Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking: Advanced Grammar for IELTS

Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking is important to achieve a band 8+ in your IELTS exam.  Mastering modal verbs like ‘must’, ‘should’, ‘ought to’, ‘have to’, and ‘need to’ is crucial for making different sentence structures and using them appropriately based on context. By understanding the advanced grammar rules as well as a few tips to use these modal verbs, you will be able to achieve a high IELTS Band Score. 

Since advanced grammar rules play a pivotal role in your IELTS preparation, you should be aware of your level of understanding of modal verbs before diving into the practice tests. This guide provides a diagnostic test, clear IELTS grammar explanations, and practice exercises to help you understand and use these advanced structures effectively in your Writing and Speaking tasks.

Let’s check it out!

Why is Using Modal Verbs for IELTS Writing & Speaking Important?

Modal verbs are helping verbs or auxiliary verbs which help in expressing necessity, possibility, permission, ability, or obligation. In the IELTS Exam, you need to use these modal verbs accurately, which can clarify your ideas while making you sound more natural and demonstrate a wider range of grammar.

The table below shows the different modal verbs which you can use to showcase your ability to use advanced grammar for IELTS.

Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking depends on the situation, tone, and meaning of the sentences. These will enhance your skills and help you achieve a higher band of 8+. However, it is essential to know when to use them and in which context or the meaning might change.

• In the Speaking Module of the IELTS, you can express opinions, give advice, or make suggestions based on the questions asked.
• In the IELTS Writing, you can present arguments, suggest solutions, or discuss possibilities effectively.

Strategies to Learn Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking for a Band 8+

Knowing how using modal verbs for writing & speaking is crucial in creating constructive sentences and achieving more in the parameter of Grammatical Range and Accuracy. But, do not just learn the rules and attempt practice tests for such topics in advanced grammar in IELTS. You need a few strategies to learn these modal verbs so that you can utilize them in Writing and IELTS Speaking. Let’s check out a few tips below!

• As you learn the modal verbs, make sure to use them in different sentences so that you become familiar with their usage.
• Read the sample answers for Speaking and Writing while identifying various modal verbs and understand in which context they have been used. This would guide you in terms of understanding how to use them in your own answers.
• Pair these modal verbs with IELTS Vocabulary words based on different topics such as environment, education, health, and technology. 
• Listen to different audios or podcasts and notice how the native speakers use modal verbs in different formal and casual settings. This will help you to incorporate those in your speaking responses, making you achieve a higher band score.
• In Writing tasks, you can purposefully include modal verbs and then compare your work with model answers to see effective usage.
• As you are getting familiar with the rules of modal verbs, you need to create a few examples to understand this topic from IELTS Grammar. Doing so could help you increase the accuracy of your answer.
• Record yourself speaking so that you can simulate the speaking tests and use modal verbs when giving opinions, predicting, or making suggestions. Listen back to the recording and identify the modal verbs which you have used while noting the areas where you have made mistakes.

Diagnostic Test for Using Modal Verbs for IELTS Writing & Speaking

Assess your understanding of advanced modal verbs such as must, should, have to, ought to, and need to with this diagnostic test. Identify your strengths and areas for improvement to enhance your IELTS preparation. Underline the best choice of word(s) in bold in each of these sentences.

Example:

1. To must/ Having to listen to hip-hop music all evening is my idea of torture!
2. The landlord ought to/ ought to have taken his responsibilities more seriously.
3. This company is awful to work for. We must / have to account for every minute of the day.
4. Do you know if we must/ have to have visas for the Caribbean?
5. The newspaper shouldn’t have/ mustn’t have printed the rumor without concrete evidence.
6. What a state my shoes are in! They need/ must be repairing.
7. We have to/ are supposed to put our bags in the lockers, but most people take them into the gym.
8. We couldn’t go/ mustn’t have gone into the disco because we were too young.
9. Polite notice: children do not have to/ are not allowed to play on the grass.
10. This offer is not open to current employees. Participants must not have/ need not have been employed by the company in the last four years.
11. We needn’t / needn’t have booked the tickets in advance; there was plenty left.
12. With our new range of hair products, you mustn’t/don’t have to spend hours caring for your hair.
13. There wasn’t anyone on the nightclub door so we didn’t need to show/needn’t have shown proof of our age.
14. As we’re getting a lodger, we’d better / better to have some more keys cut.
15. Our advice is that even people as young as twenty-five should / must consider a personal pension.
16. You won’t have to/ had better not tell Shirley what you saw – it will only upset her and she’ll blame you.
17. The ground’s soaking outside – it must rain/ be raining quite heavily.
18. If you bring your receipt, there shouldn’t/ mustn’t be any difficulty with a refund.
19. Lewis must have/ should have been training very hard to develop muscles like that!
20. I walked into the showroom and saw the car, and I knew I had to have / must have had it.

