REPORTED SPEECH

Reported Speech

Reported Statements

When do we use reported speech? Sometimes someone says a sentence, for example

"I'm going to the cinema tonight". Later, maybe we want to tell someone else what the
first person said. Here's how it works:
We use a reporting verb like 'say' or 'tell'. If this verb is in the present tense, it's easy.
We just put 'she says' and then the sentence:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

Reported speech: She says she likes ice cream.

We don't need to change the tense, though probably we do need to change the ‘person'

from 'I' to 'she', for example. We also may need to change words like 'my' and 'your'.
On the other hand, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, then usually we change
the tenses in the reported speech:

Direct speech: I like ice cream.

Reported speech: She said she liked ice cream.

Tense	Direct speech	Reported speech
present simple	I like ice cream	She said (that) “she liked ice cream”.
Present continuous	I am living in London	She said she was living in London.
past simple	I bought a car	She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car.
Past continuous	I was walking along the street	She said she had been walking along the street.
Present perfect	“I haven't seen Julie”	She said she hadn't seen Julie.
past perfect	“I had taken English lessons before”	She said she had taken English lessons before.
Will	“I'll see you later”	She said she would see me later.
would*	“I would help, but..”	She said she would help but...
Can	“I can speak perfect English”	She said she could speak perfect English.
could*	“I could swim when I was four”	She said she could swim when she was four.
Shall	“I shall come later”	She said she would come later.
should*	“I should call my mother”	She said she should call her mother.
might*	"I might be late"	She said she might be late.
must	"I must study at the weekend"	She said she had to study at the weekend.
* doesn't change.

Occasionally, we don't need to change the present tense into the past if the information in direct speech is still true (but this is only for things which are general facts, and even then usually we like to change the tense):

Direct speech: The sky is blue.

Reported speech: She said that the sky is/was blue.

Reported Questions

 

So now you have no problem with making reported speech from positive and negative sentences. But how about questions?

Direct speech: Where do you live?

How can we make the reported speech here? In fact, it's not so different from reported statements. The tense changes are the same, and we keep the question word. The very important thing though is that, once we tell the question to someone else, it isn't a question any more. So we need to change the grammar to a normal positive sentence.:

Reported speech: She asked me where I lived.

Do you see how I made it? The direct question is in the present simple tense. We make a present simple question with 'do' or 'does' so I need to take that away. Then I

need to change the verb to the past simple. Another example:

Direct speech: Where is Julie?

Reported speech: She asked me where Julie was.

The direct question is the present simple of 'be'. We make the question form of the present simple of be by inverting (changing the position of)the subject and verb. So, we need to change them back before putting the verb into the past simple. Here are some more examples:

Direct Question Reported Question

 

“Where is the Post Office, please?” She asked me where the Post Office was.

“What are you doing?” She asked me what I was doing.

“Who was that fantastic man?” She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':

Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?

Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.

No problem? Here are a few more examples:

 

Direct Question Reported Question

 

“Do you love me?” He asked me if I loved him.

“Have you ever been to Mexico?” She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.

“Are you living here?” She asked me if I was living here.

 

Reported Requests

 

There's more! What if someone asks you to do something (in a polite way)? For example:

Direct speech: Close the window, please.

Or: Could you close the window please?

Or: Would you mind closing the window please?

All of these requests mean the same thing, so we don't need to report every word when we tell another person about it. We simply use 'ask me + to + infinitive':

Reported speech: She asked me to close the window.

Here are a few more examples:

Direct Request Reported Request

 

“Please help me”. She asked me to help her.

“Please don't smoke”. She asked me not to smoke.

“Could you bring my book tonight?” She asked me to bring her book that night.

“Could you pass the milk, please?” She asked me to pass the milk.

“Would you mind coming early tomorrow?”

She asked me to come early the next day.

To report a negative request, use 'not':

Direct speech: Please don't be late.

Reported speech: She asked us not to be late.

Reported Orders

And finally, how about if someone doesn't ask so politely? We can call this an 'order' in English, when someone tells you very directly to do something. For example:

Direct speech: Sit down!

In fact, we make this into reported speech in the same way as a request. We just use 'tell' instead of 'ask':

Reported speech: She told me to sit down.

Direct Order Reported Order

“Go to bed!” He told the child to go to bed.

“Don't worry!” He told her not to worry.

