[Music]
hello I’m Emma from English so tell me
what type of words are these they’re
modal verbs now I’ve been getting lots
of questions about modal verbs from you
lately so I’m gonna share some useful
tips to help you use them a little more
effectively when you’re speaking English
now these modal verbs are auxiliary
verbs just like B do and has because
they work together with a main verb you
always have a mole verb with a main verb
and the main verb that follows is always
in the bare infinitive form without – I
could go you should take they would like
Paul may borrow now these modal verbs
are used in English to express something
they have a purpose so we need to try
and understand that purpose today now
they can be used to talk about
possibility and probability to talk
about how likely something is now
remember you’re always using that modal
verb with a main verb so how likely is
it that that action will happen are you
certain you’re sure you’re confident
that will happen is it probable is it
likely to happen is there a good chance
it will happen is it possible or is it
unlikely now in all of these situations
you can use a modal verb to explain how
certain you are that something will
happen how possible something is now
these same modal verbs can also be used
to explain ability so how able
you are to do something they can be used
to ask permission make requests and
offer help in fact there’s quite a few
different uses so I’m going to split
this lesson into and I’m doing this
because I want to take this slowly I
don’t want you to feel overwhelmed and
confused so let’s just take one step at
a time in this lesson I’ll talk about
how we use modal verbs to talk about
certainty probability and possibility so
this is how likely something is to
happen or if it’s possible at all and
the next lesson we’ll focus on ability
and the other uses so try not to worry
about them right now but make sure that
if you’re not a subscriber you’d click
that red button and subscribe so that
you find out when that next lesson is
available okay so let’s start with
probability how likely something is to
happen now we use will to talk about the
future when we’re confident that
something will happen we believe it
we’re certain it’s true the Sun will
rise tomorrow pretty sure that will
happen Ashley will be late well she’s
always late so I definitely believe that
to be true if you don’t take a jumper
you will get cold it’s freezing out
there you’ll also hear will used to give
reassurance when you want to confirm
that something is true you know when
your mum tells you you will pass the
exam don’t worry even though you’re
really not sure that’s true she’s using
will to tell you that she’s confident
she believes in you when you’re upset
your friends tell you it will be okay
they’re confident they believe that
everything will be okay
now if you’re certain
that something is not going to happen
use will not or won’t if they walk they
won’t arrive in time it’s too far I’m
certain that that won’t happen we also
use must when we are confident and sure
of something that is happening in the
present and usually we have a reason or
an explanation to tell us why something
is happening the baby’s crying he must
be hungry I thought Sarah would be here
by now
she must be stuck in traffic they didn’t
eat any of the meat they must be
vegetarian notice how I’ve given a
reason for all of these examples to show
why I believe something to be true and
it’s quite common when you’re using must
it explains that you are quite confident
about the statement and you’re able to
give a reason to explain why you’re so
sure to use must to talk about the past
when you’re quite sure that something
happened then use must have after flying
for 36 hours you must have felt
exhausted I thought I’d do better in the
exam I must have been really nervous Oh
Jack’s not here right now he must have
thought that you were meeting him
downstairs now see how this creates the
perfect tense the main verb following
her is in the past participle form so
when talking about the present or the
future must is followed by the bare
infinitive form but when talking about
the past must is followed by have and
the past participle verb form and this
pattern is true for many of the modal
verbs that we’ll talk about today we use
should to say that something is likely
we’re not a hundred percent certain but
we believe it
to be true they left an hour ago they
should be here by now if they take the
car they should arrive by 3:00 to talk
about the past we use should have it’s
the same pattern I didn’t realize he was
unwell we should have offered to take
him to the doctor the school knew Sam
was going to be late they should have
called her mother now let’s talk
possibility so if you’re making really
general statements about something that
is possible use can people can be really
rude be careful because it can be quite
dangerous on the streets at night it can
be really hard to find a speaking
partner to practice English with it can
take over 12 hours to hike through those
mountains now these are all general
statements they’re not specific I’m
saying these statements are possible but
I’m not saying exactly what is happening
now in this context could is used as the
past tense of can I remember winters in
London weeks could go by without ever
seeing the Sun so when we’re uncertain
or unsure about the present and the
future we use the modal verbs could
might and may they explain that
something is possible but not certain or
guaranteed if you wait near the door on
Lewis Street you could see the Prime
Minister leaving they might arrive
before lunch but I’m not sure I may need
to borrow your car now might and may
here are very similar there is a very
slight difference between the two in
that might tells us that the outcome is
a little bit less likely but the truth
is that 99 percent of native English
speakers don’t even real
this so you don’t need to worry about
the difference at all when used in
spoken English you can use either when
talking about possibility just consider
