[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":331},["ShallowReactive",2],{"exercise-grammar-modal-verbs-exercises":3,"exercise-index-for-related":227},{"slug":4,"skill":5,"topic":6,"title":7,"levels":8,"tags":11,"published":15,"updated_at":16,"is_premium":17,"meta_title":18,"meta_description":19,"rule":20,"examples":42,"exercises":58,"faq":203,"article":219},"modal-verbs-exercises","grammar","modal-verbs","Modal Verbs Exercises",[9,10],"A2","B1",[6,12,13,14],"can","must","should",true,"2026-07-20",false,"Modal Verbs Exercises — Can, Must, Should, May | Free Practice | FluencyRoad","Practice English modal verbs (can, could, must, have to, should, may, might) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations.",{"heading":21,"summary":22,"points":23},"How modal verbs work","Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, should, will, would) add meaning like ability, permission, obligation or probability to another verb — and they follow special grammar rules.",[24,27,30,33,36,39],{"label":25,"text":26},"Form","modal + base verb: She can swim (never 'to swim' or 'swims')",{"label":28,"text":29},"No -s \u002F no do","He must go (not 'musts'); negatives and questions without 'do': Can you…? You shouldn't…",{"label":31,"text":32},"Ability","can \u002F could: I can drive. She could read at age four.",{"label":34,"text":35},"Obligation","must \u002F have to: You must wear a seatbelt. | Prohibition: mustn't",{"label":37,"text":38},"Advice","should \u002F shouldn't: You should see a doctor.",{"label":40,"text":41},"Possibility","may \u002F might \u002F could: It might rain later.",[43,46,49,52,55],{"sentence":44,"note":45},"She **can speak** three languages fluently.","ability",{"sentence":47,"note":48},"You **must fasten** your seatbelt during take-off.","strong obligation (rule)",{"sentence":50,"note":51},"You **shouldn't drink** so much coffee before bed.","negative advice",{"sentence":53,"note":54},"It **might snow** tonight, so drive carefully.","possibility, not certain",{"sentence":56,"note":57},"**May** I **use** your phone for a minute?","polite permission",[59,101,141,181],{"id":60,"type":61,"title":62,"instructions":63,"questions":64},"mc","multiple_choice","Choose the correct modal","Select the modal verb that best fits each situation.",[65,74,81,88,95],{"id":66,"prompt":67,"options":68,"answer":72,"explanation":73},"mc1","You ___ smoke in the hospital — it's strictly forbidden.",[69,70,71],"mustn't","don't have to","shouldn't",0,"'Mustn't' expresses prohibition. 'Don't have to' means it's not necessary — a very different meaning.",{"id":75,"prompt":76,"options":77,"answer":79,"explanation":80},"mc2","I ___ ride a bike when I was five years old.",[12,78,13],"could",1,"'Could' is the past form of 'can' for general ability in the past.",{"id":82,"prompt":83,"options":84,"answer":72,"explanation":87},"mc3","You look exhausted. You ___ take a day off.",[14,85,86],"must not","may","'Should' gives advice or a recommendation.",{"id":89,"prompt":90,"options":91,"answer":93,"explanation":94},"mc4","It's a holiday tomorrow, so I ___ get up early.",[69,92,70],"can't",2,"'Don't have to' = it's not necessary. 'Mustn't' would mean getting up early is forbidden.",{"id":96,"prompt":97,"options":98,"answer":79,"explanation":100},"mc5","Take an umbrella — it ___ rain this afternoon.",[13,99,14],"might","'Might' expresses a possibility that is not certain.",{"id":102,"type":103,"title":104,"instructions":105,"questions":106},"gap","gap_fill","Complete the sentences","Type the missing modal verb (can, can't, must, mustn't, should, shouldn't, might...).",[107,115,122,128,134],{"id":108,"prompt":109,"hint":110,"answers":111,"explanation":114},"gap1","___ you help me carry these boxes, please?","polite request",[12,78,112,113],"will","would","Requests use can\u002Fcould\u002Fwill\u002Fwould — 'could' and 'would' are the more polite options.",{"id":116,"prompt":117,"hint":118,"answers":119,"explanation":121},"gap2","In most countries, drivers ___ wear a seatbelt — it's the law.","obligation",[13,120],"have to","Legal obligations take 'must' or 'have to'.",{"id":123,"prompt":124,"hint":51,"answers":125,"explanation":127},"gap3","You ___ eat so much sugar — it's bad for your teeth.",[71,126],"should not","Advice against something uses 'shouldn't'.",{"id":129,"prompt":130,"hint":131,"answers":132,"explanation":133},"gap4","I'm not sure where Anna is. She ___ be at the gym.","possibility",[99,86,78],"Uncertain possibility about the present: might\u002Fmay\u002Fcould + be.",{"id":135,"prompt":136,"hint":137,"answers":138,"explanation":140},"gap5","Sorry, I ___ come to the party on Saturday — I'm working.","impossibility",[92,139],"cannot","'Can't' expresses inability or impossibility.",{"id":142,"type":142,"title":143,"instructions":144,"questions":145},"reorder","Put the words in order","Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.",[146,154,163,172],{"id":147,"words":148,"answer":152,"explanation":153},"re1",[149,150,12,151],"swim","she","very well","she can swim very well","Subject + modal + base verb + adverbial.",{"id":155,"words":156,"answer":161,"explanation":162},"re2",[157,158,86,159,160],"I","your