Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
__________ we meet tomorrow at this time?
A. Shall
B. Will
C. Might
D. Dare

Answer 1

Hint: A modal is a form of the auxiliary verb used for expressing: ability, potential, permission or obligation. Modal phrases/semi-modals are used for expressing the same things as modals do, but they are a combination of auxiliary verbs and the preposition “to”.

Complete answer:
Here we need to fill the given blank with suitable modal verbs. The modals and semi-modals in English grammar are: Can/could/be, May/might, Shall/should, Must/have to, Will/would.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Shall – Shall are modal verbs and they are used with the base form of the main verb. For example: They will go; I shall ask him. Shall is basically used for the future time reference with ‘I’ and ‘we’. Thus, the given sentence is in the future tense as it talks about the ‘tomorrow’ therefore, the use of shall in the blank is the most appropriate answer as it gives the complete and exact meaning of the sentence. Therefore, this is the correct answer.

Option B) Will – Modal verb will be used to express someone’s willingness to do something and will is also used to make a request, for instance - “Will you do me a favour”. But it does not match the given tone in the sentence. Therefore, the use of ‘will’ in the blank will make the sentence grammatically incorrect. Therefore, this is an incorrect answer.

Option C) Might – Might is a modal verb that is used to express a possibility or probability of an event. For example: “It might rain today.”. However, there is no such possibility in the sentence given in the question. Thus, the use of ‘might’ will change the essence of the sentence and thus, this is an incorrect answer.

Option D) Dare – Dare is another word that can be used with all the specifications of an auxiliary. This is used to challenge someone to do something, for instance - “I dare you to call him”. However, this option cannot be used in the blank because it will make the sentence grammatically incorrect. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’ i.e, Shall we meet tomorrow at this time?

Note: In such questions where we have to use the correct modal verb it is very important to understand the modal verbs and their usages as per the sentence. However, the given sentence in the question talks about an event that is to happen in the future, that is tomorrow. Thus, ‘Shall’ is the most suitable answer in the blank as compared to other options because other options do not convey the sense in the blank and always remember that modal verbs never change their forms i.e., you can’t add “-Ing”, “-es”, “-s”, “-ed” to them.