Modal Verbs of Permission
and Polite Requests in
Context
Instructor: Tom Spencer
Fei/Xuan/Ghadah
I would like to try some of these …
Foods
1. pizza 2. lasagna 3. spaghetti 4. hamburger 5. bagel 6. fish and chips
7. French fries 8. hotdog 9. baked potato 10. sandwich 11. muffin
12. doughnut 13. rice 14. stir-fried vegetables 15. chicken teriyaki 16. egg roll
17. sushi 18. burrito 19. taco 20. beans 21. tortilla…
Drinks
1. coffee 2. tea 3. coke…any other you can think of…
Sauces
1. Ketchup 2. mustard 3. soy sauce 4. salsa…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tools (utensils)
1. chopsticks 2. fork and knife… 3. straw
Conversation 1
• Clerk: What do you want?
• Lisa: Give me a hot dog, and French fries.
• Clerk: Size?
• Lisa: What size?
• Clerk: Your French fries.
• Lisa: Oh! Large.
• Clerk: What else?
• Lisa: No.
• Clerk: Six dollars and thirty seven cents.
• Lisa: OK. (Taking out all the change.)
• Clerk: For here or to go?
• Lisa: To go.
• Clerk: Do you want your receipt?
• Lisa: Why not?
• Clerk: There you go.
• Lisa: Thanks!
Conversation 2
• Clerk: May I help you?
• Michael: Yes, I would like a meatball spaghetti, and a medium Pepsi.
• Clerk: Would you like to try our new spaghetti combo. You can have any
spaghetti, a large drink, and a garlic bread stick for just 5.95.
• Michael: It sounds good! I’ll have it.
• Clerk: Good choice. Do you want it for here or to go?
• Michael: For here, please. Can I have refills?
• Clerk: Sure! Do you need your receipt?
• Michael: No, thanks!
• Clerk: Enjoy your meal. Have a good day!
• Michael: Thank you. You too.
Based on your experience hearing and using modal auxiliary verbs
in English, (though you might not have known that was what they
were called!) Please work together and find the problem in the
following sentences. There is one modal auxiliary verb mistake per
sentence and each is incorrect for a different reason.
1)Cans she open the window?
2)Do would you bring me some water?
3)May I to try these pants on?
4)Can bring you me some bread?
Now let’s change these sentences using modal auxiliary verbs. Modal
verbs have many different functions, here we are focusing only on
those modal auxiliary verbs that express permission and requests.
Again, these are not only functional, but sound more polite.
• Shop Clerk: What do you need?
• Tom: I want to buy a new computer. Show me the latest
models.
• Shop Clerk: Do you want to see laptops or desktops?
• Tom: Show me the desktops
• Shop Clerk: This is one of our most popular desktops
• Tom: Turn it on
Roleplay
• Your name is Tracy. You go to The Shoe Box downtown to buy a pair of sneakers. You have very big
feet, so you need extra large size of sneakers. Please create a dialogue with the clerk at the Shoe Box.
• Your name is John. You are the clerk at the Shoe Box. A customer just came in. You need to help her
with all of her questions.
• Your name is Helen. You are a freshman student of Art program. You need a textbook called “Art and
Science”. You go to the library to borrow this book, but you don’t know how to borrow a book. You
need to ask a librarian how to do that.
• Your name is Jamie. You are a librarian. A student just came to ask you some questions. Please give
her as much information as you can.
• You are Susan and phone the Golden Dragon restaurant. You order baby shrimp rice, chicken noodle
and 2 Pepsi cans. You do not know the price for your order and you may not have enough each for
that. What will you say?
• You work at Golden Dragon restaurant and your job is to answer the phone and take peoples’ order.
Create a dialogue with the customer.
• Your name is Cassie, you would like to rent an apartment. Please write a script (dialogue) with the
rental agent in the class. You would like to schedule an appointment to see the apartment.
• Your name is Alex, you are a rental agent at Turtle Creek Apartments. Please find the person in the
class who is Cassie. Work together to write a phone conversation. Cassie would like to schedule an
appointment to see the apartment.
