Open Cloze Exercises: Choice of Modal Verbs

Patricia Fabiano

July 3, 2023

Learn when to use each Modal Verb on the Open Cloze exercises of the Cambridge Exam.

Infografía

Let's learn what it the Open Cloze exercise

There is an important exercise on the Cambridge exams called the Open Cloze. In this exercise students are asked to fill in the gaps with the best choice of words to make a sentence work.

Let us show you an example of this type of exercise:

I’m very busy, but maybe I ____ go to the party if I finish my work early.

Here, we are going to work with the Modal Verbs and what would be the best option among them for a certain phrase.

Now, let’s begin with the use of each modal verb:

In the exercise, there are four possibilities, but only one will be the best for it to make sense and send the message the speaker wants to.

I can go to the party if I finish my work early – If the person finishes work, he/she will be able to go.

I could go to the party if I finish my work early – There is a possibility that the person will attend the party if something happens.

I might go to the party if I finish my work early – Even though the person was at work, it might be possible that they go to the party.

I may go to the party if I finish my work early – Even though the person is busy with work, it is possible that after it they will go to the party.

Since we know that the person is busy with work, the correct option would be to know that there is a possibility that they will show up at the party. Therefore, the best choice of modal verb would be COULD.

I’m very busy, but maybe I could go to the party if I finish my work early.

Patricia Fabiano

Hi, I'm Pat, I'm an e-learning developer and English teacher, I'm in charge of creating content for the Cambridge International English exams, I track students' progress and help them achieve their goals thanks to our personalized plans. I'm a fan of thriller and adventure series. My ideal weekend? Being curled up on the couch with my cats, a good chocolate and a good series. I studied English teaching at the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I am currently taking a distance English-Spanish translation course at the Instituto Lenguas Vivas. I have taken several of the Cambridge International Exams and I have a TESOL certification, which qualifies me to teach English to non-native speakers. I started my professional experience teaching in bilingual schools in Argentina, as well as in institutes and academies. I always liked to travel a lot, so even before the pandemic I started to specialize in online classes and to use all the available material. This led me to look for a career in content creation, since many times what was available on the internet was not enough or suitable for my students. That's how I came to Langoo, a company that has given me the opportunity to develop the material according to the needs of each one and where I can let my creativity fly. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)