Grammar-Quizzes.com

Modal Diagnostic

Modal Diagnostic Quiz: a tool to help you identify specific points that need review

• Quiz 1: beginning – intermediate
• Quiz 2: intermediate – advanced 

Will / Might

Will / Might: expressing degrees of certainty (Beg.–Int. ESL)

• Present & Future Uncertainty
• Past Uncertainty
• Word Order
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

Polar bears will perish. (100% certain)

They might not survive in the arctic. (< 50% certainty)

Will / Would

Will / Would: expressing intent or refusal (Beg.–Int. ESL)

• Intent – Pres. / Past
• Refusal – Pres. / Past
• Practice – multiple choice

I will win this singing contest!
I thought that I would win that contest. 

The judges won't vote for me.   They refuse.
The judges wouldn't vote for me.   They refused.

Be going / Will

Be going / Will : expressing intent vs. prediction  (Beg.–Int. ESL)

• Be going v. Will
• Within Another Clause
• Before Come & Go
• Be going to v. Be going
• Common Mistakes
• Word Order
• Practice – multiple choice

I am going to text Brad the news.
I will call Jill tomorrow to see how she is. 

We are going to go to the movies.
We are going to come home.

Scheduled Events

Scheduled Events: indicating planned acitivites and events (Beg. ESL)

• Exhibit Description
• Scheduled Events
• Observation & Prediction
• Adverbs
• Practice
• Paragraph 1 – multiple choice
• Paragraph 2 – multiple choice
• Paragraph 3 – multiple choice

On Thursday, I assist the librarian at the Public Library. (routine)

I am working at the preschool on Wednesday. (near future, personal plan)

I will get there around noon. (scheduled/ estimated)

Future Perfect

Future Perfect: making predictions  (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Prediction
• Future Prediction
• Adverbs
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

Also see "by the time" 

By 5 o'clock, we will have finished our meeting.

Would

Would: stating preference, request, habit or excuse (Beg.–Adv. ESL)

• Past Activity v. Habit
• Excuse v. Past Preference
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

Would you like some coffee?
Would you rather have tea or coffee?

On Sundays, we would visit our relatives

I would have stopped smoking, but it was too difficult.
I would rather have found an easy way out, but I didn't.

Rather than

Rather than: comparative preference (Int. – Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Prefer X to Y
• Would rather…than
• Than v. Rather than
• Rather than
• Rather  than Verbs
• Diagram
• Bare Infinitive v. Gerund
• Adjunct Clause
• Implied Meaning
• Common Mistakes
• Advanced Notes
• Practice 1
• Practice 2

This page is in Connector Summary  as a coordinator and subordinator.

We would rather walk to work than drive. (X and not Y)

We walk to work rather than drive. (X and not Y)

We walk to work rather than get caught in traffic.  (choosing X to avoid Y)

Should

Should & Should have: expressing expectation, convention or advice   (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Expectation
• Convention
• Options / Advice
• Past Expectation
• Past Convention
• Past Advice
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice
• Practice 3 – multiple choice

The movie should be available next week.
The movie will be available next week. (expectation)

Should we wear black pants to work? (convention)
Are we supposed to wear black pants to work?(convention)

You should try ordering your movies online.(suggestion)
She ought not to talk on her cell phone when she's with you. (advice)

We were supposed to receive a replacement.
The movie would have been available last week, but the stores ran out of it.

Could / Should

Could / Should: offering options and advice (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Offering Options / Advice
• Late Advice
• Practice 1
• Practice 2
• Practice 3

You could try using a hammer. (option, another choice)

You should be careful. (advice)

Should/ Must

Should/ Must:  expressing advisability and necessity (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Should / Must
• Ought to / Have to
• Late Advice / Past Necessity
• Ought to have / Needed
• Had Better
• Not Required / Prohibited
• Practice – multiple choice

Students should be honest about downloading copyrighted music.

