Verbs: Modals & Interrogatives

In this article, we are going to learn about two different kinds of verbs - Modals and Interrogatives - as per the Primary 5 English syllabus. We will learn to use them by answering different types of questions to understand them better. We will also revise our concepts on Question tags.

Question Tags

Have a positive and negative part of the same verb.

• We often use contractions (e.g. can’t)
• … These are not acronyms (e.g. PUBG)

Practice Questions - Question Tags

Question 1:

Look at the following sentences.

1. Have we met?
2. Haven’t we met?

Which sentence/s is/are grammatically correct?

1. A only
2. B only
3. Both A and B
4. Neither A nor B

Solution:

Option 3

Explanation:

Have we met? - This conveys the meaning that the person is clueless … He is a total stranger to the other person.

Haven’t we met? - This conveys the meaning that the other person looks familiar but he cannot recollect where he had met him. So, he is kind of unsure about the identity of the other person.

Both the sentences are correct but they convey very different meanings.

Question 2:

Karina barely has the opportunity to do magic, __________?

1. doesn’t she?
2. hasn’t she?
3. does she?
4. has she?

Solution:

Option 4

Explanation:

First, identify the verb in the question. It is ‘has’. The words barely, hardly, rarely, etc are negative words. They convey a negative meaning, so we need a positive in the second part of the sentence. We need to eliminate all the options that do not have the same verb as is in the question.

So, option 1 and option 3 are wrong. Option 2 is hasn’t she - which is short for ‘has not she’. This is also negative. But we need a positive. So this option is also wrong.

Question 3:

It is not a good idea to pour water into hot oil, __________?

1. would it?
2. isn’t it?
3. is it?
4. was it?

Solution:

Option 3

Question 4:

They must’ve seen the smoke signal, __________?

1. hadn’t they
2. shouldn’t they
3. must they
4. mustn’t they

Solution:

Option 4

Question 5:

She would scarcely need it, __________?

1. would she
2. wouldn’t she
3. will she
4. won’t she

Solution:

Option 1

Modals

Show possibility / necessity / permission:

1. You can buy them separately. (possibility)
2. You should inform her. (necessity)
3. You may go. (permission)

Practice Questions - Modals

Question 1:

It __________ get very cold in Germany in winter.

1. Can 
2. Could  
3. Would 
4. Will

Solution:

Option 1

Explanation:

Can - possibile
Could - possible but uncertain
Would - past tense of ‘will’
Will - definite

Question 2:

There __________ be anyone in. We should give them a call before visiting.

1. may
2. should
3. may not
4. should not

Solution:

Option 3

Explanation:

When we are not very close with someone, it is a matter of courtesy to inform them before visiting them.

Question 3:

We __________ eat more vegetables, especially those rich in vitamins.

1. can
2. should
3. have to
4. cannot

Solution:

Option 2

Explanation:

Can - possibility but may not happen
Should - instruction that is good to follow
Have to - obligatory instruction. We cannot go against it.
Cannot - do not have the ability/intention to follow

Question 4:

If the plane takes off on time, it __________ arrive at 5 pm.

1. will
2. would
3. shall
4. should

Solution:

Option 4

Explanation:

Will - talks of certainty… but does not take into account the contingencies
Would - possibility but not certain
Shall - wrong tense
Should - likely but not 100% confirmed

Question 5:

I __________ take a break shortly, I want to get some rest.

1. may
2. ought not to
3. must 
4. will

Solution:

Option 4

Explanation:

Must - obligatory instruction. If this is the answer, then the second part should be that I am breaking down and so definitely need rest.
May - just an intention but does not follow a concrete action.
Ought not to - totally wrong as in the second part I am showing my intention to take rest.

Interrogative Verbs

Interrogate: to ask questions closely / formally (can also be aggressive if taken literally)

1. You can think of 1H + 6W (Six?!)
2. How, What, When, Whenever, Where, Which, Why
3. They don’t always take the form of questions, though

Practice Questions - Interrogative Verbs

Question 1:

This story talks about a time __________ people led much simpler lives.

1. when
2. where
3. which
4. whose

Solution:

Option 1

Explanation:

When - tells the time
Where - tells the place

Question 2:

My grandmother recounted __________ her family used to preserve and store food so that nearly nothing went to waste.

1. when
2. how
3. where
4. why

Solution:

Option 2

Explanation:

How - tells the method of preserving food
Why - tells the reason behind preserving food

Question 3: 

__________ was Jeremiah so upset about this morning?

1. When
2. Why
3. What
4. How

Solution:

Option 3

Explanation:

‘About’ is the keyword here. It prompts us to ask ‘what for’

Question 4:

__________ will you be meeting him?

1. Where
2. When
3. Both answers are possible
4. Neither answer is possible

Solution:

Option 3

Explanation:

Where will you be meeting him? - talks about the place of meeting
When will you be meeting him? - talks about the time of the meeting

Question 5:

Could you tell me __________ is the most effective way to achieve peak hypertrophy?

Peak: maximum / highest value

Hypertrophy: when an organ or body tissue gets larger because its cells grow

1. where
2. when
3. why
4. which

Solution:

Option 4

Explanation:

Which - method of achieving an effective solution
Where - a place of achieving the solution
Why - the reason for achieving an effective solution
When - is time of achieving an effective solution

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned about Modals and Interrogatives as per the Primary 5 English syllabus. We focused on the following:

• Modals
  • Show possibility / necessity / permission

• Interrogatives
  • Sometimes not questions
  • How, what, when, whenever, where, which, why

We also touched on concepts in Question Tags.