“Be on time!” He told me to be on time.

“Don't smoke!” He told us not to smoke.

Time Expressions with Reported Speech

Sometimes when we change direct speech into reported speech we have to change time expressions too. We don't always have to do this, however. It depends on when we heard the direct speech and when we say the reported speech. For example:

It's Monday. Julie says "I'm leaving today".

If I tell someone on Monday, I say "Julie said she was leaving today".

If I tell someone on Tuesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving yesterday".

If I tell someone on Wednesday, I say "Julie said she was leaving on Monday".

If I tell someone a month later, I say "Julie said she was leaving that day".

So, there's no easy conversion. You really have to think about when the direct speech was said.

Here's a table of some possible conversions:

now then / at that time

today yesterday / that day / Tuesday / the 27th of June

yesterday the day before yesterday / the day before / Wednesday / the 5th of

December

last night the night before, Thursday night

last week the week before / the previous week

tomorrow today / the next day / the following day / Friday

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References:


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INDIRECT SPEECH

 

Direct and Indirect Speech

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Direct and indirect speech can be a source of confusion for English learners. Let's first define the terms, then look at how to talk about what someone said, and how to convert speech from direct to indirect or vice-versa.
You can answer the question What did he say? in two ways:

• by repeating the words spoken (direct speech)
• by reporting the words spoken (indirect or reported speech).

Direct Speech

Direct speech repeats, or quotes, the exact words spoken. When we use direct speech in writing, we place the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and there is no change in these words. We may be reporting something that's being said NOW (for example a telephone conversation), or telling someone later about a previous conversation.

Examples

• She says, "What time will you be home?"
• She said, "What time will you be home?" and I said, "I don't know! "
• "There's a fly in my soup!" screamed Simone.
• John said, "There's an elephant outside the window."

Indirect Speech

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Reported or indirect speech is usually used to talk about the past, so we normally change the tense of the words spoken. We use reporting verbs like 'say', 'tell', 'ask', and we may use the word 'that' to introduce the reported words. Inverted commas are not used.
She said, "I saw him." (direct speech) = She said that she had seen him. (indirect speech)
'That' may be omitted:
She told him that she was happy. = She told him she was happy.

'Say' and 'tell'

Use 'say' when there is no indirect object:
He said that he was tired.
Always use 'tell' when you say who was being spoken to (i.e. with an indirect object):
He told me that he was tired.

'Talk' and 'speak'

Use these verbs to describe the action of communicating:
He talked to us.
She was speaking on the telephone.
Use these verbs with 'about' to refer to what was said:
He talked (to us) about his parents.

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RELATIVE CLAUSES

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We can use relative clauses to join two English sentences, or to give more information about something.
I bought a new car. It is very fast.
→ I bought a new car that is very fast.
She lives in New York. She likes living in New York.
→ She lives in New York, which she likes.

Defining and Non-defining

A defining relative clause tells which noun we are talking about:

• I like the woman who lives next door.
  (If I don't say 'who lives next door', then we don't know which woman I mean).

A non-defining relative clause gives us extra information about something. We don't need this information to understand the sentence.

• I live in London, which has some fantastic parks.
  (Everybody knows where London is, so 'which has some fantastic parks' is extra information).

Defining relative clauses:

1: The relative pronoun is the subject:
First, let's consider when the relative pronoun is the subject of a defining relative clause.
We can use 'who', 'which' or 'that'. We use 'who' for people and 'which' for things. We can use 'that' for people or things.
The relative clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. We can't drop the relative pronoun.
For example (clause after the object of the sentence):

• I'm looking for a secretary who / that can use a computer well.
• She has a son who / that is a doctor.
• We bought a house which / that is 200 years old.
• I sent a letter which / that arrived three weeks later.

More examples (clause after the subject of the sentence):

• The people who / that live on the island are very friendly.
• The man who / that phoned is my brother.
• The camera which / that costs £100 is over there.
• The house which / that belongs to Julie is in London.

Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the subject here.
2: The relative pronoun is the object:
Next, let's talk about when the relative pronoun is the object of the clause. In this case we can drop the relative pronoun if we want to. Again, the clause can come after the subject or the object of the sentence. Here are some examples:
(Clause after the object)

• She loves the chocolate (which / that) I bought.
• We went to the village (which / that) Lucy recommended.
• John met a woman (who / that) I had been to school with.
• The police arrested a man (who / that) Jill worked with.