They must not download copyrighted music.

 They have to respect artists' rights to earn fair profits.

The Recording Industry doesn't have to price their CDs so high.

Must have

Must have: making guesses, inferences and conclusions (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Guessing / Concluding
• Conclusion / Necessity
• Word Order
• Practice – multiple choice

She's sad. She might miss her family or she might be disappointed.

Also, she is alone. She has nothing but a half-empty glass.

She must be depressed.

Can/ could

Can/ Could: expressing physical, mental and potential ability (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Four Types of Ability
• Physical Ability
• Succeed in
• Mental Abiltiy
• Potential Ability
• Word Order
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

I can lift a car.

I can change a tire.

Driving drunk can cause a fatal accident.

I was able to pass my driving test. (single event)

May / Can

May/ Can: requesting permission and offering suggestions (Beg.–Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Permission
• Request
• Suggestion / Invitation
• Using "can" for Permission
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

You may leave early.
You can leave early. informal
May I see your arm?

Shall we dance?
Let's dance
Would you like to dance ?

Modal Agreement

Modals Agreement: in subordinated clauses (Int.–Adv. ESL)

• Connectors with Mixed Time Framesl
• Modals in Cause-Effect
• Modals in Reported Speech
• Modals in Noun Clauses
• Modals in Conditional Statements
• Practice – multiple choice

Apple said that it would introduce more functionality with the newer software.

Modal Review

Modal Review: meanings in present and past tense   (Beg.–Int. ESL)

• Modals Present & Past
• Means the Same
• Meaning Differs
• Modal Expressions
• Practice – multiple choice

I can drive there.   (ability)

I could drive there.  (permission / ability / potential)

Shall we go in there?  (invitation)

Should we go in there?  (warning)

You must eat this. (necessity)

You must have eaten this. (conclusion)

Modal Practice

Modal Practice: Means the Same!

• Means the Same
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
• Practice 2 – multiple choice

He ____ be crazy to do that.    may  might   could  can  must

• possibility
• expectation
• advice
• permission
• necessity
• conclusion

Modal Quiz

Modal Quiz: auto-correcting quiz

Finding an apartment in San Francisco ____ be very difficult.

Modals in Context

Modals in Context: identify modals and tense use in the context of an article

• Magazine Article with Modals
• Practice – multiple choice

It might put Napster out of business, and if you're a devoted Napster user, this is certainly sad news. But Metallica's actions could bring the controversy closer to home. The fact that Metallica was able to obtain the screen names of these users should concern those who post and download files on Napster.

PastUnreal2

Past Unreal Situations 2: analyzing an accident (Int.-Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Hypothetical Statements (an analysis activity)
• Sentence Structure
• Clause Order
• Practice – multiple choice

If the night watchmen had had binoculars, they would have been able to spot the iceberg earlier.
The captain could have steered directly into the iceberg causing less damage.
The Titanic should have had more lifeboats.

Could/Should have

Should / Could have: late advice (Int.-Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Options & Advice Not Taken
• Could have
• Could have – 2 Meanings
• Should have
• Practice – multiple choice

Passengers could have taken other smaller transatlantic ships.
The captain could have chosen a more southern transatlantic route.

The owners should have supplied enough lifeboats for everyone .

By the time

By the time: "possibly before but no later than when" (Int.– Adv. ESL, Native Speaker)

• By the time v. When
• Future
• Present
• Past
• Common Mistake
• Practice 1 – multiple choice
   

By the time I leave work, the sun will be setting. (ongoing)
By the time I leave work, the sun will have set. (completed)

Omitting-If

Omitting if: giving advice in hypothetical situations (Int.-Adv. ESL, Native Speakers)

• Were/ Had/ Should
• Word Order Inversion
• If / Incase
• Practice – multiple choice

If I were/was you, I wouldn't get involved.
Were I you, I wouldn't get involved.
Had I known, I would have said something.
Should you see him again, call me immediately.