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Lesson 3: Modals & Structures: Obligation, Advice, Deduction, Ability, Past Habits & Past Future

GRAMMAR-(B1-B2)

Use: Learn to use modal verbs and related structures accurately to express obligation, advice, certainty, ability, habits, and intentions in speech and writing.

WARM-UP

Answer quickly. No right or wrong answers. Full answers only.

  • Why do people sometimes have to work late?

  • When should someone ask for advice?

  • Why do people lose things after a night out?

  • What abilities are important in modern jobs?

  • What habits do people often stop as they get older?

GRAMMAR

Read. Don’t analyse.

OBLIGATION

Have to → external responsibility / rule
Must → strong personal feeling or general rule

Examples:

  • I have to start work at 9 every day.

  • She has to follow company policy.

  • I must finish this today.

  • You must be 18 to drive.

ADVICE

Should → general advice
Ought to → more formal or specific
Had better → strong advice with consequence

Examples:

  • You should take a break.

  • You ought to inform your supervisor.

  • You’d better back up the file or you’ll lose it.

SPECULATION & DEDUCTION

Used to guess what is true now, based on evidence.

  • Must → almost certain

  • Could → possible

  • Might → uncertain

  • Can’t → almost impossible

Examples (lost phone situation):

  • It must be at my friend’s place.

  • It could be in the car.

  • It might be on the street.

  • It can’t be at home — I checked.

ABILITY

Can → general ability
Be able to → specific or measured ability
Manage to → success after difficulty

Examples:

  • I can swim.

  • I am able to swim two kilometres.

  • I managed to finish the project on time.

PAST HABITS & STATES

Used to → past habits or states (no longer true)
Would → repeated past actions only

Examples:

  • I used to ride my bike to school.

  • I used to believe in Santa Claus.

  • I would ride my bike every afternoon.

FUTURE IN THE PAST

Was going to → past intention
Was about to → action expected very soon

Examples:

  • I was going to call you, but I forgot.

  • I was about to leave when you arrived.

Micro-rule

  • Have to / must → obligation

  • Should / ought to / had better → advice

  • Must / could / might / can’t → deduction

  • Can / be able to / manage to → ability

  • Used to / would → past habits

  • Was going to / was about to → past future

ACTIVATION

Student must orally create the sentence.

Example:
Why did you work late?
→ I had to finish a report.
→ I was going to leave early, but I couldn’t.

Prompts (student chooses correct modal):

  • miss a deadline

  • give advice to a friend

  • lose something important

  • succeed in a difficult task

  • stop an old habit

  • plan something that didn’t happen

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Language Support

Answer the questions using these frames.
(Speak in full ideas.)

  • I have to / must ___ because ___; for example, ___ and ___.

  • I should / ought to ___ as ___.

  • It must / might / can’t be ___ because ___.

  • I can / am able to / managed to ___.

  • I used to / would ___, but now ___.

  • I was going to / was about to ___, but ___.

(Students choose the modal naturally.)

Questions

  1. What responsibilities do you have that you can’t avoid?

  2. What advice would you give someone in your situation?

  3. When you lose something, how do you usually speculate about it?

  4. What is something difficult you managed to do recently?

  5. What habit did you use to have that you don’t anymore?

  6. What was something you were going to do but didn’t?

ROLE SHIFT

Answer as one of the following:

  • a busy professional

  • a student under pressure

  • a company manager

Same questions. New perspective.

Encourage stronger modals:

  • managers → must / have to

  • students → should / might

  • professionals → had better / managed to