Modals for Permission, Requests and Offers — Exercises
Practice modals for permission, requests, offers and promises: be allowed to, could you, would you mind, shall I, shall we, I won't.
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That bag looks heavy. ___ I carry it for you?
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Shall
Offering to help → 'Shall I…?'. 'Will I carry it?' asks about the future, not an offer.
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Excuse me, ___ you tell me the way to the station?
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could
A polite request → 'Could you…?'. 'May' asks for permission for yourself ('May I…?'), not for someone else to do something.
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In my last job, we ___ to work from home on Fridays.
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were allowed
Permission in the past → 'were allowed to'. 'Could' also works for general past permission, but it's never followed by 'to'; 'must' would be an obligation, not permission.
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___ we go for a walk? It's a lovely evening.
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Shall
Making a suggestion → 'Shall we…?'. 'Will we go?' only asks about the future, and 'Do we go?' is not used for suggestions.
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Visitors ___ take photos inside the gallery — there's a sign on the door.
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aren't allowed to
A rule from the gallery (the sign) → 'aren't allowed to' = it's forbidden. 'Don't need to' would mean it's simply unnecessary.
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When I was a teenager, I ___ stay out until midnight — my parents were very relaxed.
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could
General permission in the past → 'could' (= was allowed to). 'May' is only for permission now.
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A week in Lisbon
Hi Sam, I've been in Lisbon for a week now, and I love it. Before I left, everyone told me to bring lots of cash, but I {1} bothered — you can pay by card everywhere, even for a coffee. On Tuesday I visited the old monastery. We {2} take photos inside the church, which was a shame, but our guide was lovely. At the end I asked her, '{3} you mind recommending a good place for lunch?' She thought for a moment and said, '{4} I write a few names down for you?' The only problem is the weather. I {5} packed a warmer jacket — the evenings by the sea are really cold. By the way, have you heard from Marta? She {6} be really busy with her new job — she hasn't answered any of my messages for days. Anyway, you {7} reply straight away — I know you're busy too. Love, Leah
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1. needn't have — Leah did bring cash, and it turned out to be unnecessary → 'needn't have bothered'.
2. weren't allowed to — A rule in the church (no photos) → 'weren't allowed to take'. It's a past rule, so 'were', not 'are'.
3. would — A very polite request → 'Would you mind + -ing?'. 'Could you mind' is not possible.
4. shall — The guide is offering to help → 'Shall I write a few names down?'
5. should have — Leah didn't pack a warm jacket, and now she regrets it → 'should have packed'.
6. must — A confident guess about now, based on the evidence (no answers for days) → 'must be busy'.
7. don't need to — Replying straight away isn't necessary → 'don't need to reply'. 'Mustn't' would forbid Sam to reply.
Permission, Requests, Offers and Promises
To ask for permission, English uses Can I…?, Could I…? and, most formally, May I…?. Rules are usually expressed with be allowed to, which works in every tense: Visitors aren't allowed to take photos, In my last job we were allowed to work from home on Fridays. For general permission in the past, could is also possible: When I was a teenager, I could stay out until midnight. Requests use Can you…?, the more polite Could you…? and Would you…?, and the very polite Would you mind + -ing. Offers to help use Shall I…? (That bag looks heavy — shall I carry it?), and suggestions use Shall we…? (Shall we go for a walk?). Will I…? only asks about the future and is not an offer. Promises and warnings use will: I won't forget, I promise, Careful — you'll cut yourself!
Last updated: · Satori Editorial