Question

Fill with suitable modal auxiliary:
You think the children should be in bed on time. It’s already 11 o’clock.
You say: ‘It’s time the children _______ be in bed.’
a) shall
b) will
c) would
d) must

Answer 1

Hint: The options all show modal auxiliaries being used. There is a specific meaning to all of them, and only one fits into the given sentence.

Complete answer:
Verbs are words that show action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist). Almost every sentence requires a verb. The basic form of a verb is known as its infinitive.
A modal auxiliary is a type of verb that is used to indicate modality – that is: likelihood, ability, permission, request, capacity, suggestions, order, obligation, or advice. Modal verbs always accompany the base form of another verb having semantic content.

In the given sentence, the narrator is telling the subjects that it is time to be in bed. It indicates obligation and advice, as well as to express expectations.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
a) shall - This modal auxiliary simply indicates future action. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence as it does not indicate obligation. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) will - This modal auxiliary also indicates future action. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence as it does not indicate obligation. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) would - This modal auxiliary is usually used to express the conditional mood. This does not fit into the context of the given sentence as it does not indicate obligation. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) must - This modal auxiliary indicates obligation and expectation. This fits perfectly into the context of the given sentence as it does indicate obligation. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note: Understand the meaning of the given sentence, and then go through the given options. Make sure it is grammatically correct. Then, choose the correct option.