You needn’t wait. --> d c) ability 4 It will rain soon. --> a d) no obligation 5 You may leave now if you want to. --> b e) total obligation 6 You must be quiet. --> e f) duty Supply suitable forms which express permission, prohibition or ability. Mrs Wilkins is on a strict diet. "Am I allowed to eat toast and butter for breakfast?" she asked her doctor. "I’m afraid not, Mrs Wilkins. You can only have a grapefruit and a glass of water. You certainly can’t eat any kind of fat and you mustn’t eat biscuits or sweets. But don’t worry, you will be allowed to eat what you like after two months of this diet." Mrs Wilkins was very determined and took a lot of exercise as well. After two months’ diet and exercise she said to her husband, "I still can’t touch my toes as I could before we married." "Don’t worry, my love," he said kindly. "Perhaps your fingernails were longer in those days!" Read these sentences and write C (= Certain) or P (= Possible) against each one. 1 My boss is away on holiday. C 8 He could be swimming right now. P 2 His wife may be with him. P 9 He’ll come back in a good mood. my ladder. C 3 She will be back next week. C 10 He might leave this evening. P 4 He could reply by the weekend. P 11 They’ve been staying at a big hotel. C 5 He wasn’t here last week. C 12 They may have been dancing all night. P 6 She might have been to Paris. P 13 He borrowed my ladder. C 7 She’s returned from Paris. C 14 He could have borrowed P Put in must be/must have been, can’t be/can’t have been, had to be or didn’t have to be. Tracy Evans didn’t have to be at work till ten, so she ignored her alarm clock. But she woke up with a start when she heard a strange sound coming from her wardrobe! What was it? It must be/must have been a mouse, Tracy thought. No, it can’t be/ can’t have been. She knew there were no mice in her room. I must be careful, Tracy said to herself as she opened the wardrobe. There, in front of her, was the lovely pair of wedge-shaped sandals she had bought the day before. Then she heard the sound again! "It must be coming from my sandals!" she cried. She picked them up and, sure enough, one of them was "talking"! Tracy had to be at work at ten, but she still had enough time to visit Mr Lucas, her shoemaker. He removed the wooden heel and they were both amazed to see a white larva eating the wood. Mr Pope, of the Natural History Museum, solved the mystery. "These shoes must have been imported (import) from Brazil. An insect must have laid (lay) its eggs in the tree from which the shoes were made," he explained. Put in the right forms for the words in brackets. While trying to sail round the world in a small boat, Harry, Sandy and Joe were shipwrecked one night. "I wish there (be) was/were an island nearby," Harry said. By morning, they were washed up on to a desert island. For six months they lived on fish, nuts and fruit. One day, they saw a bottle on the shore. "If only it (contain) contained a note or something!" Sandy said. They opened it and a genie appeared. "It’s high time someone (open) opened that bottle!" the genie gasped. "I’m so grateful, I’ll give you one wish each. You first," the genie said, pointing to Harry. "That’s easy,: Harry said. "I wish I (be) was/were with my family." And (whoosh!) he disappeared. "Me too," Sandy said. "If only I (can be) could be in dear old Glasgow." And (whoosh!) off he went. "And you, sir?" the genie asked Joe. "I wish I (have) had/could have my friends back!" Joe said. Supply the correct forms of the verbs in brackets. 1 My career is nearly over, but I’d much rather have been in the navy than in the army. (be) 2 If I had lived in the past, I’d sooner have been a peasant than a king. (be) 3 I like my job. I’d rather make my living as a teacher than anything else. (make) 4 You might be late for the meeting. I’d rather you caught an earlier train. (catch) 5 I won’t be home till very late. I’d sooner you didn’t wait up for me. (not wait up) 6 He took a risk investing money with them. I’d rather he hadn’t done it. (not do) Put in will have to, must, having to, has to, should, had to, have to and should have. Use each one at least once. The Post Office in Britain is famous for getting letters and parcels to their destinations. The problem is that we the public have to/must observe the rules. For example, we must/have to put a stamp on a letter. If we don’t, the recipient has to/will have to pay double. We often see the sign ALL LETTERS MUST BE CORRECTLY ADDRESSED. These days, this means having to use postcodes. If you didn’t use a postcode, it’s no good complaining that your letter should have arrived sooner. Parcels are a problem because they must/have to/should be correctly packaged. If Aunt Sophie is going to send you a jar of your favourite jam, she will have to/must/should/has to wrap it up well. The most important thing we have to/must do is to address our letters and parcels legibly and correctly. This means clear handwriting and correct spelling. What we should do and what we actually do are often miles apart. Recently, the Post Office had to deliver a letter which showed a name followed by the word ARIJABA. What is this, do you think? Arabic? Hindustani? Wrong both times! Say it out loud and you’ll see it’s just plain (misspelt!) English: HARWICH HARBOUR!