Answer Key for Diagnostic Test

Now that you have attempted the Diagnostic Test of Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking, let’s check out the answers. Remember to note how many answers were correct and identify the problem which you are facing.

How did you score? Was it good? Did you find the ones where you were confused? Now, let’s check the grammar explanation of Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking and elevate your preparation for the IELTS.

Grammar Explanation of Using Modal Verbs for IELTS Writing & Speaking

Enhance your grasp of modal verbs like must, should, ought to, have to, and need to with our detailed grammar explanations along with the rules. Learn how to use these advanced structures accurately in your IELTS writing and speaking tasks.

1. Obligation and Necessity

• Form

• 'Must', 'should', and 'ought to' are modal verbs (unlike the need to and have to). They do not change their form in the present tense, nor do they have a past tense or a future form with a will, nor infinitive or participle forms. As an alternative to must or when we can’t use must (e.g. to refer to the past), we usually use have to:

• We can express a past meaning of should and ought to by using a modal perfect:

• The need can be used as a modal verb (without to), usually in negatives and questions:

• As an alternative to needing, we can use need to or have to. We can use must, have to and need to with a passive phrase.

Obligation

• We usually express obligation in English with must or have to:

• The difference in meaning between have to and must be fine and often depends on whether or not the speaker sees the obligation as one they are imposing. We use to have to to express an obligation we see as outside our control, eg. rules imposed by an authority:

• We often use must to express an obligation imposed by the speaker:

• Must is commonly used for the following situations:

• However, ‘must’ expresses a strong obligation and we do not often use it in face-to-face conversation as it can seem impolite and often inappropriate. We often use should and ought to as an alternative to must as they express a subjective (often moral) obligation felt by the speaker, but the obligation is weaker than with must:

• It is possible to use need to to express external obligation, particularly in the future:

• We use have got to for external obligation like have to. but it is more informal than have to and more common in speech than in writing (have got to is rare in US English):

• We use should/ought to + have + past participle for an unfulfilled obligation in the past:

Necessity

• We can use need to, must and have to to express necessity (i.e. a requirement that results from things other than just commands, rules or laws):

• Note that it is possible, though quite rare today, to use need without to in questions:

• If we want to express a necessity without suggesting who should deal with it, we can use need + -ing form:

• This use has a passive meaning and is similar to the passive infinitive:

Other Ways of Expressing Obligation

• We can use be to for an order from a person in authority:

• We use be obliged to (US: obligated to) or required to informal contexts:

• We use be supposed to for a lesser obligation and one that is frequently ignored:

• We use be liable to for obligation (often in a legal context):

2. Prohibition and Criticism

• Forms

• We use must not (usually mustn’t) to express a prohibition (an obligation not to do something) imposed by the speaker or writer:

• To express a weaker, often moral prohibition, we use shouldn’t or oughtn’t to:

• To express prohibition by an external authority we often use other modal verbs or non- modal expressions. Mustn’t may appear too strong in these situations:

• It is possible, though not common, to use must not have + past participle for a present prohibition which relates to the past:

• We use couldn’t or wasn’t / weren’t allowed to for prohibition in the past:

• We use shouldn’t/ ought not to have + past participle to criticize a past action:

• We usually use won’t be allowed to or can’t to express prohibition in the future:

3. Absence of Obligation or Necessity

• Forms

• We usually use don’t have to/ don’t need to to express a lack of external obligation:

• We use don’t need to/ needn’t for the absence of necessity felt by the speaker. Needn’t tends to express the speaker’s personal opinion more:

• We use didn’t have to/ didn’t need to for absence of obligation in the past:

• Note that ‘need’ has two past forms: didn’t need to and needn’t have done. We use didn’t need to when we don’t know if the action happened or not:

• We use needn’t have + past participle when the action happened but was unnecessary:

We use won’t have to, won’t need to or needn’t for the absence of obligation in the future:

4. Recommendation and Advice

• Forms

• We use must for strong recommendations and advice:

• Note that this use of ‘must’ is usually heavily stressed in speech. Recommendation or advice with should or ought to is less emphatic:

