Modal Verbs and Possibility
English · Grammar & Punctuation · conceptual
Understand and use modal verbs (can, may, must, might, shall, will, could, should, would) and modal adverbs (perhaps, surely, certainly) to indicate degrees of possibility, necessity, and permission
What mastery looks like
- Select a modal verb to express certainty, probability, or possibility in a sentence, e.g. 'It will rain' vs 'It might rain' vs 'It could rain'
- Replace a modal verb with a modal adverb to achieve a similar effect, e.g. 'He might come' → 'Perhaps he will come'
- Distinguish between modals expressing permission (may, can), obligation (must, should), and possibility (might, could) in context
Check your understanding
When Modal Verbs and Possibility writes, do they choose between words like "must", "might", "could", and "should" to show whether something is certain, possible, or just an idea — rather than treating every action as definite?
Prerequisites
Required first
Helpful
Unlocks (0 directly)
None.