Let’s start with A1 grammar to explain how to form modal verb questions when asking for something.
Here is an affirmative declarative sentence:
I can get some help.
To form a yes/no question with a modal auxiliary verb,
- invert the subject and the modal verb
I can → Can I
- follow it with the bare infinitive (Do not use
to)
Can I get
- add any other information IF needed for the verb OR to complete your meaning
Can I get some help over here
- finish the sentence with a question mark
Can I get some help over here?
modals questions examples
‘Can I get…?’ is one the most common modal yes/no questions. To find the other most common modal verb + pronoun subject + lexical verb patterns we can search in the iWeb corpus with the following query:
_VM _P _VVI
*We have removed ‘can you‘ and ‘can we‘ because they are all listed at A1.
1 WOULD YOU LIKE 70753
A2 PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:
Would you like to see that?
Japanese Female level 5 writing class
3 CAN I GET 46686
4 CAN I USE 35241
7 WOULD YOU SAY 21602
Present simple reporting verbs are listed at B1 in the English Grammar Profile. Therefore, we believe being able to combine them with the modal interrogative structure is B2 at least (there is no listing in the English Profile for this, so it might actually be C2)
There is a listing in the Longman dictionary:
I would say = is used for giving your opinion even though other people may not agree
Therefore, the following is interrogating someone for their version of events:
all three of you showed up around the same time?
No.
8 WOULD YOU RECOMMEND 21421
9 WOULD YOU WANT 20527
10 CAN I FIND 20108
13 CAN I SAY 18033
14 SHOULD I USE 16188
15 WILL IT TAKE 14456
How long will it take to get it back?
17 CAN I MAKE 13354
20 WOULD YOU GIVE 12019
23 CAN ANYONE HELP 10935
25 SHOULD YOU NEED & 27 SHOULD YOU WISH 10043
These do not refer to questions.
They are examples of formal inversion in conditional clauses
when you are talking about things that might happen.
28 WOULD YOU DESCRIBE 9941
29 WILL I NEED 9194
30 CAN ANYONE TELL 8900
33 WILL I GET 8649
34 CAN I TAKE 8646
35 CAN I CHANGE 8478
37 SHOULD I SAY 8237
38 SHOULD I GO 7932
39 SHOULD I GET 7877
40 WOULD YOU MIND 7794
41 CAN I BUY 7744
42 COULD YOU TELL 7706 = *A2 polite request / indirect question
Could you tell me where the bathroom is, please?
*This should be at least similar to indirect questions with ‘Do you know’ + ‘how’, ‘where’, ‘why’, or ‘what’
43 SHOULD YOU CHOOSE 7682
44 CAN I ASK 7636
45 WOULD YOU SUGGEST 7543
46 SHOULD I TAKE 7212
47 SHALL WE SAY 7162
Shall we say a few words about love?
48 CAN I EXPECT 7055
49 WOULD YOU GO 6802
50 WOULD YOU USE 6770
51 WOULD YOU CONSIDER 6715
52 WOULD I WANT 6697
53 CAN I HELP 6670
54 WILL I RECEIVE 6627
55 WOULD I NEED 6546
56 CAN I TELL 6462
58 WOULD IT TAKE 6193
59 MAY I ASK 6144
May I ask what you are looking for?
60 SHOULD I BUY 6127
64 WOULD YOU FEEL 5951
65 SHOULD YOU USE 5946
67 CAN I GO 5618
69 WOULD YOU CHOOSE 5555
70 CAN I APPLY 5463
71 WILL I KNOW 5461
73 WOULD YOU PREFER 5332
74 CAN I ADD 5283
75 WILL YOU NEED 5238
76 CAN I SEE 5154
77 WOULD YOU EXPECT 5063
80 COULD YOU GIVE 4844
81 SHOULD YOU DECIDE 4802
82 WOULD YOU BELIEVE 4767 (maybe B1)
Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?
83 WOULD YOU KNOW 4728
87 WILL WE SEE 4532
88 WOULD YOU NEED 4526
89 CAN SOMEONE HELP 4517
90 WILL YOU GET 4472
91 WILL IT COST 4465
92 COULD YOU ASK 4455
93 SHOULD I EXPECT 4366
95 SHOULD YOU WANT 4191
96 MAY I SUGGEST 4083
97 CAN SOMEONE TELL 4042
99 WILL IT WORK 3972
NEED I SAY 2741 C2
RESEARCH NOTES
There are 3 overlapping A2 points in the English Grammar Profile related to modal verbs questions. We have included their examples to elaborate on the modal verb range.
In the category of CLAUSES:
AFFIRMATIVE interrogative clauses (‘yes/no’ forms) with modal auxiliary verbs.
- Would you like to come …?
- Will you go …?
- Can I come tomorrow to collect it? (Can you|we…? is listed at A1)
- Shall we meet …? (Here are many more overlapping and level clashing points for ‘shall questions’)
In the category of MODALITY:
question form ‘would you like‘
In the category of QUESTIONS :
increasing range of modal verbs + subject + main verb to form ‘yes/no’ questions
- Could you meet …?
- Could you look …?
- Would you like to go …?
- Will you come …?
A2 Vocabulary:
add, anyone, believe, cost, could, decide, describe, explain, guess, mind, prefer, receive, shall, share, should, someone, wish
B1:
apply, consider, expect, imagine, provide, recommend, suggest
Click here to see negative questions with modal verbs.