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OBLIGATION Click to Edit Title Click to Edit Sub Title PERMISSION
Study plan: Asking for permission Giving permission Refusing permission Talking about permission Obligation
MODAL VERBS OF OBLIGATION AND PERMISSION can could must may might be allowed to have to ought to can't / can not couldn't / could not mustn't / must not may not might not to be not allowed to don't have to don't ought to
Asking for permission Can/Could/May/Might I ...? = Do you/Would you mind if ...? Can I borrow your pencil? Of course.
Could / May are more polite than can. Might May / might when we do not know the other person very well. is formal. are used to ask for permission
Giving permission can/may = you are allowed to do sth Yes, you can(may). Could I speak to the manager?
Can is informal and is formal. may We do not use or to give permission. could might Example: Could I speak to the manager? Yes, you can. Yes, you may. (NOT: Yes, you could)
Refusing permission can't/mustn't/may not = you are not allowed to do sth I'm sorry but can't (mustn't) smoke here
May not is formal and is usually used in writing. Example: Visitors enter the laboratories. may not We do not use to refuse permission. Example: Could I smoke here? I'm sorry, but you can't (NOT: I'm sorry, but you couldn't.) could
Talking about permission We use and to refer to laws or regulations. can be allowed to Example: Passengers in the lounge. can/are allowed to We use or to say that we had general permission to do something in the past. was/were allowed to could could was/were allowed to We use and not , to say that we had permission to do something in a particular situation in the past. could/was allowed to Example: I return home a?er 11 o'clock at night when I was young. (I was allowed to return home late in general.) But: I was allowed to watch TV until very late last night. (NOT: I could watch .... as this is a particular situation.)
OBLIGATION Modal verbs: Have to / Must - Don't have to / Mustn't Don’t have to and mustn’t : completely different ! You don’t have to iron your socks. It’s a waste of time. You mustn’t steal other people’s things. It’s wrong.