Will - The Modal Verb of prediction and volunteering

 

Will

Volunteering

When you volunteer to do something, to help someone, you use the modal verb will.

Will is used to express the future. Here, The job you volunteer to do will be in the immediate or far future.

Will can be contracted with the subject pronoun.

I will - I’ll              You will - you’ll                  he will - he’ll

she will - she’ll                  they will - they’ll               it will - it’ll

E.g.,

I'll help you carry that bag.

(You are not presently carrying it, you are volunteering to carry the bag)

 

Shall can be used in the place of will but it's not used often nowadays.

E.g.,

I shall help you do the homework.

 

Prediction

Prediction is a statement about the future. As the future is uncertain, the credibility of a prediction statement is uncertain.

The modal verb will is used to make predictions.

E.g.,

You will be a star in the future.

You will meet the woman of your dreams in 5 days.

 

Lesson plan activity

The students will sit in pairs facing each other. One has to roleplay as a fortune teller. The other has to role play as a customer. Each team is given ten cards. The cards should be placed face down on the desk, and the customer has to pick one or more. The fortune teller will have to make 5 predictions about the customer by looking at the cards (it can be a standard 52 – card deck or any game cards, and let them use their imagination. Game cards are more fun).  The fortune teller can also ask personal questions.

Then they must interchange roles and do the same.

Time: 20 minutes.

Read More

Modal verbs of Probability - Must, Could, May, and Might

Probability means the chances of something happening; Something likely to happen. We use probability modal verbs must, may, might, and could when we are uncertain about something and are making a guess.

 

Must

We use must when we are sure about something. We mostly use must when there is evidence to support the statement but still not 100% sure.

E.g.,

She must be on her way. She told me she left the house.

It must be raining outside. I can hear the sound.

 

Also, in case of must, When we are sure of something that's not happening, we use can't, not mustn't. Mustn’t is not used for probability statements.

Can't, in case of probability, is used to express disbelief.

E.g.,

It can't be Keanu Reeves; he's a celebrity. He won't use public transport.

 

Could

We use could when the possibility is high but not as high as must.

E.g.,

He could be busy. I don't want to disturb him.

 

May/might

We use may when the possibility of something happening is higher than 50%.

We use might when the possibility of something happening is less than 50%.

E.g.,

It might rain tomorrow.

They might not win the match if they keep fighting with each other.

I may not be able to make it to the concert tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do.

 

Past tense

When we are unsure or not 100% sure of something that happened in the past, we use modal verb+have+past participle.

E.g.,

I must have forgotten to bring his notebook.

I can’t have missed the train; I arrived on time.

That was a risky shot. He could have missed the goal.

I may/might have gotten the flu. I can't taste anything.

Lesson Plan

Read More

Modal verbs of Permission and Request - May, Could, and Can

May, could, and can

 

Modal verbs: could, may, and can are used with the infinitive to express permission and request statements.

Asking for permission and making requests are very similar and can be confusing.

 

Permission

Asking someone to allow you to do something is asking for permission.

E.g.,

May I open the presents now?

Could I go outside to play? It stopped raining.

No Jim, it's still drizzling.

 

(May can only be used with the first person)

 

Request

Asking something from the second person or asking the second person to do something is making a request.

E.g.,

Could you open the window? It's hot inside.

Can you raise the volume? I can't hear from the back.

 

Points to remember:

1.    Permissions and requests are made. They are interrogative - yes/no questions. Granting permission and agreeing or disagreeing to take a request is mostly said without the modal verb. The answers received are usually monosyllabic.

E.g.,

Can you open this jar? I can't open it. It's tight.

     Sure.

2.    Could and may are formal and polite.               

3.    Can is only slightly informal, and it is preferred and used more often than could and may.

4.    All permissions are requests, but not all requests are permissions.

5.    May can only be used with the first person.

Lesson Plan

Materials and worksheets

Read More

Modal verbs of Ability - Can & Could

Modals of ability

Model verbs can & could are used to express ability.

It is used as an expression to show that you have: a special skill, a talent, the strength to do something.

E.g.,

I can swim like a pro.

It is also used to express the ability to do a specific task.

E.g.,

I can’t help you. I am busy.

Can

Can is used to express the ability you currently possess (in the present).

E.g.,

I can play guitar. My dad taught me to play.

I have been working out. I can now lift 100 kg.

I can run faster than you. Do you wanna see? Let's race.

 

Cannot (negative form)

Cannot is the negative form of can. Cannot must be written and pronounced as a single word. Contracted form – can’t.

Can not  ❌

Cannot  ✔️

 

Cannot is used to express the inability to do something.

E.g.,

I cannot lift heavy weights anymore. I’ve become old.

I can play violin, but I cannot play guitar.

I can’t cook today. I’m exhausted from all the work in the office.

Teachers notes: can is a tricky modal verb. It can be used in almost any type of situation like permission, volunteering, etc., But it pertains to its ability expressing quality.

E.g.,

Can I go outside?

You can but you may not.

Here, the request is rejected but the person asking is recognized as being capable of going out.

 

Could

Could is used to express the ability one possessed in the past but no longer in the present.

E.g.,

I could touch my toes without bending my knees when I was six.

 

Could not (negative form)

Could not is used to express the ability that one did not possess to do a task in the past. Contracted form – couldn’t.

E.g.,

I couldn't speak until I was 4. My parents were very worried.

Lesson Plan

Materials and Worksheets

Sample images

Worksheet

Read More

At On In - Part II Prepositions addressing time

 

To visit At On In - Part I - Prepositions addressing places click here

At, on, and in – Prepositions addressing time

At is used to address a specific time. Hence, the target center.

I came home at 5:30 pm.

The train leaves at 12:30.

On is used to address the day or date of an event. It also includes special days like Independence Day, festival days, etc., It is not specific about the time. it only addresses the day of the event. Hence, the red circle.

I have to work on Saturdays.

They are getting married on 25^th January.

The streets will be lit up with colorful lights on Christmas eve.

In is used to address the month, the year, the seasons, the decade, the century, and any other description of a long time. It addresses a long period of time. hence, the larger, blue circle.

I’m leaving India in November.

We live in the 21^st century.

World War II came to an end in the year 1945.

Lesson plan

Materials

Questions

Read More

At On In - Part I - Prepositions addressing places

 

English is not an easy language to learn and prepositions contribute a lot in making it difficult. As a teacher, I think it’s necessary we don’t cram a lot of prepositions into students’ heads. They should have enough time and practice to get familiar with the target language.

And, if you have a trick to make the concepts easier to grasp, the better.

This target practice method is such a trick to learn prepositions of places and time at, on, and in.

At, on, and in – Prepositions addressing Places

At addresses the exact location. Hence, the target center.

I am at the gas station.

I live at 3/125, Smallville apartment.

I bought the book at the book exhibition.

On addresses where the exact location is. E.g., the floor in the apartment, the street, the avenue, the road, the colony, the route, etc., the accuracy is less. Hence, the red circle.

I bought the pizza at the Pizza hut on the Bakers St.

My car broke down on the Washington road.

In addresses a wider area. The whole city, the state, the country, etc., hence, the larger blue circle.

I got a job in Japan.

My friend owns a house in Nebraska.

The news reported a volcanic eruption in the Philippines.

Lesson Plan

Materials

Questions

At On In - Part II - Addressing time click here

Read More