May / Can
Requesting Permission & Offering Suggestions
Giving permission, making requests and offering suggestions require the speaker to be aware of levels of formality.
Some expressions are used with persons of authority and with people whom we are unfamiliar while others are used with peers and people with whom we are familiar.
Permission
| MORE FORMAL | LESS FORMAL |
|---|---|
May I smoke here? |
Can I smoke here? |

Request
| MORE FORMAL | LESS FORMAL |
|---|---|
Would you please smoke outside? |
Will you smoke outside please? |
Suggestion / Invitation
| MORE FORMAL | LESS FORMAL |
|---|---|
Shall we go outside? |
Let's go outside? |
Practice
Restating a Request
What is the level of formality?
Practice 2
Requests, Suggestions and Advice
- Decide on the best modal phrase to complete the sentence.
- An asterisk (*) indicates an incorrect answer.
Index Grammar-Quizzes | Previous Can / Could | Next Modal Agr