them to be the same we may go on a
holiday in September we might go on
holiday in September close enough the
meaning of this sentence is so similar
but the second one suggests that it’s a
little less likely that’s all we can
also use could to explain that we are
uncertain or unsure about the future it
could rain this afternoon it might rain
this afternoon it may rain this
afternoon now all of these sentences
tell us that it’s possible but not
certain there is a chance that it will
happen Simon could arrive before us
Simon might arrive before us Simon may
arrive before us now these examples all
talk about the present or the future and
the modal verb is followed by the bare
infinitive verb form but now we’ll go
into the past back in time then we use
these same modal verbs with have
followed by the past participle verb so
suddenly we’re using the present perfect
tense they might have finished dinner by
now I’m worried something could have
happened to Sarah okay so that was
talking about possibility now let’s
focus on impossibility when something is
not possible when we know that something
is unlikely to happen the chances of it
happening are really really really small
when we think that something is
impossible we use the negative forms of
can
could you can’t be serious
it’s not possible I don’t believe you
now this expression is often used after
someone says something that you just
don’t believe when we think that what is
said is very unlikely to be true when we
told them they’d won they couldn’t
believe it he said he was in a band
called meatball he couldn’t have been
serious
so when spoken these negative forms are
usually contracted can’t couldn’t and
couldn’t have now you will never see
this last one written as a double
contraction but you will hear it spoken
couldn’t if you will hear people
pronounce the full negative form though
especially to add emphasis to make the
meaning stronger that cannot be true but
you can make it even more dramatic by
stressing every single word that cannot
be true okay
so let’s summarize now if you are
certain about something use will or use
won’t if you are certain that something
is impossible now if you’re confident
about something and you have a reason
for believing that use must or should if
you’re talking about something generally
that’s possible use can if you are not
certain but it’s possible use might may
or could so remember that there are
different meanings for all of these
modal verbs and we’re going to talk
about these more in the next lesson well
I hope that you enjoyed that lesson I
hope you feel a little more confident
using modal verbs to talk about
possibility and probability now remember
that the next lesson we’ll talk about
how these modal verbs can be you
for ability to ask for permission to
give suggestions and ask for advice but
for now keep practicing with these
lessons and I will be back again next
week with a new lesson for you thanks
for watching I’ll see you again soon bye for now
hello I’m Emma from English so tell me
what type of words are these they’re
modal verbs now I’ve been getting lots
of questions about modal verbs from you
lately so I’m gonna share some useful
tips to help you use them a little more
effectively when you’re speaking English
now these modal verbs are auxiliary
verbs just like B do and has because
they work together with a main verb you
always have a mole verb with a main verb
and the main verb that follows is always
in the bare infinitive form without – I
could go you should take they would like
Paul may borrow now these modal verbs
are used in English to express something
they have a purpose so we need to try
and understand that purpose today now
they can be used to talk about
possibility and probability to talk
about how likely something is now
remember you’re always using that modal
verb with a main verb so how likely is
it that that action will happen are you
certain you’re sure you’re confident
that will happen is it probable is it
likely to happen is there a good chance
it will happen is it possible or is it
unlikely now in all of these situations
you can use a modal verb to explain how
certain you are that something will
happen how possible something is now
these same modal verbs can also be used
to explain ability so how able
you are to do something they can be used
to ask permission make requests and
offer help in fact there’s quite a few
different uses so I’m going to split
this lesson into and I’m doing this
because I want to take this slowly I
don’t want you to feel overwhelmed and
confused so let’s just take one step at
a time in this lesson I’ll talk about
how we use modal verbs to talk about
certainty probability and possibility so
this is how likely something is to
happen or if it’s possible at all and
the next lesson we’ll focus on ability
and the other uses so try not to worry
about them right now but make sure that
if you’re not a subscriber you’d click
that red button and subscribe so that
you find out when that next lesson is
available okay so let’s start with
probability how likely something is to
happen now we use will to talk about the
future when we’re confident that
something will happen we believe it
we’re certain it’s true the Sun will
rise tomorrow pretty sure that will
happen Ashley will be late well she’s
always late so I definitely believe that
to be true if you don’t take a jumper
you will get cold it’s freezing out
there you’ll also hear will used to give
reassurance when you want to confirm
that something is true you know when
your mum tells you you will pass the
exam don’t worry even though you’re
really not sure that’s true she’s using
will to tell you that she’s confident
she believes in you when you’re upset
your friends tell you it will be okay
they’re confident they believe that
everything will be okay
now if you’re certain
that something is not going to happen
use will not or won’t if they walk they
won’t arrive in time it’s too far I’m
certain that that won’t happen we also
use must when we are confident and sure
