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Modals, phrasal verbs, relative clauses, and the passive voice were presented in Unit 18. Modal auxiliary verbs are used preceding the main verb in order to add meaning. These could include obligation, probability, permission, ability, or advice, among others. Another use of modals is to express formality. Phrasal verbs are verbs plus one or two particles that operate as one item. They are sometimes called multi-word verbs. Passive voice focuses the sentence on the subject rather than the agent. In the passive voice, only transitive verbs can be used. The modal verbs are: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, have to, have got to, need to, needn’t, and ought to. Placing these “modals” before the main verb helps to express different ideas such as obligation, possibility, or prohibition. A modal verb never changes form based on the person. For example, “I can work/he can work” as compared to “i work/he works” where an “s” is added in the present simple. Modals used in the present and future tense are always followed by verbs in the base form. But when using past tense, there are more complicated rules. Depending on the modal auxiliary verb used, the meaning of a past tense phrase might change when similar main verbs are used. Saying “She could have been at work” implies that there is less than 50% certainty that the person was at work. However, saying “She could have talked to the doctor” might mean that she did not talk to the doctor. There are three categories of clauses in the English language: 1) independent clauses, 2) dependent clauses, and 3) relative clauses. An independent clause is a complete sentence. A dependent clause is not a complete sentence and must be connected to an independent clause. A relative clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun by giving further information about it. These clauses are sometimes called “adjective clauses.” Relative clauses are introduced through the use of a relative pronoun such as who, which, that, etc. and may not even have a relative pronoun in some cases. Relative clauses come in two styles: 1) Defining and 2) Non-Defining. In a defining relative clause, the information presented is essential to the meaning. In a non-defining relative clause, the information is not essential and could actually be omitted and the meaning of the sentence would not substantially change. The use and placement of commas are important in non-defining relative clauses. Phrasal Verbs, sometimes referred to as multi-word verbs, are created using a verb plus one or two particles. A particle could be a preposition, adverb, or and adverb plus a preposition. A phrasal verb operates as a single item. There are three basic types of phrasal verbs: 1) intransitive, 2) transitive separable, and 3) transitive inseparable. An intransitive phrasal verb cannot be followed by a direct object. For transitive separable phrasal verbs, an object pronouns can only come between the verb and the particle or an object noun can come either between the verb and the particle or after the particle. In a transitive inseparable phrasal verb, the object phrase or object pronoun both come after the particle. This type also includes phrasal verbs that use two particles. The use of particles can change the meaning of a verb so students may have difficulty understanding phrasal verbs and so are frequently taught through the use of vocabulary items. In the Passive Voice, the object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. For example: “My son scored the final goal” is an active voice sentence. Changed to passive voice, it becomes “The final goal was scored by my son.” Only transitive verbs can be used for passive voice and the format is the auxiliary verb “be” followed by a past participle. Typically, only the simple, continuous, and perfect forms of the tenses are used for passive voice. Changing from active voice to passive voice and vice versa does not and should not change the tense of the sentence. The tense of a passive voice sentence is determined by the auxiliary verb “be.” The passive voice is best used when it is unknown or unimportant who performed an action.