Page 29 - IELTS Preparation Grammar and Vocab

Modals (1)
We use can or be able to to talk about possible future arrangements and can (or more politely could) to ask
for permission:
The President can't / is not able to visit the country until next month.
Can/Could ! ask you what you think of the new bridge?
In May, might, can, could: possibility
To talk about a more general possibility of something happening we can use can or may
The temperature in the mountains can/may fall below freezing even at this time of year.
We use could to say that something was possible in the past:
It could be a very rough journey, too.
We don't use may to ask questions about the possibility of something happening. Instead we use could or the
phrase be likely to:
Could the negotiations finish today, do you think?
What time is the meeting likely to finish?
Might is sometimes used in questions, but is rather formal.
We can use these modals in negative sentences, including those with words like only or hardly, to say that things
are not possible or that it is possible that things are not the case
The company can hardly be described as a success. (= it is not possible to describe it as a success)
I think we should call off the strike, but other people may/might not agree with me. (= its possible that people
don't agree with me)

pa Will, would, used to: conclusions, willingness, habitual events
We can use will to draw conclusions or state assumptions about things we think are true:
No doubt you will have heard the news by now.
We use will (not) to talk about (un)willingness or refusal to do something
The minister says he will resign if no solution is found.
We will not be bullied by management.
The computer won't let me print documents. (We can say that inanimate objects, such as machines, can be
unwilling or refuse to do something.)
We use would to talk about willingness in the future, in conditionals, and when we say that we are willing but
unable to do something
Many people would be happy to pay higher taxes for better public services.
The minister would be pleased to accept the invitation if it were not for other commitments.
We don't use would to talk about willingness on a specific occasion in the past:
David Wade agreed to meet the union representatives. (not Eravid-Werde-would-agree
We can use will (present) and would (past) to talk about characteristic behaviour or habits, or about things that
are true now or were true in the past:
Some parents will actually discourage their children from taking up a sport.
Many passengers would get seasick during the crossing
We can use either would or used to to talk about things that happened repeatedly in the past:
The crossing would/used to take over an hour at least.
We don't use would to talk about past states:
We used to be terribly isolated here because the ferry service was so bad. (not

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