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Grammar patterns following modal verbs and semi-modal verbs.
Modal verbs combine with particular verb forms to express different meanings and grammatical relationships.
Core modals are normally followed by the base form, while more complex constructions use forms such as be, have, and past participles.
A core modal is normally followed by the base form of the main verb without to.
For example, She can swim, You should wait, and They might arrive soon.
A modal can be followed by be to describe a state, identity, location, or ongoing condition.
For example, She may be tired, They must be at home, and He could be right.
A modal can be followed by be and a present participle to describe an ongoing activity.
For example, She may be working, They must be waiting, and He could be sleeping.
A modal can be followed by have and a past participle to refer to a past situation.
For example, She may have left, They must have forgotten, and He should have called.
A modal can be followed by have been to describe a past state or situation.
For example, She may have been ill and They must have been at home.
A modal can be followed by have been and an -ing form to describe an ongoing activity in the past.
For example, He may have been sleeping and They must have been waiting for hours.
A modal can be followed by be and a past participle to form a modal passive construction.
For example, The work must be finished today and The application should be submitted online.
A modal can be followed by have been and a past participle to form a perfect modal passive.
For example, The report should have been completed yesterday and The documents may have been lost.
Some modal passive constructions can describe a required or possible state rather than emphasizing an action.
For example, The door must be closed can describe a requirement concerning the state of the door.
A modal can be followed by be and an adjective complement.
For example, The answer may be correct, She must be tired, and They should be ready.
A modal can be followed by be and a noun phrase that identifies or classifies the subject.
For example, He may be the new manager and She must be a doctor.
A modal can be followed by be and a prepositional phrase that describes location, circumstance, or another state.
For example, They may be at home, She must be in the office, and He could be under pressure.
A modal can be followed by a lexical verb and modified by an adverb.
For example, She may arrive soon, He could probably help, and They will definitely come.
Certain constructions combine modal verbs with verbs that themselves select a bare infinitive.
For example, She can make him leave and They might let us stay.
Core modals are normally not followed directly by to, but semi-modal expressions commonly are.
For example, be able to, have to, need to, ought to, and be supposed to require to in their standard patterns.
Modal constructions can contain be as the auxiliary for progressive and passive meanings.
For example, She may be working and The documents must be signed.
Modal constructions use have in the perfect pattern when referring to an earlier situation.
For example, She could have won, He must have forgotten, and They should have arrived.
Core modals form questions directly by moving the modal before the subject.
For example, Can you swim? Should we leave? and Might they come later?
Core modals form negative structures by placing not directly after the modal.
For example, cannot, should not, might not, must not, and would not.
Core modal verbs normally form questions and negatives without do, does, or did.
For example, Can you help? and You should not go. Do-support is not normally used with core modals.
Core modals do not take -s in the third person singular.
For example, He can swim and She must leave, not He cans swim or She musts leave.
Core modal verbs generally cannot be directly combined with another core modal verb.
Instead, English uses alternative expressions such as be able to, have to, be allowed to, or be likely to when more than one meaning is required.
A single modal construction can express several interacting meanings depending on context.
For example, She must be working can express both strong deduction and an ongoing activity.
Complex modal constructions are common in formal, academic, and professional writing.
Examples include may be required to, should have been considered, and is likely to have been affected.
Use the correct verb form after the modal and distinguish core modal patterns from semi-modal constructions.
Common mistakes include adding to after a core modal, using do-support with a modal, adding -s in the third person, confusing have and have been, and combining two core modals directly.