EF4/5 Sentence practice with modals/ modal auxiliaries

paint
The man can paint your house.
Your sister might paint a portrait of you.
There is a guy in Stanley Park who will paint a cartoon/ caricature of you.


work
He wasn't able to work after a serious car accident.
He wasn't able to work because he had a serious car accident.
He wasn't able to work since he got into a serious car accident.

I can't work late tomorrow.

John has got to work because his wife is in hospital.

breadwinner

The husband used to be a house husband/ stay-at-home-dad, but now he has to work.

He is a kept man.

He is her sugar daddy.

eat soft rice

Now he has to be the breadwinner for the family. 

staples- main food

walk

The baby was able to walk at ten months.
The baby is not able to walk without help.
The senior isn't able to walk without a cane/ walking stick/ walker.
The soccer player couldn't walk without crutches because she broke her leg/ sprained her ankle/ twisted her knee.
He hurt his back.
He pulled a muscle in his back.
She pulled a muscle in her neck.

take
She has to take the bus to school.
She doesn't have to take the bus to school.
You don't have to take your vacation until June.
My grandmother doesn't have to take her high-blood-pressure pills anymore.
You have to take swimming lessons, or you will never be able to swim.

talk
I can't talk to you without it turning into a fight.
She can talk with you in English.
You had better talk to your doctor.
Should I talk with you after we finish dinner?
Could I talk with you after dinner?
Could we talk about this privately later?

I just want to enjoy a peaceful supper for a change. We can talk about XXX after we finish.

We need to talk. ALWAYS BAD NEWS

drive
She won't drive without a GPS because she gets lost easily.
She is easy to get lost. XXX NOT ENGLISH
He is easy to learn French. XXX
He learns French easily.

It is easy for him to learn French.
French is easy to learn.
French is easy for me.

is easy to- SUBJECT CANNOT BE THE PERSON

She is easy going. (adjective)
He is very high-strung.
He is very tense.
He loses his cool easily.

He is burnt out.
She is exhausted.

He is a very contrary person. You say "Yes."; he says "No."
He is a complainer.


Marcus was supposed to drive this morning, but he didn't.
He has a terrible sense of direction.

You will be able to buy an ipad in December.

She doesn't have a driver's licence, so she isn't able to drive.

read
I can't read Chinese.
You should read English newspapers often.
You had better read this document, or you might get into trouble.

buy
You had better buy less if you want to keep to your monthly budget.
You can't buy everything you see. I'm not made of money. Money doesn't grow on trees. I am not the bank.

Money talks.

help
Can I help you?
Could you help me?
I am not able to help you.

CAUSATIVE VERB- causes another action

I can help you to move your piano.


ask
She couldn't ask her sister for money.
May I ask you some questions?

CAUSATIVE She asked her son to do his homework.
Could I ask you to close the door?