Grammar Safari -- modal auxiliaries

Date: __________________________________
Base Camp: G-8 FLB
Partners: __________________________________
Game to be Hunted: Modal Auxiliaries


Schedule of Points to be Awarded: (IF correctly identified, or DEDUCTED if incorrectly identified!)

1 point:
should
 Then the three held a counsel to decide what they should do next
could
 with their eight wings they could go just as fast as could the Gargoyles
going to
 "There's going to be trouble, I'm sure," remarked the horse.
must
 And you must have better manners, Eureka, or something worse will happen to you.
2 points:
negative
 What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"
progressive
 (in past).. soon some of them would be hunting for their missing wings
past
 "Did he? Then it must have happened while I was asleep,"
3 points:
with have
 The train from 'Frisco was very late. It should have arrived at Hugson's Siding at 12
ought to
 You ought to join one," declared the little man seriously
have to
 "We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly
shall
 "Where shall we stay?" asked the girl
4 points:
had better
 "I think we'd better stick to the river, after this," said Dorothy. "If our unknown friend hadn't warned us, and told us what to do, we would all be dead by this time
mustn't
 " .. you do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must not remain here."
would/used to
 Whenever the Wizard went to sleep he would take the 9 tiny piglets from his pocket
5 points:
2 modal ideas
 If you are a Wizard, you ought to be able to call people by their right names

INSTRUCTIONS

With your partner, find, copy, and identify as many of the modal auxiliaries above as you can by the end of this class period. (Try to avoid conditional sentences and "reported speech" in which the verbs have been "backshifted.")

(Refer to the instructions you have been given for hunting "common" game, using the FIND function). Remember to open a word-processing program, and then click here when you are ready to begin your Safari.

  • COPY ENTIRE SENTENCES, and include the sources of the sentences.
  • BOLD each MODAL AUXILIARY and UNDERLINE the verb following it
  • RESTATE the idea in other words. Be sure the time and meaning are clear.
    (past? nonpast?) (ability? probability? advisability? necessity? etc.)
  • INDICATE the points you have earned (see examples)
Examples

1. ought to = 3 points ; 2 modals = 5 points; TOTAL = 8 points

    If you are a Wizard, you ought to be able to_call_ people by their right names
    (Baum, Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz)
    present (general truth) advisability and ability (The proper thing is for wizards to have the ability to call ... )
2. must = 1 point; with have = 3 points; past = 2 points TOTAL = 6 points
    "Did he? Then it must have _happened_ while I was asleep,"
    (Baum, Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz)
    past - probablity (There is evidence to make me think it happened while I was asleep -- but I'm not 100% sure)

TOTAL: 14 points


HAPPY HUNTING!

Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois