Modal Verbs, Past Modals, and Personal Anecdotes
Lesson A: Rules and Regulations
The Passive of Modal Verbs: Should, Must, Have to, and Ought to – To Talk About Things You Think Are Necessary
Subject + modal verb + be + past participle
Example: They have to be given their freedom. – The law ought to be changed.
Negative statements: subject + modal verb + not + be + past participle.
Example: You shouldn’t be allowed to marry at 18.
Lesson B: Crime and Punishment
Get Passive vs. Be Passive
You can also use get + past participle in passive statements:
Get: Some murderers get sentenced to only 10 years.
Be: Some murderers should be sentenced to life in prison.
Verb – Past Participle
Show – shown; Give – given; Force – forced; Install – installed; Get – got; Catch – caught; Make – made; Fine – fined; Arrest – arrested; Allow – allowed; Stop – stopped
Catch
Active
Subject + catch + object + verb + -ing: What happens if they catch you shoplifting?
Passive: Subject + get caught + verb + -ing: What happens if you get caught shoplifting?
Past Modals
Would: To imagine your behavior in a past situation.
Should: Advice – To say what was the correct thing to do in a situation in the past.
Could: Possibility – To say what other possibilities existed in the past.
Use Would Have + Past Participle
What would you have done? – I would have said no politely.
Past modal for speculation: must / could / may / might + have + past participle – To speculate about the past.
Recent Event
Last week, I had made plans to travel to see my family for Mother’s Day, but before I bought my ticket, my mother told me that she would travel to see me and my brothers.
It was a very special weekend because it had been years since we spent a day together.
The last time I had seen my mother was for the holidays in February.
We met on Saturday in my apartment, and we had a barbecue because on Sunday she had to return to Curicó.
At the barbecue, we talked, laughed, and remembered anecdotes from the past, when we were little and lived in her house. Unfortunately, my dad could not travel; his work is very demanding, and he had to work, but we agreed that we would all get together when there was time.
Small Memory
When I was little, my cousins and I went on vacation every summer to the Siete Tazas National Reserve. We always went to the same place to camp because the campsite was close to the river and had a forest where we all played.
Over the years, my brother and I had the possibility of buying a small plot of land near the reserve. We built a small cabin, and every time we have the opportunity, we go there to disconnect from the noise of the city and rest for one or two days.
A Coincidence
One night last month, my cousins, a friend, and I went to a club in Bellavista to celebrate the birthday of one of my cousins. While inside the club, I met a colleague I had in school when I lived in Curicó. About 10 years ago, we had not seen each other for many years and had lost contact since we left school. To my surprise, he was with his girlfriend, and they already had two children. It was a coincidence to meet again. We agreed to keep in touch and get together soon.