(Clause after the subject)

• The bike (which / that) I loved was stolen.
• The university (which / that) she likes is famous.
• The woman (who / that) my brother loves is from Mexico.
• The doctor (who / that) my grandmother liked lives in New York.

• Try an exercise where the relative pronoun is the object here
• Try an exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here
• Try another exercise about defining relative clauses, both subject and object here

Non-defining relative clauses:

We don't use 'that' in non-defining relative clauses, so we need to use 'which' if the pronoun refers to a thing, and 'who' if it refers to a person. We can't drop the relative pronoun in this kind of clause, even if the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. (Clause comes after the subject)

• My boss, who is very nice, lives in Manchester.
• My sister, who I live with, knows a lot about cars.
• My bicycle, which I've had for more than ten years, is falling apart.
• My mother's house, which I grew up in, is very small.

(Clause comes after the object)

• Yesterday I called our friend Julie, who lives in New York.
• The photographer called to the Queen, who looked annoyed.
• Last week I bought a new computer, which I don't like now.
• I really love the new Chinese restaurant, which we went to last night.

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Prepositions and relative clauses

If the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition, we put it at the end of the clause:
For example:

• listen to

The music is good. Julie listens to the music.
→ The music (which / that) Julie listens to is good.

• work with

My brother met a woman. I used to work with the woman.
→ My brother met a woman (who / that) I used to work with.

• go to

The country is very hot. He went to the country.
→ The country (which / that) he went to is very hot.

• come from

I visited the city. John comes from the city.
→ I visited the city (that / which) John comes from.

• apply for

The job is well paid. She applied for the job.
→ The job (which / that) she applied for is well paid.

Whose

'Whose' is always the subject of the relative clause and can't be left out. It replaces a possessive. It can be used for people and things.
The dog is over there. The dog's / its owner lives next door.
→ The dog whose owner lives next door is over there.
The little girl is sad. The little girl's / her doll was lost.
→ The little girl whose doll was lost is sad.
The woman is coming tonight. Her car is a BMW.
→ The woman whose car is a BMW is coming tonight.
The house belongs to me. Its roof is very old.
→ The house whose roof is old belongs to me.

Where / when / why

We can sometimes use these question words instead of relative pronouns and prepositions.
I live in a city. I study in the city.

→ I live in the city where I study.
→ I live in the city that / which I study in.
→ I live in the city in which I study.
The bar in Barcelona is still there. I met my wife in that bar.

→ The bar in Barcelona where I met my wife is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona that / which I met my wife in is still there.
→ The bar in Barcelona in which I met my wife is still there.
The summer was long and hot. I graduated from university in the summer.

→ The summer when I graduated from university was long and hot.
→ The summer that / which I graduated from university in was long and hot.
→ The summer in which I graduated was long and hot.

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Simple present of be.

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The simple present of the verb to be

This page will present the simple present of the verb to be:

• its form
• and its use

The verb to be

The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms.  In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:

Affirmative forms of the verb to be

Subject Pronouns	Full Form	Contracted Form
I	am	'm
you	are	're
he/she/it	is	's
we	are	're
you	are	're
they	are	're

Interrogative forms of the verb to be:

Am	I?
Are	you?
Is	he/she/it?
Are	we?
Are	you?
Are	they?

Negative Forms of the verb to be:

Subject Pronouns	Full Form	Contracted Form
I	am not	'm not
you	are not	aren't
he/she/it	is not	isn't
we	are not	aren't
you	are not	aren't
they	are not	aren't

Examples:

• Is Brad Pitt French?
• No, he isn't. He's American.
• What about Angelina Joli? Is she American, too?
• Yes, she is. She is American.
• Are brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
• No, They aren't. They are American.

Use of the simple present of to be

The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes place habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.

• I am happy.
• She is helpful.

The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is true at the present moment.

• She is 20 years old.
• He is a student.

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Remember:

• I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns (also called personal pronouns, a term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)
• am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.
• 'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of  am, are, is
• 'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not. 

COPY THE NEXT EXERCISES IN YOUR NOTEBOOK AND ANSWER THEM

Fill in the blanks with the right subject / personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they):

1. Angelina Joli is American. isn't French.
2. Brad Pitt is American, too. isn't German.
3. Brad and Angelina aren't French. are American.
4. My friend and I are high school students. aren't primary school students.
5. The Statue of Liberty is in New York. isn't in Washington.

