4th Grade Can, May, and Must worksheets

About this worksheet

Modal auxiliaries such as can, may, and must help writers show ability, permission, possibility, or necessity matters in fourth grade because students are writing longer paragraphs and need sentence choices that guide a reader without confusion. Fourth graders may use can for every situation, even when the sentence is really asking permission or showing that something is required. This worksheet keeps the work inside meaningful sentences rather than isolated labels. Students choose can, may, and must in context, identify what each modal means, and compare sentences where the modal changes the message.

The items rotate across identifying the feature, choosing the correct revision, explaining how the word or mark works, and rejecting common distractors. Support versions use familiar school contexts and short sentences. Standard and challenge versions add closer choices, more varied wording, and sentences where one nearby word can tempt a careless answer. Ask your child to read the whole sentence aloud before choosing. Then have them name the rule that made the answer work, because grammar becomes useful when it improves real writing.

What your child will learn

• Use can for ability
• Use may for permission or possibility
• Use must for necessity
• Explain how a modal changes meaning

Common Core standard: L.4.1.C