of something that is happening in the
present and usually we have a reason or
an explanation to tell us why something
is happening the baby’s crying he must
be hungry I thought Sarah would be here
by now
she must be stuck in traffic they didn’t
eat any of the meat they must be
vegetarian notice how I’ve given a
reason for all of these examples to show
why I believe something to be true and
it’s quite common when you’re using must
it explains that you are quite confident
about the statement and you’re able to
give a reason to explain why you’re so
sure to use must to talk about the past
when you’re quite sure that something
happened then use must have after flying
for 36 hours you must have felt
exhausted I thought I’d do better in the
exam I must have been really nervous Oh
Jack’s not here right now he must have
thought that you were meeting him
downstairs now see how this creates the
perfect tense the main verb following
her is in the past participle form so
when talking about the present or the
future must is followed by the bare
infinitive form but when talking about
the past must is followed by have and
the past participle verb form and this
pattern is true for many of the modal
verbs that we’ll talk about today we use
should to say that something is likely
we’re not a hundred percent certain but
we believe it
to be true they left an hour ago they
should be here by now if they take the
car they should arrive by 3:00 to talk
about the past we use should have it’s
the same pattern I didn’t realize he was
unwell we should have offered to take
him to the doctor the school knew Sam
was going to be late they should have
called her mother now let’s talk
possibility so if you’re making really
general statements about something that
is possible use can people can be really
rude be careful because it can be quite
dangerous on the streets at night it can
be really hard to find a speaking
partner to practice English with it can
take over 12 hours to hike through those
mountains now these are all general
statements they’re not specific I’m
saying these statements are possible but
I’m not saying exactly what is happening
now in this context could is used as the
past tense of can I remember winters in
London weeks could go by without ever
seeing the Sun so when we’re uncertain
or unsure about the present and the
future we use the modal verbs could
might and may they explain that
something is possible but not certain or
guaranteed if you wait near the door on
Lewis Street you could see the Prime
Minister leaving they might arrive
before lunch but I’m not sure I may need
to borrow your car now might and may
here are very similar there is a very
slight difference between the two in
that might tells us that the outcome is
a little bit less likely but the truth
is that 99 percent of native English
speakers don’t even real
this so you don’t need to worry about
the difference at all when used in
spoken English you can use either when
talking about possibility just consider
them to be the same we may go on a
holiday in September we might go on
holiday in September close enough the
meaning of this sentence is so similar
but the second one suggests that it’s a
little less likely that’s all we can
also use could to explain that we are
uncertain or unsure about the future it
could rain this afternoon it might rain
this afternoon it may rain this
afternoon now all of these sentences
tell us that it’s possible but not
certain there is a chance that it will
happen Simon could arrive before us
Simon might arrive before us Simon may
arrive before us now these examples all
talk about the present or the future and
the modal verb is followed by the bare
infinitive verb form but now we’ll go
into the past back in time then we use
these same modal verbs with have
followed by the past participle verb so
suddenly we’re using the present perfect
tense they might have finished dinner by
now I’m worried something could have
happened to Sarah okay so that was
talking about possibility now let’s
focus on impossibility when something is
not possible when we know that something
is unlikely to happen the chances of it
happening are really really really small
when we think that something is
impossible we use the negative forms of
can
could you can’t be serious
it’s not possible I don’t believe you
now this expression is often used after
someone says something that you just
don’t believe when we think that what is
said is very unlikely to be true when we
told them they’d won they couldn’t
believe it he said he was in a band
called meatball he couldn’t have been
serious
so when spoken these negative forms are
usually contracted can’t couldn’t and
couldn’t have now you will never see
this last one written as a double
contraction but you will hear it spoken
couldn’t if you will hear people
pronounce the full negative form though
especially to add emphasis to make the
meaning stronger that cannot be true but
you can make it even more dramatic by
stressing every single word that cannot
be true okay
so let’s summarize now if you are
certain about something use will or use
won’t if you are certain that something
is impossible now if you’re confident
about something and you have a reason
for believing that use must or should if
you’re talking about something generally
that’s possible use can if you are not
certain but it’s possible use might may
or could so remember that there are
different meanings for all of these
modal verbs and we’re going to talk
about these more in the next lesson well
I hope that you enjoyed that lesson I
hope you feel a little more confident
using modal verbs to talk about
possibility and probability now remember
that the next lesson we’ll talk about
how these modal verbs can be you
for ability to ask for permission to
give suggestions and ask for advice but
for now keep practicing with these
lessons and I will be back again next
week with a new lesson for you thanks
for watching I’ll see you again soon bye for now
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