Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate verb:
Ranjit: ______ you please tell me whose bag is that?
a. must
b. will
c. would
d. could

Answer 1

Hint: Look for pointers suggesting which modal auxiliary to use. The sentence simply asks a person for their readiness to express a fact. These pointers are indicators of certain situations.

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 person is making a request. This means that they are asking for the person’s willingness to answer a question. So, we need a modal auxiliary that is used to ask a person’s willingness.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
a. must - The modal auxiliary ‘must’ is used to ask/confirm something. This modal auxiliary does not ask a person for their willingness. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. will - The modal auxiliary ‘will’ is used to ask people for their willingness. This means that this is the correct auxiliary for this sentence. This is the required answer. So, (b) is the correct option.
c. would - The modal auxiliary ‘would’ is also used to ask people for their willingness, however it is in the wrong tense for this sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d. could - The modal auxiliary ‘could’ is used to ask people about their abilities. This modal auxiliary does not ask a person for their willingness. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Use the modal verb as it is. Don’t change its form and turn it into the present, future, or past forms. Don’t add anything to it. You can’t add s, ed, or ing. Subject: English