Fill in the blanks with the right form of to be ( am, are or is):

1. you the new student?
2. Yes, I .
3. Leila and Nancy students.
4. Nancy Australian .
5. My sister and I students.
6. The girls tired.
7. These women beautiful.
8. The tea delicious.
9. Nadia and Leila friends.
10. The newspaper cheap.

Choose the correct answer (negative or affirmative form of to be):

1. Is Julia Robert French? No, she is not is French.
2. What about Robert de Nero? Is he an American actor? Yes, he is not is .
3. Are New York and Los Angeles Spanish Cities? No, they are not are Spanish cities.
4. Is Big Ben in Paris? No, it is not is in Paris.
5. Is Mount Everest in Africa? No, it is not is in Africa. It is in Asia.

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FUTURE WITH BE GOING TO

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Futuro con "going to"

Formación

Cuando empleamos "going to"  en una oración para referirnos al futuro, la construcción se compone de tres elementos:
el verbo "to be" conjugado conforme al sujeto + "going" + el infinitivo del verbo principal

Sujeto	+ to be (conjugado)	+ going	+ infinitivo
She	is	going	to leave.
I	am	going	to stay.

Afirmativa
He	is	going	to jog.
Negativa
He	is not	going	to jog.
Interrogativa
Is	he	going	to jog?
Interrogativa negativa
Isn't	he	going	to jog?

Función

El uso de "going to" para referirse a eventos futuros sugiere un vínculo muy sólido con el presente. El momento preciso no es relevante, es posterior al ahora, pero la actitud implica que dicho evento depende de algo que sabemos sobre la situación actual. "Going to" se emplea sobre todo para hablar de nuestros planes e intenciones, o para realizar predicciones basadas en evidencias actuales. En el discurso cotidiano, "going to" suele acortarse como "gonna", especialmente en inglés americano, aunque nunca se escribe así.

Uso de "going to" para referirse a planes e intenciones

Ejemplos

• Is Freddy going to buy a new car soon?
• Are John and Pam going to visit Milan when they are in Italy?
• I think Nigel and Mary are going to have a party next week.
• We are going to have dinner together tomorrow.
• Aren't you going to stay at the library until your report is finished?

Uso de "going to" para formular predicciones

Ejemplos

• He's going to be a brilliant politician.
• I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep.
• You're going to be sorry you said that.
• Is it going to rain this afternoon?
• Aren't they going to come to the party?

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COPY AND ANSWER THE NEXT SENTENCES IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.

Put the verbs into the correct form (future I). Use going to.

1. It (rain) .
2. They (eat) stew.
3. I (wear) blue shoes tonight.
4. We (not / help) you.
5. Jack (not / walk) home.
6. (cook / you) dinner?
7. Sue (share / not) her biscuits.
8. (leave / they) the house?
9. (take part / she) in the contest?
10. I (not / spend) my holiday abroad this year.

Write positive sentences in going to future.

1. I / work -
2. you / dance -
3. it / rain -
4. they / ask -
5. he / stays -
6. we / speak -
7. I / give -
8. she / try -
9. they / help -
10. he / push -

The following people do not intend to do the following actions.

Write negative sentences in going to future.

1. (I / sell / my car)
2. (he / help / us)
3. (they / study / harder)
4. (we / cook / dinner tonight)
5. (I / celebrate / my birthday this year)
6. (she / clean / her room)
7. (they / move / house)
8. (she / stay / with Amy)
9. (they / change / their clothes)
10. (we / get up early / next Sunday)

Write questions in going to future.

1. (he / cook dinner / tonight)
2. (you / run / in the race)
3. (they / climb / that mountain)
4. (she / exercise / at the gym / in the afternoon)
5. (you / carry / that heavy box)
6. (computer / crash)
7. (we / eat / fish / tonight)
8. (he / play football / tomorrow)
9. (Lucy / call / a taxi)
10. (you / sing / a song / for us)

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FUTURE

MAKE PLANS AND PREDICTIONS

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¿Para que se utiliza will?

¿Cómo se abrevia will?

¿Cuál es la forma negativa de will?

¿Cómo se usa los verbos que van después de will?


