CBSE solutions for English Workbook Class 9 chapter 4 - Modals [Latest edition]

What are the ten different ways in which you can use a ruler other than its regular use? List your answer below.
e.g. You can use it to dig holes.

Do you see any difference in the following sentences?

(a) You can use a ruler to dig holes.
(b) You can use my ruler to dig holes.
(c) You can find a ruler in the study room.

Can is used to express permission, ability, and possibility in these sentences.

In sentence (a) can is used to express ________.
In sentence (b) can is used to express ________ and,
in sentence (c) can is used to express ________.

Can, could, may, might, will, would, must, ought to, shall, should are called Modal verbs.

Work in pairs. Tell your partner what you are not able to do now because of the fast-paced life.

e.g. I could play in the open ground but now I can’t.
I could visit my aunt on weekends but …………

Write a paragraph about a newly devised robot that can be of great help to home-makers.

Zoomo, the robot can make tea when guests arrive …………

The table below provides you with a list of modals that are used to express necessity and permission.

Write the contracted forms. Practise saying these words.

e.g. ought not to – oughtn’t to.

1. cannot _______
2. need not _______
3. should not _______
4. must not _______
5. do not _______
6. did not _______

The following note comes from an army booklet, “Advice to New Recruits.” Complete the instructions by filling in the blanks with suitable modals.

Welcome to Ranor Barracks!

Follow the rules, accept the advice and you will find your life in the army interesting and fulfilling.

You ________ have your hair cut very short in the first month. After that you ________
grow it longer but it ________ never touch your collar. Your uniform ________ be kept clean and tidy. Boots and buttons ________ be polished daily. You ________ use cell phones on the campus but you ________ switch them off during the training sessions. Before joining you ________ have a medical check-up. You ________ undergo medical examinations once a year during service.

Write what each symbol means using can, can’t, must, mustn’t.

: Duties and Privileges
. In some schools the student - council members are assigned duties at the
beginning of every academic year.

Write a job description to be given to the newly elected Environment
Monitor of your school.
You may do this individually. Later your class as a whole can come out with one
duty list to be displayed on the soft-board. You may use the words given in the
box below.

can, may, can’t, mustn’t, must, should, have to.

Duties and privileges of an Environment Monitor.
e.g. You must ensure that the campus is clean.

Did you know?
should and ought to have similar meanings. They show obligation or duty. However there is a slight difference in meaning.
ought to has an objective meaning whereas should is more subjective.
We ought to / should save water.
We ought to save money but we are unable to. (In this sentence should will not be appropriate.).

Probability

The following statements express varying degrees of certainty. Look at the underlined modals in each of the statements. Then number the sentences in order of certainty. Mark the sentence No. 1 if it is most likely certain and the least likely as no. 5.

(a) The lady in the formal attire may be Mr. Chawla’s secretary. (a) ___________
(b) The foreigners accompanying him could be the (b) ___________ newly appointed interpreters
(c) The man in the safari talking to someone on the (c) ____________ cell phone mustbe Mr. Chawla.
(d) Mr. Chawla will be the chief guest. (d) ___________
(e) The people following him might be from the media. (e) ___________

On a cold winter night you hear a loud shrieking noise at repeated intervals. What might have caused this?
Write down your ideas using the pattern below.

Make five promises to your friend expressing your willingness to do something.

Use shall/will

e.g. I shall never be late to school.

Promises to Keep!

________________________

The Environment in Danger

What do you think will happen to the following?

Choose four, and write one sentence about each using the modals below and/ or expressions from 10.

(a) The ozone layer
(b) The Taj Mahal
(c) The Maldives
(d) The rainforests
(e) Weather patterns
(f) Fossil fuels
(g) The Ganges delta

e.g. In my opinion, the hole in the ozone layer will grow bigger and more people will get skin cancer.

Saving the World.

What do you think                            ought to                      be done about these problems?
                                                         should
e.g. I think the Government should ban all sprays which destroy the ozone
layer.

Read an extract from the poem, New Year Resolution:

Try and compose a poem conveying your resolutions. You may let the first stanza be the same.

e.g.

The first will be never to yawn
in public be it noon, dusk or dawn.
The second.............

Match the sentences in A with their meanings in B.

While you were away on holiday, your house was burgled. Write a letter to
your friend to tell him or her about it.
Use the underlined expressions in Column A above to help you. Include ...
1. how the burglar could have got in,
2. how he knew you had gone away, and
3. what you could have done to prevent the burglary.

Look at the following pair of sentences. Underline the modals and discuss why each one is used in that sentence.

1. a) I can’t go to the meeting because I’m not a member. 
   b) I needn’t go to the meeting if I don’t wish to.
2. a) I can swim a length of the pool.
   b) I can swim in the pool on Saturdays.
3. a) You ought to get a nice present for her.
   b) You have to get a nice present for her.
4. a) Can I go to the toilet?
   b) May I be excused?
5. a) I may come tomorrow if I have the time.
   b) I might come tomorrow but it’s going to be difficult.