Lesson 23 of 46

Modals and common verb-form errors

Use the right form after can, should, agree, and look forward to.

The rules

  1. 1.After a modal (can, could, will, would, should, must, may, might) use the base verb: no to, no -s, no -ed.
  2. 2."Can able to" is wrong. Say "can" or "be able to".
  3. 3."Agree" is a verb, not an adjective: "I agree", not "I am agree".
  4. 4.After "look forward to", use -ing: "I look forward to hearing from you."

Common mistakes and fixes

Incorrect: She can speaks English.

Correct: She can speak English.

Modal + base verb.

Incorrect: I am agree with you.

Correct: I agree with you.

Agree is already a verb.

Incorrect: I look forward to hear from you.

Correct: I look forward to hearing from you.

"To" here is a preposition, so use -ing.

Watch out: Two verbs in a row usually mean one of them needs a base form, to, or -ing. Check which.

Quick quiz

1. He should ___ earlier.
2. Which is correct?
3. I look forward to ___ you.

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Practice on your own writing

Paste any text and see exactly what to fix, with the rule explained.

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