Modal verbs (1): suggestions, advice, obligation

and criticism - shall I?, shouldought to

Presentation
O Shall I, shall we
We can use s h a ll + bare infinitive to make offers and suggestions:
A: I'm a bit worried about this report.
B: S h all I h av e a look at it? (offer)
A: There's quite a lot we need to discuss.
B: OK. S hall w e set up a meeting? (suggestion)
Note that we can only use S h all I ... ? and S h a ll w e ... ? in this way.
We cannot say *Shall he ... ?, *Shall you ... ?, etc.

© Other ways of making suggestions

There are a number of other phrases we use in informal English for making suggestions:
A: Where shall we go for lunch?
B: W hy don't w e go
H ow a b o u t going to that new fish restaurant?
W hat abou t going
Let's go to that new fish restaurant.
In the past tense, when reporting suggestions, the verb suggest is often followed by a th a t
clause + sh ou ld or by an -ing form.
I asked Jaim e the best way o f getting round town and he suggested th a t I sh ou ld hire a car.
(Jaime is not involved in hiring the car.)
I asked Jaim e about meeting up one evening, and he suggested going to the theatre. (Jaime is
probably included in the trip to the theatre.)

G Advice and obligation

We can use sh ou ld and ought to + bare infinitive (e.g., do), to give advice or to express
obligation relating to the present or the future (see also m ust and h av e to, Unit 25):
You shou ld/ou ght to keep an account o f all your expenses.
(This refers to the present.)
When you go the conference next week, you shou ld/ou ght to give Mr Franks a ring.
(This refers to the future trip.)
The passive is formed with sh ou ld + b e + past participle:
Form BD222 sh o u ld b e return ed to this office within 30 days.

© Criticism
We can make criticisms about past actions by using sh o u ld (not) and ought (not) to with
h ave + past participle (perfect infinitive):
It was a mistake to get rid o f those shares. You shou ldn 't h av e sold them.
It's too late to apply for shares now. You ought to h av e ap p lied last week.
The passive is formed with sh ou ld + have b een + past participle:
This information sh ou ld h av e been given to the tax authorities two years ago.

Modal verbs (1): suggestions, advice, obligation and criticism - shall I?, should, ought to 95
 Practice
EXERCISE o Shall /, shall we ...
Re-write the sentences beginning S hall I ...? or S hall we ...?
1 Do you want me to email you those figures?
j^Ii a II I eMAil you those -figures?
2 Let's set up a meeting to discuss this.

3 Would you like me to call back later?

4 Do you want me to take the boxes down to the Post Room?

5 Let's cancel this evening and meet up some other time.

6 Let's stop now and carry on again tomorrow.

7 Where do you want me to put the new computer?

e x e r c is e © Other ways of making suggestions

Rewrite these suggestions.
1 Shall we have lunch at Le Manoir?
Why don't we. hAve lunch At Le A/Unoir?
2 Why don't we wait until the next financial year?
H ow ................................................................................
3 Let's organize a leaving party for Bob Simpson.
W h a t...............................................................................
4 How about sharing a taxi to the station?
Let's.................................................................................
5 Let's see if wTe can subcontract this work.
W h y ................................................................................
6 Why don't we offer them a bigger discount?
H ow ......................................................... ......................

EXERCISE © Reporting suggestions

Report these suggestions using suggested + -ing or suggested th a t + ... should.
1 He said he wanted to go out and su ^ested seeing a Movie together.
2 He said the boss was out a n d ........................................................................................
m 3 He said she seemed ideal for the job, b u t...................................................................
I’d like to go out - 4 He said there was no point taking two cars to the conference a n d .....................
shall we see a movie 5 He said the interview wouldn't be easy a n d ..............................................................
together?

B
0 k There’s no point
The boss is out. taking two cars to the
W hy don’t you call conference - let’s go
back at 5.30? together.

96 Modal verbs (1): suggestions, advice, obligation and criticism - shall I?, should, ought to
EXERCISE © Mild obligation
Fill in the blanks w ith the verbs from the b ox in the active or passive.

