Fill in the blank with the appropriate modal from the options given:
You _____ serve your country with pride.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → ought to
Complete sentence: You ought to serve your country with pride. Serving one's country with pride is a citizen's duty, so "You ought to serve your country with pride."
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) could | Could expresses past ability or a possibility. "You could serve your country" only suggests that it is possible, not that it is a duty. | She could swim when she was five. |
| (2) may | May expresses permission or possibility. A duty is not a matter of permission. | You may leave the room now. |
| (3) ought to (answer) | Ought to expresses a moral duty or obligation: what is right and proper to do. | We ought to respect our elders. |
| (4) would be | "Would be serve" is ungrammatical: "be" cannot stand before the base verb "serve". | – |