Central modal auxiliary verbs

Multiple-choice exercise

ELT Concourse home

  1. 'I'm tired and it must be getting late.'
    1.   is a use of must which can be negated with 'needn't' or 'don't have to'
    2.   is a use of 'must' to express strong advice
    3.   is a use of 'must' to express a logical deduction
  2. 'would' can be used to express requests
    1.   True
    2.   Only when the request is based on a current or past habit
    3.   False
  3. 'can' expresses
    1.   ability, permission, possibility and past ability
    2.   ability, logical deduction, possibility and requests
    3.   ability, permission, possibility and requests
  4. 'I couldn't see what he was driving at.'
    1.   is the use of 'could' for logical deduction
    2.   is the use of 'could' for expressing a complaint
    3.   is the use of 'could' for past ability
  5. It is possible to omit the 'to' after 'ought'
    1.   False
    2.   when it is used to express negative obligation
    3.   when it is used to express advice
  6. 'You might have told me.' and 'You could have told me.' express
    1.   complaints only
    2.   complaints or past possibility
    3.   past possibility only
  7. 'You would have been able to do it if you'd done your revision.'
    1.   is a common use of 'would' to express contingency in conditionals
    2.   is a double use of 'would' in a conditional sense
    3.   is 'would' used to express likelihood
  8. The negative of 'must' for denying permission
    1.   can be expressed using 'don't have to'
    2.   can be expressed using 'can't'
    3.   can be expressed using 'couldn't'
  9. 'must' is used informally for strong advice.
    1.   False
    2.   Only in British English
    3.   True
  10. 'should' can express
    1.   advice, possibility or permission
    2.   advice, obligation, or deduction
    3.   permission, advice or obligation
  11. 'May your life together be a long and happy one.'
    1.   expresses permission
    2.   expresses possibility
    3.   is an odd, formal subjunctive use of the modal
  12. 'You might try speaking French to him.' expresses
    1.   a suggestion
    2.   a complaint
    3.   a possibility
  13. The first-person use of 'should' is considered more formal than the use of 'would' in contingent uses.
    1.   False
    2.   Only in US English
    3.   True
  14. 'If you will just wait outside for a few minutes.'
    1.   is the use of 'will' in a conditional clause
    2.   is the use of 'will' for polite requests
    3.   is the use of 'will' for intentional future
  15. 'She must be here soon - it's getting late.'
    1.   expresses strong advice
    2.   expresses strong possibility
    3.   expresses a firm logical deduction
  16. 'Careful. There might be a snake in the hall.'
    1.   is the use of 'might' to refer to permission
    2.   is the use of 'might' to refer to unlikely present possibility
    3.   is the use of 'might' that implies greater likelihood than 'could'
  17. 'I ought to write to my mother.'
    1.   expresses strong obligation
    2.   expresses strong advice
    3.   expresses a sense of duty rather than obligation
  18. 'would' can express
    1.   personal characteristics and permission
    2.   past habits and requests
    3.   requests and possibilities
  19. 'could', when used for asking permission, is
    1.   considered more polite than 'can'
    2.   considered more polite than 'might'
    3.   a reference to someone's ability to do something in the future
  20. 'I could have left my car in his garage.'
    1.   is the same as 'I might have left my car in his garage.' when referring to possibility
    2.   is always the same as 'I might have left my car in his garage.'
    3.   is the same as 'I might have left my car in his garage.' when referring to ability