• We often use should and ought to with the passive:

• Had better (not) expresses the best thing to do in a particular situation. It often has a sense of urgency and can be a warning or a threat:

5. Logical Deduction and Probability

• Forms

• In this sense, we can also use must, have to and should with the continuous:

• We use must for something that we believe to be true because of evidence (i.e. we are making a logical deduction):

• The opposite of must in this sense is can’t, not mustn’t :

• It is possible to use ‘have (got) to’ for emphatic logical deduction:

• We use ‘must-have’ + past participle to express a logical deduction about the past:

• The negative of this is ‘can’t/couldn’t have’ + past participle. Note the difference between the two past forms ‘must-have’ + past participle and ‘had to’.

• We use should/ ought to for probability and shouldn’t /ought not to for improbability. We believe the statement to be true because of our prior knowledge, experience or present evidence:

• We rarely use should to ‘predict’ a negative (unpleasant) situation. Instead we use will:

• We use should (not)/ ought (not) to + have + past participle to talk about the probability of an action in the past:

Practice Exercise of Using Modal Verbs for IELTS Writing & Speaking

Remember the rules to become familiar with the way you can use Modal Verbs and showcase Advanced Grammar for IELTS. Now, it’s time to attempt the practice exercises of Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking. It is suggested that you attempt the questions and then look at the answers after which you need to understand the mistakes which you might be making.

Beth: Hello. Reception said that you wanted a word with me.

Lisa: That’s right. I’m interested in joining your gym. What (1)___ do?

Beth: Take a seat. First, you (2)____fill in this form. It asks for details about you and your state of health. We want to be sure that you’re fit enough to use the gym.

Lisa: Okay. I have a slight problem with one knee. I twisted it a few weeks ago.

Beth: Well, you really (3) ____tell the instructor about that, then he’ll make sure that your fitness program takes account of it.

Lisa: Fitness program?

Beth: Yes. If you join, you (4)____have an induction session with one of our fitness instructors. He’ll design a program suited to your level of fitness.

Lisa: Oh, that’s good. Now. it’s £30 a month, isn’t it?

Beth: Well, yes, but that’s the special rate if you take out an annual subscription, so you’re (5)____join for the whole year to get that rate. Otherwise, it’s £40 a month.

Lisa: I see. Yes, I think I’ll join for the year. Is there anything else I should know?

Beth: Let’s see … there are some rules, but they’re pretty obvious. Of course, every one (6)____ wear appropriate clothing and footwear. There are lockers outside the gym, so you’re not (7)____ take anything in with you. but we don’t apply that rule very strictly. You’ll probably want to take a towel and a bottle of water in with you anyway: you (8) ____drink plenty of water while you’re exercising, to prevent dehydration.

Lisa: Yes, are there any restrictions, like (9)____ book time ahead in the evenings?

Beth: No. You can use the gym whenever it’s open. Obviously, if you think a piece of equipment isn’t working properly and (10)____ mending, tell an instructor. Also, for your own good, you (11)____tell us if you feel unsure about how to use a particular machine.

Lisa: Of course. Now, the receptionist said I (12)____provide a photo for the membership card, but I’m afraid I don’t have one on me.

Beth: That’s OK. Bring it next time you come. Until then you can use your receipt as proof of membership.

Hilverstone Fox Watch

Dear New Member,

Many thanks for your application form for membership of the HFW (Hilverstone Fox Watch). Before I introduce the club to you, I would like to point out that you (0) __pay your subscription until your membership application has been processed and approved, so those of you who joined at the fete last Saturday (1) ___provided cheques on the spot. Our representative (2) ___accepted your cheques. I am returning them where necessary, with apologies for any inconvenience.

HFW was set up three years ago for two reasons: to lobby for the abolition of fox-hunting – the founder members felt we (3)___do this as the Hilverstone Hunt is so powerful in this area – but also to provide some protection for the urban foxes here, who (4) __subsist on household scraps in some cases. Our meetings are fortnightly but please do not feel that you (5) ___attend each one. All our members, however, (6) ___attend six meetings a year and at least two all-night watches. We (7) ___insist upon this to prevent all of the work from falling on the shoulders of a few people.

