Examples of modals expressing certainty and deduction
| Usage | Modal Verb | Example |
| Certainty (positive) | Will | Crime will increase unless stricter penalties are introduced. |
| Highly likely (positive) | Must | It must be terrible for people who have to spend time in prison for crimes they did not commit. |
| Likely (positive) | Should/ ought to | Stricter penalties should/ought to reduce crime. |
| Possible (positive) | Might / could / may | Education opportunities in prison might/may/could encourage prisoners to behave differently when they are released. |
| Possible (negative) | Might not / may not | Prisoners might not/may not re-offend if they are given rehabilitation counselling in prison. |
| Unlikely (negative) | Should not / ought not to | Crime levels should not/ought not to increase if the Government intervenes. |
| Highly unlikely (negative) | Cannot / must not | Current laws on crime cannot be/must not be working as crime levels continue to increase. |
| Certainty (negative) | Will not | The problem of crime will not be solved unless the Government introduces stricter penalties. |