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Can, May, and Must
Grade 4 - Grammar - Challenge Me
Worksheet 1
1Which modal auxiliary best completes the sentence? The solar oven ___ warm the cracker when sunlight reaches the black paper.
2In this context, what does "may" show: asking to borrow a class tool?
3Which sentence uses "can" to show ability?
4Which sentence uses "may" to show permission?
5Which sentence uses "must" to show necessity?
6Which modal auxiliary best completes the sentence? Writers ___ cite the source when they use a fact from it.
7In this context, what does "can" show: showing what the class is able to finish?
8Which sentence uses "can" to show ability?
9Which sentence uses "may" to show permission?
10Which sentence uses "must" to show necessity?
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
Worked example
'Students may use the hand lens' gives permission, but 'Students must return it' shows a requirement.
Common mistake
Choosing can when the sentence is about permission or a rule.
Helpful hint
Ask whether the sentence means able to, allowed to, or required to.