Modal verbs allow us to talk about ability, permission, obligation, possibility and deduction — all useful when discussing what a good comedian can or must do, or when guessing why a joke might not have worked. This component reviews the main modal verbs used in Unit 2 (Humour) and the differences in meaning between them.
Modal Verbs and Their Uses
| Modal | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| can | ability or permission (present) | She can make anyone laugh with her jokes. |
| could | ability in the past / polite request | He could tell jokes brilliantly even as a child. |
| may | permission / possibility | You may laugh out loud; it’s a comedy club, after all. |
| might | weaker possibility | That joke might not be appropriate for young children. |
| must | strong obligation / strong deduction | A good comedian must know his audience well. / He must be joking! |
| have to | external obligation (rule or necessity) | Comedians have to rehearse their timing carefully. |
| should | advice or expectation | You should watch her stand-up show; it’s brilliant. |
Modals of Deduction
We also use modals to guess how certain we are about something: must (almost sure it is true), might/may/could (not sure, a possibility), and can’t (almost sure it is not true).
- He must be a professional comedian; he’s so quick and witty. (strong certainty)
- She might be joking, but I’m not completely sure. (possibility)
- That can’t be true — no one is that funny by accident! (near-impossibility)
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Fill in the blank with the correct modal of ability: She ______ tell a joke better than anyone I know.
Exercise 2 — Choose the correct modal: You ______ (must / might) be joking! That’s impossible.
Exercise 3 — Rewrite the sentence using ‘have to’: It is necessary for comedians to rehearse their jokes.
Exercise 4 — Give the past form of the modal ‘can’ used to express ability.
Exercise 5 — Correct the mistake in this sentence: He can to make everyone laugh.
Exercise 6 — Write a sentence expressing deduction (something you are almost certain about) using the modal ‘must’.
Answer Key
Answer 1 — can
Answer 2 — must
Answer 3 — Comedians have to rehearse their jokes.
Answer 4 — could
Answer 5 — He can make everyone laugh.
Answer 6 — Open answer, e.g. He must be a professional comedian; he’s so quick and witty.
