Modals Auxiliary Verbs
In addition to helping verbs like do, be, or have, there are other helping verbs, called modal auxiliaries or modals, such as can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would. These modals are used to add different functions to or aspects to verbs in the sentence such as ability, permission, probability, or obligation. It's important to remember that modals do not change form for different subjects and are always followed by the base, or infinitive, form of the verb. For instance:
- I can drive. He can drive. They can drive.
- I will be there. He will be there. They will be there.
On the TOEFL ITP, many Structure and Written Expression questions will include modals and you will be asked to determine the function of the sentence based on which modal is used.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.