btawhere.blogg.se - Modal verbs of speculation and deduction present and past exercises

Might + may + could + have + past participle for an action in the past which we are speculating about. Regrets about past actions – Should have / ought to have

Speculation based on negative certainty – It can’t have been / couldn’t have been Speculation based on affirmative certainty – Must have been Speculation based on uncertainty – Might have etc. When we use modals in the past they are either Must + be + verb + ing for a true deduction about a current action.Ĭan’t + be + verb + ing for an untrue deduction about a current action. May / might / could + be + -ing for something happening right now or a possible future arrangement. This is the one you learnt in the basic course. Might / may / could something is possibly true.

You’d better stop looking at my girlfriend! You should shave your chest hair, you look like a gorilla. I should tidy my room but I want to piss my mum off. You need not worry about taxis…I’ll pick you up. I might turn into a pumpkin at 12 midnight. May I use the bathroom…I have mega gastro-enteritis?īarcelona may get hit by a meteorite tomorrow! When I was younger I could drink all night. You must not smoke crack in the classroom.ĭrinking too much can destroy your health. He must be angry: his wife has three lovers. You must study more! (‘ Have to – versus ‘must’ – shows an obligation comes from somebody else: a law etc.

Expressing feelings about the past: would have, could have, should have.

Modals and certainty (+ adverbs and adjectives of speculation.).

Note that these verbs, like all modal verbs, are followed by an infinitive without to.ĭo this exercise to test your grammar again. It can't be easy for him, looking after three kids on his own. We use can't when we feel sure that something is not possible. They all have the same meaning, but may is more formal than might and could. We regret to inform you that some services may be delayed due to the bad weather. We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we're not sure. You must be freezing out there! might, may, could He must live near here because he always walks to work.Ĭome inside and get warm. We use must when we feel sure that something is true or it's the only realistic possibility. This page focuses on making deductions about the present or future. The modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. We can use modal verbs for deduction – guessing if something is true using the available information. Modals – deduction (present): Grammar test 1 You can't be bored already! You've only been here five minutes. They might be at work or they could be in the car. Look at these examples to see how must, might, may, could and can't can be used.