German: A1 Hints on Writing Letter
Tips to Help Students Write Letters in German
Tips to Help Students Write Letters in German
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different from normal verbs like “work, play, visit…” They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They have a great variety of communicative functions. Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:
- They never change their form. You can’t add “s”, “ed”, “ing”…
- They are always followed by an infinitive without “to” (e.i. the bare infinitive.)
- They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability
Here is a list of modal verbs:The verbs or expressions dare, ought to, had better, and need not behave like modal auxiliaries to a large extent and my be added to the above list
can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must
Modal verbs are used to express functions such as:
- Permission
- Ability
- Obligation
- Prohibition
- Lack of necessity
- Advice
- possibility
- probability
Modal verbs list, usages, examples
Modal verbs meanings and uses Modal verbs are also know as helping verbs and are used to express the following:- Possililty, obligation, ability and permission.Modal verbs their usage and examples
Modal verb list with examples
Modal verbs can be used with actions
Modal verbs
Can ability permission probability (0%) Can I go to the mall? It can’t be Robert. He is in London Could past ability past permission probability (30%) request, offer or suggestion He could speak English when he was 2 years old. He could go to the park. It could get much colder in December. Could I go to the toilet? I could lend you my dictionary. May probability (50%) permission It may rain tomorrow. May I go to the cinema with you? Might probability (30% or less) It might snow today. Must Prohibition deduction / probability (100%) You mustn’t play with that. It’s dangerous The visitor must be Daniel. I’ve seen his car outside. Should advice You shouldn’t smoke. It’s bad for your health Will prediction spontaneous decision I think he will study harder this time. Oh, it’s very cold in here. I’ll close the window.
Here is a list of modals with examples:
Modal Verb Expressing Example must Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn red. logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He’s been working all day long. must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital. can ability I can swim. permission Can I use your phone please? possibility Smoking can cause cancer. could ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast. polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something? possibility It could rain tomorrow! may permission May I use your phone please? possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow! might polite permission Might I suggest an idea? possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next year. need not lack of necessity/absence of obligation I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in the fridge. should/ought to 50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a terrible headache. advice You should / ought to revise your lessons logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He’s been working all day long. had better advice You ‘d better revise your lessons
Use | Examples |
---|---|
ability to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be able to) | I can speak English. |
permission to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be allowed to) | Can I go to the cinema? |
request | Can you wait a moment, please? |
offer | I can lend you my car till tomorrow. |
suggestion | Can we visit Grandma at the weekend? |
possibility | It can get very hot in Arizona. |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
ability to do sth. in the past (substitute form: to be able to) | I could speak English. |
permission to do sth. in the past (substitute form: to be allowed to) | I could go to the cinema. |
polite question * | Could I go to the cinema, please? |
polite request * | Could you wait a moment, please? |
polite offer * | I could lend you my car till tomorrow. |
polite suggestion * | Could we visit Grandma at the weekend? |
possibility * | It could get very hot in Montana. |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
possibility | It may rain today. |
permission to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be allowed to) | May I go to the cinema? |
polite suggestion | May I help you? |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
possibility (less possible than may) * | It might rain today. |
hesitant offer * | Might I help you? |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
force, necessity | I must go to the supermarket today. |
possibility | You must be tired. |
advice, recommendation | You must see the new film with Brad Pitt. |
Use | Examples |
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prohibition (must is a little stronger) | You mustn’t work on dad’s computer. |
You may not work on dad’s computer. |
Use | Examples |
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sth. is not necessary | I needn’t go to the supermarket, we’re going to the restaurant tonight. |
Use | Examples |
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advice | You ought to drive carefully in bad weather. |
obligation | You ought to switch off the light when you leave the room. |
Use | Examples |
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suggestion | Shall I carry your bag? |
Use | Examples |
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advice | You should drive carefully in bad weather. |
obligation | You should switch off the light when you leave the room. |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
wish, request, demand, order (less polite than would) | Will you please shut the door? |
prediction, assumption | I think it will rain on Friday. |
promise | I will stop smoking. |
spontaneous decision | Can somebody drive me to the station? – I will. |
habits | She’s strange, she‘ll sit for hours without talking. |
Use | Examples |
---|---|
wish, request (more polite than will) | Would you shut the door, please? |
habits in the past | Sometimes he would bring me some flowers. |
The modal auxiliary can is used
The modal auxiliary could is used
In expressing ability, can and could frequently also imply willingness: Can you help me with my homework?
In the context of expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future forms and might + have + past participle is the past form:
Will can be used to express willingness:
It can also express intention (especially in the first person):
and prediction:
Would can also be used to express willingness:
It can also express insistence (rather rare, and with a strong stress on the word “would”):
and characteristic activity:
In a main clause, would can express a hypothetical meaning:
Finally, would can express a sense of probability:
IELTS Speaking Training at Lingua World Coimbatore
In the Speaking test, you will have a discussion with a certified examiner. It will be interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.
Part 1 | You will answer questions about yourself and your family. |
Part 2 | You will speak about a topic. |
Part 3 | You will have a longer discussion about the topic introduced in Part 2. |
In part 1 of the Speaking test the examiner will introduce him or herself and ask general questions on familiar topics.
The examiner will ask you to confirm your identity. He or she will then ask general questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. Part 1 of the test will last 4-5 minutes.In the IELTS speaking part 2 test you will be given a task card on a particular topic, and this will include key points that you should talk about.
This section of the Speaking test gives you the opportunity to speak for longer on a topic. You will be given one minute to prepare to talk about the topic on the task card. A pencil and paper will be provided for you to make notes. You will have to talk for 1-2 minutes, and then the examiner will ask you one or two questions on the same topic. Part 2 takes 3-4 minutes in total.In part 3 of the Speaking test the examiner will ask further questions which are connected to the topics discussed in part 2.
This part of the test is designed to give you the opportunity to talk about more abstract issues and ideas. It is a two-way discussion with the examiner, and will last 4-5 minutes.
Present Simple Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am/is/are
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Active voice: He sings a song. He does not sing a song.Does he sing a song? |
Passive voice: A song is sung by him. A song is not sung by him. Is a song sung by him? |
Present Continuous Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am being/is being/are being
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Active voice: I am writing a letter I am not writing a letter. Am I writing a letter? |
Passive voice: A letter is being written by me. A letter is not being written by me. Is a letter being written by me? |
Present Perfect Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: has been/have been
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Active voice: She has finished his work She has not finished her work. Has she finished her work? |
Passive voice: Her work has been finished by her. Her work has not been finished by her. Has her work been finished by her? |
Past Simple Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was/were
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|
Active voice: I killed a snake I did not kill a snake. Did I kill a snake? |
Passive voice: A snake was killed by me. A snake was not killed by me. Was a snake killed by me? |
Past Continuous Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was being/were being
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|
Active voice: He was driving a car. He was not driving a car. Was he driving a car? |
Passive voice: A car was being driven by him. A car was not being driven by him. Was a car being driven by him? |
Past Perfect Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: had been
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Active voice: They had completed the assignment. They had not completed the assignment. Had they completed the assignment? |
Passive voice: The assignment had been completed by them. The assignment had not been complete by them. Had the assignment been completed by them? |
Future Simple Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will be
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|
Active voice: She will buy a car. She will not buy a car. Will she buy a car? |
Passive voice: A car will be bought by her. A car will not be bought by her. Will a car be bought by her? |
Future Perfect Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will have been
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|
Active voice: You will have started the job. You will have not started the job. Will you have started the job? |
Passive voice: The job will have been started by you. The job will not have been started by you. Will the job have been started by you? |
Note: The following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice.
Subject | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Past participle |
e.g. I/a dog etc. | will | have | e.g. eaten/given/gone etc. |
Examples | Use | |
I will have retired by the end of this year. | (Use 1) | |
I read 40 pages a day. If I keep up the pace, I will have read the book by Tuesday. | (Use 1) |
Auxiliary verb | + | Subject | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Past participle |
will | e.g. I/a dog etc. | have | e.g. eaten/given/gone etc. |
Examples | Use | |
Will they have graduated from Cambridge by July 2009? | (Use 1) | |
Will I have retired by the end of the year? | (Use 1) | |
Will you have bought a new processor by the end of this week? | (Use 1) |
Subject | + | Auxiliary verb + not | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Past participle |
e.g. I/a dog etc. | will not | have | e.g. eaten/given/gone etc. |
Examples | Use | |
They won’t have graduated from from Cambridge by July 2009. | (Use 1) | |
My uncle won’t have retired by the end of the year. | (Use 1) |
subject | + | auxiliary verb WILL | + | auxiliary verb BE | + | main verb |
invariable | invariable | present participle | ||||
will | be | base + ing |
subject | auxiliary verb | auxiliary verb | main verb | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+ | I | will | be | working | at 10am. | |
+ | You | will | be | lying | on a beach tomorrow. | |
– | She | will | not | be | using | the car. |
– | We | will | not | be | having | dinner at home. |
? | Will | you | be | playing | football? | |
? | Will | they | be | watching | TV? |
I will | I’ll |
you will | you’ll |
he will she will it will | he’ll she’ll it’ll |
we will | we’ll |
they will | they’ll |
I will not | I won’t |
you will not | you won’t |
he will not she will not it will not | he won’t she won’t it won’t |
we will not | we won’t |
they will not | they won’t |
At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working. | ||||||
past | present | future | ||||
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At 4pm, I will be in the middle of working. |
Subject | will | infinitive without to |
---|---|---|
Affirmative | ||
I | will | go |
I | shall | go |
Negative | ||
They | will not | see |
They | won’t | see |
Interrogative | ||
Will | she | ask? |
Interrogative negative | ||
Won’t | they | try? |
Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative | Interrogative Negative |
---|---|---|---|
I will see | I won’t see | Will I see? | Won’t I see? |
*I shall see | *Shall I see? | ||
You will see | You won’t see | Will you see? | Won’t you see? |
He will see | He won’t see | Will he see? | Won’t he see? |
We will see | We won’t see | Will we see? | Won’t we see? |
*We shall see | *Shall we see? | ||
They will see | They won’t see | Will they see? | Won’t they see? |