Memo To All Staff: Security

Following a number of recent thefts in the building, please remember the

following points:
Visitors 1should be. Met at reception by a member of staff.
They 2 ......................................... at all times. You 3 ......................................
anyone who is acting suspiciously to a member of the security staff.

Valuables and equipment

You 4 ....................large amounts of cash or jewellery to the office.
Handbags and wallets 5 ....................................... unattended. Any large amounts
of company cash or travellers cheques 6 ...................................... in the safe.

ought/accompany ought/not/bring should/deposit

should/not/leave should/meet should/report

e x e r c is e © Criticizing
A m anager has attended a new trainee's first presentation. During the presentation
she made the notes below. Write down w hat the m anager said to the trainee at the
m eeting where they discussed w hat w ent wrong at his presentation. Say w hat he
shou ld/shou ldn 't h ave done.

0 M no! q u A w , AurtiwiM, m h
\^ ro à k tt Ïftt SULbjw,+
z) -ïo look, mow yi\(\h(A
AnM tor\h(k,(\-\
i) fio'f spewing loudly enough
4) +o s-tonrt sTill)
6) -Ïo v m t 6LA6 tonU t-i wiih
^uufli^ncx-
<✓) ^member fo re,pe,M Ihe, main
poin-ts M Tne.
^ n° ï Time, -for ^ s f s o n s

1 You should have greeted the audiervce arvd ir^troduced the Subject.
2 ........................................................................................................................................
3 ................................................................................................................................
4 ................................................................................................................................
5 ................................................................................................................................
6 ...........................................................................................................................
7

Modal verbs (1): suggestions, advice, obligation and criticism - shall I?, should, ought to 97
 Production
TASK 1 Make suggestions referring to your own company. Use the expressions in the box.

1think we should ... 1don't think we should ...

We ought to ... Why don't we ...
How about... Let's ...

1 Suggest a wray of improving morale among the workforce.

I -think we. should increASe. ove.r-tiiMe. ra.ie.$.
2 Suggest a way of making working hours better for secretarial staff.

3 Suggest a way of reducing staff turnover.

4 Suggest a way of cutting costs.

5 Suggest a way of improving productivity in your company.

6 Suggest a way of increasing demand for your product or service.

7 Suggest a way of increasing incentives for managers.

TASK 2 Read through the sentences about things th at have gone wrong. Make criticism s
using should/shou ldn't h ave done.
1 Elena lost all her savings when the company she had invested all her money in went
bankrupt.
^h e shouldn 't have, put All he.r Mone.y in to a. Single. coiMpAny.
2 Our main competitor's last product was a total failure.

3 Peter has just lost an entire morning's work on his computer.

4 The government lost the election.

5 Our profits were down sharply last year.

6 Anna completely forgot to attend an important meeting.

98 Modal verbs (1): suggestions, advice, obligation and criticism - shall I?, should, ought to
Modal verbs (2): ability, possibility and
permission - can, could, may

Presentation
O Ability and possibility
We use can to talk about both ability and possibility and it refers to the present or the
future. It is followed by the bare infinitive (active or passive):
I can w rite shorthand, (ability)
Your computer can b e cu stom ized according to your needs, (possibility)
C an has no infinitive or present perfect form - we use b e a b le to:
I'd like to b e a b le to exchange these goods, but I don't have the authority, (not: *to can ...)
I haven't been a b le to get through to the Greek office, (not: *haven't could ...)
To refer to the future, we use w ill b e a b le to:
With broadband access, people w ill b e a b le to access the Internet more quickly.

© Past ability
The past tense of can is could. When we are talking about a general ability in the past or a
verb of the senses {see, hear, feel, etc.) we use cou ld + bare infinitive. However, when we are
talking about one specific action, we normally use w as a b le to or m an ag ed to:
After a few months on the training course, I cou ld sp ea k Japanese quite well, (general ability)
From my hotel room I cou ld see the sea. (verb of the senses)
Janet phoned the airline and m an ag ed to g et me on the flight, (tried and succeeded)
I found an Internet café so I w as a b le to read my email, (on a particular occasion)
However, if the sentence is negative, it is possible to use couldn't to talk about either a
general ability or a specific action:
Even after two months, I couldn't sp eak Japanese at all.
Unfortunately I couldn't see the sea from the room.
Janet phoned the airline, but she couldn't g et me on the flight.
There were no Internet cafés so I couldn't read my email

0 Past possibility
We use cou ld have don e or could h av e been d on e (passive) to talk about something in the
past which was possible, but which did not happen:
There was a fire at the warehouse last night. We cou ld h ave lost all our stock.
It was foolish to leave so much money in your office. It cou ld h av e been stolen.

