Summary Chart of Modals

Auxiliary	Uses	Present/Future
May	Formal permission Less than 50% certainty	Chances of a truly catastrophic scenario may still be low, but the probability has risen appreciably. Further gains may be capped, however, if a stronger US dollar trend driven by higher US Treasury yields reasserts itself.
Might	Less than 50% certainty	The time honoured tradition of escaping a debt crisis - printing money - would mean it might be better to practise those wheel-barrow pushing skills instead. A new funding deal might bring its return to market closer, as it would reassure markets that debt restructuring isn’t the norm for the euro zone.
Should	Advisability 90% certainty	It’s important that the two countries have friendly consultations to resolve such issues based on mutual respect and equality, and we should not allow such restrictions to impair the sound and steady development of U.S. The company should always be aware of the movement of the global crude oil price, which affects jet fuel, which accounted for 38 percent of its operational costs last year.
ought to	Advisability 90% certainty
had better	Advisability with threat of bad result
be supposed to	Expectation
be to	Strong expectation	Their aim is to prune the number of auto makers in China to create more dominant national brands.
Must	Strong necessity 95% certainty	Competition must be brought in. He looked inside the bag, opened it and thought it must be a bomb when he saw a canister attached to wires.
Have to	Necessity Lack of necessity (negative)	Glencore will have to sell some zinc mines or smelters or try “fighting it out” in an extended investigation, says David Anderson, an antitrust partner with Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP in Brussels. Apple also doesn’t have to contend with the lingering effects of the tech bubble, as Microsoft did in 2003, which kept stock valuations lofty.
Have got to
Will	Willingness 100% certainty	Until Libson explains where it will find the money, investors will fear a repeat of Greece’s debt restructuring. Portugal will need to start issuing bonds well before September 2013.
Be going to	Definite Plan 100% certainty	Stay fit and healthy, it is going to be a tough ride. We genuinely think it is going to work and it will save a pot full of money.
Can	Ability/possibility Impossibility (negative)	The market can expect above-aver –age inflation in the short term. Regardless of what the source of inflation is, one cannot ignore the impact of headline inflation on inflation expectations, which is something the central bank needs to another.
Could	Less than 50% certainty Suggestion	The policy flamethrower could easily turn them back to scorched earth. What is harder to determine for the market is whether a resurgent property sector – a key driver China’s of economic-could ride to the rescue of 2012 growth.
Be able to	Ability	Tepco won’t be able to close its books for the fiscal year that ends this month.
Would	Preference Polite request	French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen also said that it would assemble Peugeot cars in Indonesia to gain a greater share of the local market. In 2010 told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that more indictments were “not allowed” and has previously said he would be happy if the court packed up and left.
Used to	Repeated action in the past	On Tuesday mining giant BHP Billiton warned that Chinese demand for iron ore-used to make steel-was flattening. (past)
Shall	Polite request to make a suggestion Future with “I” or “we” as subject