Remember, these should be signs that they’re familiar with already, they just need to put their meanings into English. These could be road signs, safety signs or signs you might find in the classroom. This should prompt them to give you “you must not smoke.”įrom here, you can teach a selection of modal verbs, such as “have to,” “must” and “mustn’t.”Ĭreate a worksheet or PowerPoint presentation which provides a selection of signs. Then, ask your students how they could make the sentence stronger. This should elicit “you can’t smoke,” or something to that effect. If they say “no smoking,” ask them to elaborate with a full sentence. Start by showing or drawing a picture of a no-smoking sign to your class and asking them what it means. It uses real-life examples that students see around them every day, so they should have no problem picking up the grammar and putting it into context. This exercise is great for teaching how to use modal verbs for prohibition and obligation.