Modal Verbs Part 4 : Permission

Hello, dear learners!
Today we'll continue to learn modal verbs and we are going to talk about permission

 Asking for permission

We can use some modal verbs: can, could,may and might
Can is more informal
Could and may are more polite
Might is formal.
We use may and might when we do not know the other person very well.
Can I come in? (informal)
Could I come in? (more polite)
May/Might I come in? (formal)

We should reply with such phrases as:
Certainly. / Of course. / Why not? / I'm afraid, you can't .

Giving or refusing  permission.

We use can and may for giving permission;
Can is informal.
May is formal,it is often used in   written:
You can use my phone. (informal)
You may use this phone. (formal)

Could and might are not used for giving permission.

We use can't / mustn't / may not for refusing permission.
Can't / mustn't are informal;
May not is formal and is also  used in written.

You can't/ mustn't go there.
You may not go there. This is a private territory.

We don't use couln't for refusing permission
Could I book the table for tomorrow? -I'm sorry, but you can't . (Not: I'm sorry, you couldn't)

When we talk about laws or regulations  we can use can and be allowed to:

Everyone can / is allowed to enter the university after finishing a secondary school.  

In questions there is  a difference in meaning between may and be allowed to
May I open the window? (=Will you allow me to open the window)
Are we allowed to open windows? ( =What is the rule?)



You can also study Part1, Part2 and Part3