© Requesting action and permission

We use can, could, and w ill/w ould to ask people to do things. We use can, could, and
m ay to ask for permission. Can and w ill are a little more direct than cou ld or w ould:

Asking for permission Requesting action

C an I ... W ill you ...
M ay I ... use your phone? W ould you . give me a hand?
C ould I ... C ould you .. •

Modal verbs (2): ability, possibility and permission - can, could, may 99
 Practice
EXERCISE O General ability
Using your dictionary if necessary, explain w hat the words in italics in the
advertisements m ean.
Telephone sales
opportunities IT Consultants
Personal Assistant
MD of leading travel firm seeks Leading UK insurance Numerate graduates
bilingual PA (Spanish and group seeks enthusiastic wanted to train as IT
English). Must be computer- and persuasive tele-sales consultants for banking
literate and pragmatic and operators. Applicants need and accountancy firms.
will be required to run the to be flexible as working Applicants need to be
hours will vary. capable of logical
office single-handed from
analysis and of taking
time to time.
firm decisive action.

1 l-P you are ^ra^Matic, you cai\ find practical solutions.

2 ................................................................................................make firm decisions.
3 ................................................................................................make others see your viewpoint.
4 ................................................................................................adapt to changing circumstances.
5 ................................................................................................deal with figures.
6 ................................................................................................speak two languages.
7 ................................................................................................use a computer.
8 ................................................................................................think clearly.

EXERCISE O Can or be able to?

Read the follow ing sentences. Fill in the blanks w ith can , can't, b e a b le to or been
a b le to.
I'm afraid that I won't be able to make that meeting on Friday.
We have a wide range of products, so investors........................always choose a fund
that suits them.
I'm good at reading English but I ........................ understand when people speak too
fast.
I've been trying to ring Mr Ling all day but so far I h av en 't........................... get through.
We're sending Anna on a CAD course because we'd like t o ............................. produce more
brochures and leaflets in-house.

EXERCISE © Past ability

Complete the sentences using either cou ld or m an ag ed to.
1 We had a very successful meeting, and M arked to get a great discount.
2 The hotel was near the beach and I ........................ see the sea from my balcony.
3 Although the meeting finished early, w e ........................ cover the main points.
4 The machine was no longer in production, but we eventually.......................... find a
spare part from a supplier in Scotland.
5 She was brought up in Paris, so by the time she was five s h e ........................ speak
French perfectly.
6 He was a brilliant salesman a n d ........................sell anything to anyone.
7 Although I was at the back of the hall, I ........................hear very7 clearly.
8 It was very difficult to find a suitable office, but in the end w e ........................ rent one
near the Central Station.

100 Modal verbs (2): ability, possibility and permission - can, could, may
EXERCISE O Past possibility
M atch the first part of the sentences in colum n A w ith the right endings in colum n B.
A B
1 P e t e r could tave ^ o t a jo b in — a and that he could have explained things
KoreA, more clearly.
2 He was lucky the car had air bags or b he was lucky they only fined him £500.
3 We could have met our sales targets c because he could have lost a great deal of
money.
4 I thought the presentation was but they decided to accept the 2.5% pay
confusing offer.
5 The unions could have gone on strike but unfortunately one of our main customers
cancelled a major order.
6 He could have stayed at the Hilton but the political situation stopped us from
opening an office in the capital.
7 The results last year were very bad b u t he d id n 't wAnt t o live AbroAd.
8 He could have been sent to prison but he decided to get a room at the
for drinking and driving, so Holiday Inn instead.
9 He was lucky he sold his shares he could have been killed in the crash.
when he did,
10 We could have done a great deal j but they could have been worse.
of business there