One or two words of advice: a lot of people interested in foxes attempt to domesticate them by putting food down for them. Please – you (8) ___do this. For one thing, we (9) ___encourage vermin under local by-laws (and foxes are classed as vermin), but also, we (10)___ try to reintroduce these foxes to their natural habitat, as they are not naturally domestic creatures. Please remember also that female foxes with young cubs can be quite aggressive: children in particular (11) ___to go near them at this potentially dangerous time.

Finally, may I remind you that members of HFW (12) ___involved in the Hilverstone Hunt for at least one year prior to joining.

Thank you once again for your interest. I enclose a timetable of our meetings and events for the next three months, and look forward to welcoming you to one of them.

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Harker

Requirements of Course

Desk-Top Publishing

• Ten-week intensive course for people interested in producing small-scale publications. Applicants for this course (0) _must_ have good keyboarding skills but are not (1)___ to have prior publishing experience. If possible, applicants (2) ____ have access to a computer and Microsoft Publisher, but there are a limited number of machines available at the college.

Desk-Top Publishing

• Learn how to self-publish from the professionals! We offer Desk-top Publishing courses to suit all schedules and budgets, from five-week intensive courses to year-long evening courses. You (3) ___have your own computer (on our full-time courses) but you (4) ____have some previous experience in publishing. You (5) ____be able to use a keyboard. Call us on 01202 867349

Desk-Top Publishing

• One-year course. Applicants (6) ___have previous experience in publishing, as part of the course involves work experience with a local printing company. Equally, you are not (7) ____to have good computer skills as all basic training is provided. A minimum of three GCSEs is (8) ___and applicants (9) ___have a good level of English.

• (daughter) They must ___be waiting for their daughter___

1. (on/train) She can’t____

2. (miss/it) She must____

3. (child/mother) She must____

4. (phone/parents) She can’t____

5. (rain) It must___

6. (slip/banana skin) The man must____

7. (not/wife) She can’t___

8. (ambulance) Someone must____

• It looks certain that the orchestra’s instruments are arriving on a later plane.

• must    ___The orchestra’s instruments must be arriving on a later plan___

• I strongly recommend you to try this sundried tomato bread.

1. must___

• There is no obligation to get an international driving license for this country.

2. have____

• It was stupid of the government to try to break the strike.

3. should____

• I warn you not to chat up with my girlfriend again!

4. had____

• We didn’t book the table but it didn’t matter as there was hardly anyone in the restaurant anyway.

5. need____

• My hair’s much too long. I’ll have to get it cut soon.

6. cutting____           

• It is essential that you disconnect the gas supply before removing the boiler.

7. be disconnected____      

• The management will not permit latecomers to enter the theatre until there is a suitable break.

8. allowed____

• Why do we have to state ethnic origin on official forms these days?

9. required_____     

• There can be no doubt that the solicitor has received the information by now.

10. must_____

• It probably won’t be difficult to get tickets for the first night.

11. should_____

• It is essential that patients have not eaten or drunk anything for three hours before the operation.

12. must_____

Minutes of Holmefield Neighbour Care meeting

1. Sergeant Dibden reminded us that we don’t have to tackle a burglar if one ==> mustn’t

2. enters our home as this can be very dangerous. He also reminded us that we

3. are supposed by law to inform the police and our insurance companies of all

4. keyholders after a break-in.

5. Mrs. Sanders from Twyfield Close reported that she had been burgled two

6. afternoons before. The burglar should have got in through an open downstairs

7. window, although at that time of day there must be plenty of people

8. around who witnessed the break-in. You’d better report it to the police if you

9. saw anything as it’s our civic duty.

10. Mr. Harrison from Dukes Avenue was concerned that he hadn’t taken up an

11. invitation from a security company to assess his house for security risks, but he

12. was relieved to discover from Sergeant Dibden that he needn’t have invited

13. them anyway, as the police can do security checks.

14. Finally, remember, if you need to speak to a police officer, you can call Sergeant

15. Dibden at Holmefield police station at any time.

Answer Key for Practice Test

Well done! Did you nail it? Let’s check if you got all the answers correct and remember to note which part you are finding difficulty in answering. This will help you to achieve a higher band score by Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking.

EXERCISE 1.

EXERCISE 2.

EXERCISE 3.

EXERCISE 4.

EXERCISE 5.

EXERCISE 6.

Using Modal Verbs for Writing & Speaking is not just about knowing the rules, but it is also about how to use them in sentences. Focus on the context in which you need to use the appropriate modal verbs in the writing and speaking modules. With consistent practice sessions, you will use these topics in Advanced Grammar for IELTS and ace the exam with a band 8+.

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