pen","borrow","?","may I borrow your pen ?","Modal questions invert the modal and the subject: May I…?",{"id":164,"words":165,"answer":170,"explanation":171},"re3",[166,167,168,71,169],"be","you","late","for class","you shouldn't be late for class","Subject + modal negative + base verb.",{"id":173,"words":174,"answer":179,"explanation":180},"re4",[13,175,176,177,178],"a visa","travelers","get","before the trip","travelers must get a visa before the trip","Subject + must + base verb + object + time phrase.",{"id":182,"type":183,"title":184,"instructions":185,"questions":186},"tf","true_false","True or false?","Decide if each statement about modal verbs is true or false.",[187,191,195,199],{"id":188,"prompt":189,"answer":17,"explanation":190},"tf1","\"She cans speak Italian\" is correct English.","False — modal verbs never take -s: \"She can speak Italian.\"",{"id":192,"prompt":193,"answer":17,"explanation":194},"tf2","'Mustn't' and 'don't have to' mean the same thing.","False — 'mustn't' means it is forbidden; 'don't have to' means it is not necessary.",{"id":196,"prompt":197,"answer":15,"explanation":198},"tf3","After a modal verb, we use the base form of the verb without 'to'.","True — She must go, You can leave. (Exception: 'have to' and 'ought to' contain 'to' themselves.)",{"id":200,"prompt":201,"answer":15,"explanation":202},"tf4","'Might' expresses a smaller probability than 'will'.","True — 'It will rain' is a confident prediction; 'It might rain' is only a possibility.",[204,207,210,213,216],{"question":205,"answer":206},"What are the modal verbs in English?","The core modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. Semi-modals like have to, ought to and need to behave similarly in meaning but not always in grammar.",{"question":208,"answer":209},"What is the difference between 'must' and 'have to'?","Both express strong obligation and are often interchangeable. 'Must' tends to express the speaker's own authority or urgency (I must finish this today), while 'have to' points to external rules (I have to wear a uniform at work). The key contrast is in the negative: 'mustn't' = forbidden, 'don't have to' = not necessary.",{"question":211,"answer":212},"Why can't I say 'She cans' or 'He musts'?","Modal verbs are grammatically fixed: they never take -s, never use 'do' for questions or negatives, and are always followed by the base form of the main verb. That's what makes them 'modals' rather than normal verbs.",{"question":214,"answer":215},"What is the difference between 'may', 'might' and 'could' for possibility?","All three express present or future possibility and are close in meaning. 'Might' often suggests slightly less certainty than 'may'; 'could' emphasises that something is one of several possibilities. In everyday speech they are largely interchangeable.",{"question":217,"answer":218},"How do I make questions with modal verbs?","Invert the modal and the subject — no 'do' needed: Can you drive? Should we wait? May I come in? The main verb stays in its base form.",{"heading":220,"paragraphs":221},"Modal verbs explained in depth",[222,223,224,225,226],"Modal verbs are small words with big responsibilities. With a single syllable, English speakers signal whether something is possible, necessary, allowed, forbidden or advisable. Because so much social meaning is packed into them — politeness, authority, doubt — using the wrong modal doesn't just sound ungrammatical; it can sound rude or change what you're saying entirely.","Grammatically, modals form a closed club with strict rules: no third-person -s, no infinitive 'to' after them, no combining with 'do' in questions and negatives, and no past participle forms. This is actually good news for learners — once you internalise 'modal + base verb', the mechanics never change. All the difficulty lives in choosing the right modal for the meaning.","The meaning map has three main territories. Ability and permission belong to can\u002Fcould\u002Fmay: 'I can swim' (ability), 'Could I leave early?' (permission). Obligation belongs to must and have to, with the crucial negative asymmetry that trips up almost every learner: 'You mustn't tell anyone' forbids telling, while 'You don't have to tell anyone' merely makes telling optional. Probability belongs to may\u002Fmight\u002Fcould for possibility and must\u002Fcan't for logical deduction: 'She must be home — her lights are on.'","'Should' deserves its own mention as the advice modal. It is softer than must, which is why doctors, teachers and friends reach for it constantly: 'You should rest.' Its negative, 'shouldn't', warns without forbidding. In formal writing, 'ought to' is an equivalent, though far less common.","When practising, focus on contrasting pairs in context: mustn't vs don't have to, can vs might, should vs must. The exercises on this page are built around exactly those contrasts, because choosing between two similar modals — not forming them — is where real-world mistakes happen.",[228,239,250,260,263,270,278,285,292,300,309,316,324],{"slug":229,"skill":5,"topic":230,"title":231,"levels":232,"tags":233,"meta_description":237,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"future-tenses-exercises","future-tenses","Future