Lesson 1 of 4 · Grade 8 English
Modal verbs and question tags
15 min
Modal verbs
Modals are helping verbs that show ability, possibility, permission or obligation. They are followed by the base form of the verb.
- can / could: ability. She can swim.
- may / might: possibility or permission. It may rain. May I go out?
- must / have to: obligation. You must wear uniform.
- should / ought to: advice. You should drink water.
- will / would: future, requests. Would you help me?
Wrong: She can swims. Right: She can swim.
Question tags
A short question added to a statement to confirm it.
- Positive statement → negative tag: You are coming, aren't you?
- Negative statement → positive tag: She doesn't eat meat, does she?
- Use the same helping verb: They have finished, haven't they?
- No helping verb? Use do/does/did: He plays football, doesn't he?
Special cases: I am right, aren't I? Let's go, shall we? Nobody came, did they?
Key points to remember
- Modals take the base verb: can swim
- Positive statement → negative tag
- Use do/does/did when there is no helping verb
- I am..., aren't I? Let's..., shall we?
Test yourself
