Modal Verbs Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives:

Understanding the different functions modal

verbs can have.

Using modal verbs in academic writing.

Skill/Grammar: Modal Verbs

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Completion Time: 45 minutes

Age/Level: Tertiary/Upper Intermediate

Resources: Modal Verbs Worksheet, Modal Verbs Answer Key

Warm-up (5 minutes)

Ask the class if they can see a difference in the meaning of must in these sentences.

a) I must remember to phone Susan. I havent phoned her for ages!

b) Pete must be on his way. He said he was definitely going to come.
Note: In a) must means necessity; in b) it means deduction

Presentation (15 minutes)

Distribute the Modal Verbs Worksheet and ask the class to complete Exercise 1 in
pairs. Then check the answers as a whole class. Answer any questions the students
have about the grammar. You may wish to distribute the Modal Verbs Answer Key.

Presentation Answer Key: (suggestions only)

1
I can swim/Can you pass me that pen?
It may rain/May I trouble you for your autograph?
Hell be in the office now/Families will get smaller in the future

Author: Paul Bress

Pearson
r: Katie
Jones.

Page 1 of 22
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Modal Verbs Lesson Plan

Practice (20 minutes)

Tell the class that modal verbs can be used in academic assignments and
presentations. Ask them to complete Exercise 2 on the Modal Verbs Worksheet.
Then check the answers as a whole class. Answer any questions they have about the
grammar. You may wish to distribute the Modal Verbs Answer Key to the students. If
theres time, ask students to give examples of such sentences from their own field of
study.

Practice Answer Key: (suggestions only)

2

a) will
b) can
c) could
d) would
e) would

Closure (5 minutes)

Tell the class to read a few paragraphs from an English novel for homework. Ask them
to try to identify modal verbs and what the function of each one is.

Author: Paul Bress

Pearson
r: Katie
Jones.

Page 2 of 22
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