Will future expresses a spontaneous decision, an assumption with regard to the future or an action in the future that cannot be influenced.

Form of will Future

	positive	negative	question
no differences	I will speak.	I will not speak.	Will I speak?

Use of will Future

• a spontaneous decision
  example: Wait, I will help you.
• an opinion, hope, uncertainty or assumption regarding the future
  example: He will probably come back tomorrow.
• a promise
  example: I will not watch TV tonight.
• an action in the future that cannot be influenced
  example: It will rain tomorrow.
• conditional clauses type I
  example: If I arrive late, I will call you.

Signal Words

• in a year, next …, tomorrow
• Vermutung: I think, probably, perhaps

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WRTE THE NEXT ACTIVITY IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.

Write positive sentences in will Future.

1. We (help) you.
2. I (get) you a drink.
3. I think our team (win) the match.
4. Maybe she (do) a language course in Malta.
5. I (buy) the tickets.
6. Perhaps she (do) this for you.
7. Maybe we (stay) at home.
8. She hopes that he (cook) dinner tonight.
9. I’m sure they (understand) your problem.
10. They (go / probably) to the party.

Write negative sentences in will future.

1. (I / answer / the question)
2. (she / read / the book)
3. (they / drink / beer)
4. (we / send / the postcard)
5. (Vanessa / catch / the ball)
6. (James / open / the door)
7. (we / listen / to the radio)
8. (they / eat / fish)
9. (she / give / him / the apple)
10. (the computer / crash)  

Write questions in will future.

1. (you / ask / him)
2. (Jenny / lock / the door)
3. (it / rain)
4. (the teacher / test / our English)
5. (what / they / eat)
6. (when / she / be / back)
7. (who / drive / us / into town)
8. (where / we / meet)
9. (when / I / be / famous)
10. (what / you / do)

Put the verbs into the correct form (future I simple). Use will.

Jim asked a fortune teller about his future. Here is what she told him:

1. You (earn) a lot of money.
2. You (travel) around the world.
3. You (meet) lots of interesting people.
4. Everybody (adore) you.
5. You (not / have) any problems.
6. Many people (serve) you.
7. They (anticipate) your wishes.
8. There (not / be) anything left to wish for.
9. Everything (be) perfect.
10. But all these things (happen / only) if you marry me.  

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MODAL VERBS

MODAL VERBS

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NEXT WRITE A COMMETARY IN THIS PAGE ABOUT THE MODAL VERBS, CONSIDER FOR SEPARATING THE TWO GROUPS.

 

 

 

