Can you teach modal verbs? Will you be able to? Should you look for even better ways to teach them? The answers to all these modal questions are “Yes!” - and that’s why BusyTeacher.org offers 601 modal verb worksheets to bring some fresh, fun ideas to your ESL classroom.
Teaching modal verbs takes some strategy. A lot of other languages don’t have exact one-word equivalents for verbs like “should” and “would,” which means direct word-for-word translation probably isn’t an option. The next-best approach is to give examples - but it’s not always easy for students to guess the difference between, say, “can” and “could” from context alone. Some teachers start with the simplest modal verbs - “can” and “should” - and build up the list from there, using a variety of reading and speaking exercises.
However you plan to combine these approaches, BusyTeacher.org offers a wide variety of worksheets to help make sure your students can read, write, hear, and speak correctly when it comes to modal verbs. The sheer diversity of our worksheets means you’ll never find yourself repeating the same modal verb lesson twice - and the range of activities and exercises they provide will keep your students thinking about modal verbs in every kind of usage and context.
Whether you’re introducing some level-one students to modal verbs for the very first time, helping some level-two students review the modal verbs they’ve already learned, or introducing higher-level students to modal verbs in some new tenses, we’ve got worksheets tailored for your students’ ESL proficiency. With 601 modal verb worksheets to choose from, you’re sure to find some that are just right for your class.
Looking for simple fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice worksheets to use for quizzes? We’ve got ‘em right here! Interested in active games that help students learn to use modal verbs in realistic conversations? Just take a look below! BusyTeacher.org even has modal verb worksheets designed around popular song lyrics, so your students can show off their newfound understanding of those songs to their friends.
All these worksheets have been created and shared by ESL teachers around the world - teachers just like you, who want to help each other improve the learning potential of their classrooms. They’ve been generous enough to make every worksheet on this site completely free to download, share, modify, and use as you like - you don’t even have to register on our site. All we ask is that, if you have a worksheet of your own that you’d like to share, you click the “Submit a worksheet” button at the bottom of this page to contribute it to our ever-growing community.
BusyTeacher.org’s convenient thumbnail view makes it easy to browse our 601 modal verb worksheets at a glance, without having to click and download each one just to see what it looks like. You can even save time by checking out the top ten most popular modal verb worksheets on BusyTeacher.org, or use the search function at the top of the page to pinpoint exactly the worksheets you’re looking for. We’re sure that, one way or another, you’ll find the worksheet you need. And we’re sure your class will love it!
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This is a worksheet for teaching modal verbs. It includes a grammar guide followed by 2 activities in which students are asked to complete the sentences with: may, could, would, can and shall. Th ...
I used this Jack Johnson's song during English Grammar teaching. Listening to the song was useful to revise some expressions, and to see the structure of Conditionals. We listened to the song befo ...
This is a worksheet for teaching the differences between must and must be. Students are asked to use either must or must be complete the sentences. The worksheet is available in both colour and b ...
This worksheet can be used to practice modals to express degrees of certainty (Present or past). Example: The lights could have been caused by a storm or Aliens might try to communicate with us. I ...
This is a very simple worksheet for teaching may and might. The worksheet is suitable for elementary students who are asked to rewrite the sentences with may and use the words in brackets to make ...
This is a worksheet that can be used in order to enhance students' writing skills about body language and gestures in different cultures. It encourages both students and teachers to visit the inte ...
This is a 2-page worksheet for teaching animals related vocabulary and modal verbs. Students are asked to match the animals with the pictures, write sentences using the words in the box, read the ...
A worksheet for teaching modal verbs: can, should, may and might. Students are asked to fill in the gaps by choosing the most suitable modal verb. The worksheet is available in both colour and bl ...
This worksheet is useful when you try to teach your students the use of the modal verb can, I based it on some signs we can find everywhere, on the roads, in pubs, restaurants or the library, etc. ...
This is an exercise I made for my advanced adult class, to improve their conversation and consolidate identifying and using the correct tense when continuing or replying to a phrase. For example, ...
Get students to make sentences using can or can't for ability, when finished ask them to write about themselves or about a classmate, without saying who he/she is! Great content!
Useful worksheet. Practise modal verbs by rephrasing 20 sentences. (can, could, be able to, have to, don't have to, needn't have done, must, mustn't, should, ought to, had better, be supposed to, ...
Modal exercises. Multiple choices, correcting mistakes, complete sentences. Exercises for adult students for First Certificate Examination. Hope you'll find it useful. Rate and comment info@tuclas ...
Explanation for the modal verbs (obligation, permission, request, possibility, prohibition, ability). Usage and examples for FCE students and teachers. Hope you'll find it useful, rate and comment ...
I use fictitious problems to get students to give each other advice. Give each student a problem ( preferably one that you are sure they don't have ) and get the other students to give advice usin ...
This is a very simple worksheet, suitable for elementary students, for teaching must and must not. There is a brief explanation at the top of the page followed by an activity in which students ar ...
This activity was made for the students who have a hard time when learning modal verbs. It's a gap filling acivity in wich sudents must choose the correct modal for the sentences and, better, unde ...
Students will fill in the blanks with must or must not to complete the sentences. It can be given before exams or for a revision. It is suitable for 4th, 5th and 6th grades. It is in word format s ...
Role cards for a group of 8 students. Two cards are given to a pair of students, they have instructions regarding a problem they need to talk out with their neighbor, you can always add similar c ...
A simple and useful task. Students have to look at the images and write a sentences describing the character's abilities. It can be used with elementary students. The worksheet includes activiti ...
Here's a useful attractive 2 page grammar worksheet on modal verbs (can, could, may, must should) with explanations, examples sentences and 3 different activities to go with it, where students ar ...
Originally created for a middle school ESL class in South Korea, but the worksheet can also be used for an elementary classroom. The students should look at the pictures of Lilo and Stitch and wri ...
This is a general knowledge activity for kids to practice different question forms about the past in a fun way. It includes "wh-" questions (which, what), the past of "can" (could), "how long" and ...
This is a very useful worksheet to work with children when teaching the use of Should and vocabulary related to illnesses. It has a variety of questions which can demand a great deal of production ...
Here you have a test that I designed for my students from 4th year of highschool, it is based on the classbook, that the goverment provides (chilean). hope it is useful. The test has several parts ...
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