Relative Pronouns and Modal Verbs in English

Posted on Feb 5, 2025 in English

Relative Pronouns in English

Relative Pronoun

Use

Example

who

As a subject or object pronoun for people

The boy who is wearing glasses…

which

As a subject or object pronoun for animals or things in non-defining relative clauses

… in the club, which is very popular…

whose

Possession/belonging, for people, animals, and things

The girl whose mother is a ballerina…


that

As a subject or object pronoun for people, animals, and things in defining relative clauses (can also use who and which)

The boy that is wearing glasses…


More Relative Pronouns


which

Refers to the complete sentence

Linda dances well, which doesn’t surprise me.

when

Describes a specific time

I can still remember the day when I met Phil.

where

Describes a specific place

This is the youth club where I meet my friends.

why

Describes a specific reason

That’s the reason why I go there.


Modal Verbs in English

Present and Future Modals

  • can
    • Ability: You can swim very well.
    • Request: Can you help me wash the car?
    • Possibility: I can lend you my car.
    • Suggestion: You can bring something for my birthday party.
  • be able to
    • Ability: Don’t worry. I will be able to find the street.
  • can’t
    • Inability: He is very nervous. He can’t sleep.
    • Prohibition: You can’t eat sweets before dinner.
    • Disbelief: That can’t be your father. He looks very young.
  • could
    • Past ability: My mother could dance when she was a child.
    • Polite request: Could you pass me that book, please?
    • Polite suggestion: We could visit him next week.
    • Possibility: My sister could come to the party.
  • may / might
    • Possibility: It may / might be a sunny weekend.
  • may
    • Polite request: May I borrow your dictionary, please?
  • would
    • Formal request: Would you come with me to the wedding?
    • Offer: Would you like some coffee?
  • must
    • Obligation, strong necessity: She must wear a uniform at her school.
    • Certainty that something is true: My cousin has broken his leg. It must hurt him very much.
  • have to
    • Obligation, necessity: You have to study hard if you want to get good marks.
  • need to
    • Obligation, necessity: I need to buy some meat for dinner.
  • needn’t
    • Lack of obligation / necessity: You needn’t take me home today.
  • don’t have to
    • Lack of obligation / necessity: We don’t have to attend the conference.
  • mustn’t
    • Prohibition: You mustn’t step on the grass.
  • should / ought to
    • Advice, opinion: She should / ought to tell them the truth.

Past Modals

  • must have
    • Certainty that something was true: It must have been very hard for her to hear the truth.
  • may / might have
    • A guess about a past action: She may have forgotten about our meeting.
  • could have
    • Ability to do something in the past which in the end was not done: I could have gone with him, but I decided to stay home.
  • couldn’t have
    • Certainty that something did not happen: They were really in love with each other. She couldn’t have broken up with him.
  • would have
    • Desire to do something in the past which in fact could not be done: We would have traveled to the USA, but we didn’t have enough money.
  • should / ought to have
    • Criticism or regret after an event: You should / ought to have told them we aren’t friends any more.
  • shouldn’t have
    • Criticism or regret after an event: We shouldn’t have left before the concert ended.
  • needn’t have
    • An unnecessary past action: I was going to make dinner. You needn’t have made it.