English Modal Verbs Table Modal verb Usage Example can ability I can do several things at the same time. when something is possible Miracles can happen. permission You can go now. informal requests Can you come for a minute? could past form of "can" She said she could pay for us as well. polite requests Could you move your bag, please? possibility It could be that he missed the train. may possibility It may rain tomorrow. ask or give permission (formal) May I speak? might past form of "may" He said he might change his mind. possibility This might fail. must you have to do it You must obey the law it's very logical or very likely to happen They left so early, they must be home by now. must not/ mustn't you are not allowed to do it You mustn't smoke in here. shall future for "I" and "we" I shall see him tomorrow. questions and suggestions for "I" and "we" Let's continue, shall we?             should the right thing to do  She should call the police. advice - What should I do? - You should stop thinking about it. what is likely or expected to happen We should be back by midnight. will future action or states (not plans) Prices will go up next summer. promises and intentions It's alright, I'll pick it up. would past form of "will" He told me he would come. imagined situations What would you do if you were him? for polite requests, offers and invitations - Would you please sit down? - Would you like some tea? - We are meeting with Sarah next Saturday, would you like to come along? to say what you want to do or have I would like a piece of cake. ought to the right thing to do You ought to apologize.    English Modal Verbs – Situations Table Situation Modal Verb Example requests (formal) may May I sit down? requests (informal) can Can I sit down? requests (polite) could Could I sit down? requests (polite) would Would you mind if I sit down? permission (formal) may You may sit down. permission (informal) can You can sit down. obligation (full) must You must tell the police the truth. obligation (partial) should You should tell your friends the truth. obligation (partial) (less common) ought to You ought to tell your friends the truth. logical conclusions (stronger than "should") must He left an hour ago, so he must be there already. logical conclusions (weaker than "must") should He left half an hour ago, I believe he should be there already. possibility (general) can It can rain sometimes. possibility (weaker than "may" and "might") could It could rain, but it is not very common in this part of the country. possibility (weaker than "may") might It's not very cloudy yet, but it might rain. possibility (stronger than "might") may It starts getting cloudy – it may rain soon. future actions/states/intentions will Look at the sky! It will rain soon.     Los verbos modales son verbos auxiliares que no pueden funcionar como un verbo principal, a diferencia de los verbos auxiliares “be”, “do” y “have” que sí pueden funcionar como un verbo principal. Los verbos modales expresan modalidad. Pueden expresar habilidad, posibilidad, necesidad u otra condición. Son verbos auxiliares del futuro y del condicional. Los tiempos verbales ingleses no son suficientes para expresar ideas de posibilidad o incertidumbre. No existe un tiempo verbal del condicional en inglés. A la vez, se usan verbos auxiliares para el condicional. Tampoco hay un tiempo verbal como el subjuntivo en español. Por eso, es muy importante entender los usos de los verbos modales. Como verbos complementarios que son, los verbos modales no funcionan sin otro verbo. Este otro verbo siempre va después del verbo modal y está en la forma de base (el infinitivo sin “to”). No se conjugan los verbos modales y no tienen tiempo. Los verbos modales son:   can   could   may   might   will   shall   should   ought to   must/have to   would Uses (Usos) Can “Can” indica habilidad o posibilidad. En estos casos puede ser traducido como “poder” en español. Ejemplos:   I can speak five languages. (Puedo hablar cinco idiomas.)   We can work late tonight if you need us. (Podemos trabajar hasta tarde esta noche si nos necesitas.)   Bill and Tom can’t help you. (Bill y Tom no pueden ayudarte.)   The restaurant can be expensive if you drink a lot of wine. (El restaurante puede ser caro si bebes mucho vino.)   It can be dangerous to drive if you are tired. (Conducir puede ser peligroso si estás cansado.) En frases interrogativas, el uso de “can” puede solicitar permiso o preguntar sobre posibilidades. Ejemplos:   Can I have a glass of water? (¿Puedo tomar un vaso de agua?)   Can you help me? (¿Puedes ayudarme?)   Can they work late tonight? (¿Pueden trabajar hasta tarde esta noche?) Could “Could” indica posibilidad o habilidad en el pasado. Ejemplos:   Joe could speak Spanish when he was young. (Joe podía hablar español cuando era joven.)   I couldn’t sleep last night. (No pude dormir anoche.)   It could have been worse. (Podría haber sido peor.)   Could you play an instrument when you were a child? (¿Podías tocar un instrumento cuando eras un niño?) También se puede usar “could” para posibilidades en el futuro. Ejemplos:   You could pass the test if you studied. (Podrías pasar el examen si estudiaras.)   I think it could rain later. (Creo que podría llover más tarde.) Como “can”, en frases interrogativas “could” puede solicitar permiso o preguntar sobre las posibilidades, pero es más formal. Ejemplos:   Could you pass the salt please? (¿Podría pasarme la sal por favor?)   Could you help me? (¿Podrías ayudarme?)   