Modal Verbs and Possibility
Understand and use modal verbs (can, may, must, might, shall, will, could, should, would) and modal adverbs (perhaps, surely, certainly) to indicate degrees of possibility, necessity, and permission
Teaching approaches
Gakuva’s recommended starting approach is selected. You can still compare every option.
1 approach
When your child writes, do they choose between words like "must", "might", "could", and "should" to show whether something is certain, possible, or just an idea — rather than treating every action as definite?
Understand and use modal verbs (can, may, must, might, shall, will, could, should, would) and modal adverbs (perhaps, surely, certainly) to indicate degrees of possibility, necessity, and permission
Learning resources
Reviewed external links that reinforce this concept. They do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
No reviewed resources for this concept yet.
The teaching approach above still stands. Curated practice links — and later lock-ranked options — will appear here as the shelf fills.
Explore the learning path
4 before · 0 after
Before
This concept
Next
No next concept
Check understanding
- Select a modal verb to express certainty, probability, or possibility in a sentence, e.g. 'It will rain' vs 'It might rain' vs 'It could rain'
- Replace a modal verb with a modal adverb to achieve a similar effect, e.g. 'He might come' → 'Perhaps he will come'
- Distinguish between modals expressing permission (may, can), obligation (must, should), and possibility (might, could) in context
“When your child writes, do they choose between words like "must", "might", "could", and "should" to show whether something is certain, possible, or just an idea — rather than treating every action as definite?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Grammar & Punctuation
- Age range
- Ages 9–10
Standards