Tenses Exercises",[9,10],[234,235,112,236],"tenses","future","going-to","Practice English future forms (will, going to, present continuous, present simple) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and explanations.",18,{"slug":240,"skill":5,"topic":241,"title":242,"levels":243,"tags":245,"meta_description":249,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"gerund-infinitive-exercises","gerund-infinitive","Gerund and Infinitive Exercises",[10,244],"B2",[246,247,248],"gerund","infinitive","verb-patterns","Practice gerunds and infinitives (enjoy doing vs decide to do) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and explanations of every verb pattern.",{"slug":251,"skill":5,"topic":252,"title":253,"levels":254,"tags":255,"meta_description":259,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"irregular-verbs-exercises","irregular-verbs","Irregular Verbs Exercises",[9,10],[256,252,257,258],"verbs","simple-past","past-participle","Practice English irregular verbs (past simple and past participle) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and memory-friendly explanations.",{"slug":4,"skill":5,"topic":6,"title":7,"levels":261,"tags":262,"meta_description":19,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},[9,10],[6,12,13,14],{"slug":264,"skill":5,"topic":265,"title":266,"levels":267,"tags":268,"meta_description":269,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"past-perfect-exercises","past-perfect","Past Perfect Exercises",[10,244],[234,265],"Practice the past perfect tense with free interactive exercises: sequencing past events, before\u002Fafter\u002Fwhen clauses — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":271,"skill":272,"topic":273,"title":274,"levels":275,"tags":276,"meta_description":277,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"phrasal-verbs-exercises","vocabulary","phrasal-verbs","Phrasal Verbs Exercises",[10,244],[272,273],"Practice common English phrasal verbs with free interactive exercises: multiple choice, gap-fill, sentence building and true\u002Ffalse — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":279,"skill":5,"topic":280,"title":281,"levels":282,"tags":283,"meta_description":284,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"present-perfect-continuous-exercises","present-perfect-continuous","Present Perfect Continuous Exercises",[10,244],[234,280],"Practice the present perfect continuous (have been doing) with free interactive exercises comparing it with the present perfect simple — instant feedback included.",{"slug":286,"skill":5,"topic":287,"title":288,"levels":289,"tags":290,"meta_description":291,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"present-perfect-exercises","present-perfect","Present Perfect Exercises",[9,10],[234,287],"Practice the present perfect with free interactive exercises: multiple choice, gap-fill, sentence ordering and true\u002Ffalse questions with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":293,"skill":5,"topic":294,"title":295,"levels":296,"tags":297,"meta_description":299,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"present-perfect-vs-past-simple-exercises","present-perfect-vs-past-simple","Present Perfect vs Past Simple Exercises",[9,10],[234,287,298],"past-simple","Learn to choose between the present perfect and the past simple with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations of every answer.",{"slug":301,"skill":5,"topic":302,"title":303,"levels":304,"tags":305,"meta_description":308,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"present-simple-vs-present-continuous-exercises","present-simple-vs-present-continuous","Present Simple vs Present Continuous Exercises",[9,10],[234,306,307],"present-simple","present-continuous","Learn to choose between the present simple and present continuous with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations of every answer.",{"slug":310,"skill":5,"topic":257,"title":311,"levels":312,"tags":314,"meta_description":315,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"simple-past-exercises","Simple Past Exercises",[313,9],"A1",[234,257],"Practice the simple past tense with free interactive exercises covering regular and irregular verbs, negatives and questions — with instant feedback and explanations.",{"slug":317,"skill":5,"topic":318,"title":319,"levels":320,"tags":321,"meta_description":323,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"simple-past-vs-past-continuous-exercises","simple-past-vs-past-continuous","Simple Past vs Past Continuous Exercises",[9,10],[234,257,322],"past-continuous","Practice choosing between the simple past and the past continuous (was\u002Fwere doing) with free interactive exercises, instant feedback and clear explanations.",{"slug":325,"skill":5,"topic":326,"title":327,"levels":328,"tags":329,"meta_description":330,"updated_at":16,"question_count":238},"simple-present-exercises","simple-present","Simple Present Exercises",[313,9],[234,326],"Practice the simple present tense with free interactive exercises: third-person -s, negatives, questions and adverbs of frequency — with instant feedback and explanations.",1785358988100]