Could I be wrong? (¿Podría estar equivocado?) Nota: Se usa “could” en frases condicionales. Ver la lección sobre frases condicionales para más información sobre el uso de “could”. Nota: Se usa “could” en frases condicionales. Ver la lección sobre frases condicionales para más información sobre el uso de “could”. May Como “could”, se usa “may” para indicar posibilidades en el futuro. Ejemplos:   I would bring an umbrella, it may rain later. (Llevaría un paraguas, puede llover más tarde.)   It may be better to finish this now, rather than wait until tomorrow. (Tal vez sea mejor terminar esto ahora, en lugar de esperar hasta mañana.) También se puede utilizar para dar permisos o instrucciones. Ejemplos:   You may leave if you like. (Puede salir si quiere.)   You may use your cell phones now. (Podéis usar sus teléfonos ahora.) En frases interrogativas, el uso de “may” es más educado que “can” o “could”. Ejemplos:   May I have a glass of water? (¿Podría tomar un vaso de agua?)   May I leave now? (¿Podría salir ahora?) Might Se usa “might” para indicar posibilidades en el presente o el futuro. En estos casos, es un sinónimo de “may”. Ejemplos:   I would bring an umbrella, it might rain later. (Yo llevaría un paraguas, puede llover más tarde.)   It might be better to finish this now, rather than wait until tomorrow. (Tal vez sea mejor terminar esto ahora, en lugar de esperar hasta mañana.) También se puede usar al igual que “may”, para pedir permisos o hacer peticiones corteses, aunque este uso es mucho más común en el Reino Unido que en los Estados Unidos. Will Como veremos en lecciones posteriores, se utiliza “will” para formar el tiempo futuro. Como veremos en lecciones posteriores, se utiliza “will” para formar el tiempo futuro. También el uso de “will” significa voluntad o determinación. Ejemplos:   I will help you. (Te ayudaré.)   We will learn English. (Aprenderemos inglés.) Se utiliza “will” en frases interrogativas para pedir información, un favor o sobre opciones. Ejemplos:   Will they find a cure for cancer? (¿Encontrarán una cura para el cáncer?)   Will you help me move? (¿Me ayudas a mudarme?)   Will he go to Paris by car or train? (¿Irá a París en coche o en tren?) Shall Se usa “shall” como “will” para formar el tiempo futuro. El uso de “shall” es mucho más común en el Reino Unido y en general es más educado. Ejemplos:   Chris shall be happy to see you. (Chris estará feliz de verte.)   I’ll take the 3 o’clock train. (Tomaré el tren a las 15h.) Nota: Las formas cortas de “will” y “shall” son lo mismo. Entonces “I’ll” en el ejemplo anterior puede significar “I will” o “I shall”. También se puede utilizar “shall” para ofertas y sugerencias o para preguntar sobre opciones o preferencias. Ejemplos:   Shall l we meet at 10pm? (¿Quedamos a las 22h?)   Shall we go to the movies or a museum? (¿Vamos al cine o a un museo?) Should “Should” indica una obligación o recomendación. Refleja una opinión sobre lo que es correcto. Se traduce como el condicional de “deber” en español. Ejemplos:   I should call my parents more often. (Debería llamar a mis padres más a menudo.)   You shouldn’t work so hard. (No debería trabajar tan duro.)   They should practice more if they want to win the championship. (Deberían practicar más si quieren ganar el campeonato.) Se utiliza “should” en frases interrogativas para preguntar si existe una obligación o para pedir una recomendación. Ejemplos:   Should we leave a tip? (¿Deberíamos dejar una propina?)   Should I have the steak or the chicken? (¿Debería comer el bistec o el pollo?)   Where should they meet you? (¿Dónde deberían encontrarte?) Ought to “Ought to” es un sinónimo de “should”. Ejemplos:   She ought to quit smoking. (Debería dejar de fumar.)   I ought to call my parents more often. (Debería llamar a mis padres más a menudo.)   They ought to work less. (Deberían trabajar menos.) Note: Nunca se usa “ought to” en frases interrogativas en inglés americano. Must “Must” indica una obligación, prohibición o necesidad. También puede emplearse “have to” (tener que). Ejemplos:   You must [have to] read this book, it’s fantastic. (Tienes que leer este libro, es fantástico.)   You must [have to] brush your teeth two times a day. (Tienes que cepillarte los dientes dos veces al día.)   We must [have to] leave now or we will be late. (Tenemos que irnos ahora o llegaremos tarde.)   You must not drink and drive. (No puedes beber y conducir.)   When must we meet you? (¿Cuándo debemos quedar? ) También se puede usar “must” para indicar probabilidad o asumir algo. Ejemplos:   John’s not here. He must be sick because he never misses class. (John no esta aquí. Debe estar enfermo porque nunca pierde clases.)   It must be difficult to learn a new language as an adult. (Debe ser difícil aprender un idioma como adulto.) Es posible también usar “must” para preguntas retóricas. Ejemplos:   Must you always be late? (¿Siempre tienes que llegar tarde?)   Must she talk so much? (¿Tiene que hablar tanto?) Would Se usa “would” para declarar una preferencia y para preguntar por algo educadamente. Ejemplos:   She would like to go to New York someday. (Le gustaría ir a Nueva York algún día.)   I would like a beer and my wife would like a glass of wine please. (Me gustaría una cerveza y a mi mujer le gustaría una copa de vino por favor.)   Would you like some coffee? (¿Le gustaría un cafe?)   Would you help me please? (¿Me ayudas por favor?)   When would you like to go to the movies? (¿Cuándo te gustaría ir al cine?) Nota: Se usa “would” en frases condicionales. Ver la lección sobre

  

LISTEN AND PRACTICE THE NEXT SONG:

 

 

 COPY IN YOUR NOTEBOOK THE NEXT EXERCISES AND ANSWER THEM.

Q1.	I didn’t feel very well yesterday. I ..... eat anything.
		cannot
		couldn’t
		mustn’t

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Q2.	You ..... look at me when I am talking to you.
		could
		should
		would

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Q3.	I was using my pencil a minute ago. It ..... be here somewhere!
		can
		could
		must
		would

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Q4.	You really ..... be late again.
		must not
		don’t have to be

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Q5.	If you don’t start working harder, you ..... repeat the course next year.
		have to
		must
		will have to

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Q6.	His parents spoil him. He’s always ..... to do whatever he wants.
		been able
		been allowed

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Q7.	Phone her now. She ..... home by now.
		has to be
		must be
		would be

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Q8.	You ..... forget your sun cream. It’s going to be very hot!
		don’t have to
		mustn’t
		needn’t

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Q9.	I ..... be able to help you, but I’m not sure yet.
		might
		would

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Q10.	Entrance to the museum was free. We ..... pay to get in.
		needn’t
		didn’t need to

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Q11.	Already as a child Mozart ..... play the piano beautifully.
		could
		should
		would

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Q12.	Which sign are you more likely to see at an airport: Bags ..... not be left unattended.
		can
		must
		may

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Q13.	I really ..... try to get fit.
		may
		must
		would

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Q14.	..... take a photograph of you?
		Am I allowed to
		May I

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Q15.	Students ..... borrow up to 6 books at any time.
		are allowed to
		could

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Q16.	Whose is this bag? - I don’t know, but it ..... belong to Yuta.
		could
		may
		should
		would

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Q17.	..... I go to the bathroom, please?
		May
		Must
		Would

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Q18.	His excuse ..... be true, but I don’t believe.
		can
		may

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Q19.	It’s very important to ..... speak more than one language.
		can
		be able to

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Q20.	I don’t like ..... get up early on a Sunday.
		being able to
		being allowed to
		having to

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Q21.	..... you speak French? - Only a few words, but my Russian is pretty good.
		Can
		Could

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Q22.	..... you help me move this table? (Both answers are possible. Choose the more polite request.)
		Can
		Could

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Q23.	I ..... talk already before I was two years old.
		could
		should
		would

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Q24.	I ..... help you, but I don’t want to.
		can
		could
		would

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Q25.	..... you open the window, please.
		Can
		May

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Q26.	I ..... move the table. It was too heavy.
		couldn’t
		mustn’t
		shouldn’t
		wouldn’t

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Q27.	You ..... not put your feet on the cafeteria tables.
		must not
		do not have to

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Q28.	If you continue to practise so hard, you ..... beat me before too long!
		can
		could
		will be able to

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Q29.	..... you swim? (Both are possible. Which is better?)
		Are you able to
		Can

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Q30.	You ..... eat so much chocolate. It’s not good for you.
		don’t have to
		mustn’t
		shouldn’t

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Q31.	I’m afraid I ..... play tennis tomorrow. I’ve got a dentist appointment.
		can’t
		couldn’t
		would not be able to

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Q32.	You can come to the meeting if you want but you ......
		have to
		don’t have to
		mustn’t

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Q33.	What do you want to do? - Well, we ..... have a picnic, but it looks like rain.
		can
		could
		should
		would

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Q34.	I’m so hungry I ..... eat a horse!
		can
		could
		must
		should

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Q35.	The test starts at 10.30. You ..... be late.
		don’t have to
		mustn’t

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Q36.	Why didn’t you tell me? I ..... you!
		could help
		could have helped
		was able to help
		would help

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Q37.	How did you do in the test? - Ok. It ..... worse!
		could be
		could have been
		might be
		would have been

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Q38.	He ..... broken the classroom window. He wasn’t even in school today.
		couldn’t have
		mustn’t
		shouldn’t have

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Q39.	You ..... tired. You’ve only just got out of bed!
		don’t have to be
		can’t be
		mustn’t be

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Q40.	She ..... be very pleased with herself. She got the best grades.
		has to
		must
		cannot

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