EXERCISE 0 Polite requests

In each of the follow ing pairs of sentences, put a tick ( / ) next to the one th at is
more polite.
1 aGive me a beer..............
b Could I have a beer? /
2 aCaller, I'm afraid the line's busy. Will you h o ld ? .........
b Caller, I'm afraid the line's busy. Hold, please.............
3 a What do you w an t?..........
b What can I do for y o u ?..........
4 a What's your n am e?..........
b May I ask who is calling?..........
5 a Could I borrow your p e n ?..........
b Let me have your pen.............
6 aI'm sorry, Mr Browning's busy. Can you come backlater?..................
b I'm sorry, Mr Browning's rather busy. Could you come back later?...........
7 a What did you say?

Modal verbs (2): ability, possibility and permission - can, could, may 101
 Production
TASK 1 Complete the sentences using can, can't, or a form of (not) b e a b le to.
1 If we send the parcel by ordinary post, it'll take a week. But if you like, ...
we. caa Se»vd i t with £>HL.
2 I've been trying to find a solution to the problem all week, but so far ...

3 He could easily get a job as an interpreter because ...

4 If business goes well this year, we will ...

5 If you have a credit card, ...

TASK 2 Complete the follow ing sentences using cou ld + perfect infinitive (cou ld h av e done).
1 In the end I decided to turn down their offer of a job, but ...

2 The machine had an electrical fault and was dangerous. You're lucky you didn't touch
it, because ...

3 She left the company a month before the top job became vacant. That was
unfortunate for her, because ...

4 It's a pity we placed such a large order just before they cut their prices. We ...

TASK 3 You are on a long distance flight to New York. Write down w hat you would say in
the follow ing situations.
1 You are thirsty.

2 The passenger next to you has a copy of Newsweek. You would like to read it.

3 You want to go to the toilet, but the passenger next to you is in the way.

4 It's lunch-time. You are a vegetarian. The stewardess has just given you the chicken.

102 Modal verbs (2): ability, possibility and permission - can, could, may
Modal verbs (3): obligation and necessity -
must, have to, needn't, can't, etc.
Presentation
O Form
The modals below can be used to express obligation. They are followed by the bare infinitive:

Obligation No obligation Prohibition

m u st needn't m ustn't
h av e to don't h av e to can't
h a v e g o t to haven 't g o t to n ot (be) a llo w ed to

© Expressing obligation, etc.

We use m ust, h av e to, and have got to to say that something is obligatory:
Application forms m u st be returned by April 11th.
I'm afraid I'll be late tonight - I've got t o / 1 h a v e to fetch Mr Shiwara from the airport.
We use needn't, don't h av e to, and haven't g o t to if something isn't necessary:
You needn't come in tomorrow - 1 can deal with the clients myself.
I f your income is very small you don't h ave to pay tax.
We use mustn't, can't, and n ot a llo w ed to to say that something is forbidden:
Passengers m ustn't leave their bags unattended at any time.
I'm sorry, but you can't/aren't allow ed to smoke in here.

G Talking about obligations

H ave (got) to, don't h av e to, can't, n ot (be) a llo w ed to are more common when talking
about obligations and prohibitions. Must, needn't, m ustn't are more common when
giving an order:
Boss to employee: You m ust get that report to me by 5.30 at the latest. It's urgent.
Employee to colleague: I can't come to the meeting - I've g ot to finish that report.
Must, n eed not, and m ust n ot are also more common in written language.

© Past obligation
When talking about the past, we use h a d to, didn't have to, and couldn't/wasn't allow ed to:
During my military service, we h a d to be up by 5.30. We h a d to obey orders and we weren't
a llo w ed to go out in the evenings. The good thing was that we didn't h av e to cook for ourselves.

© Didn't need to vs needn't have

There is a difference in meaning between didn't n eed to do something (it wasn't necessary,
so you didn't do it), and needn't have done something (you did it, but it wasn't necessary).
Because he was from the EU, he didn't n eed to get a visa to visit Britain.
(It wasn't necessary so he didn't get one.)
We needn't have rushed to the airport as the plane was late.
(We rushed, but this was not necessary.)

Modal verbs (3): obligation and necessity - must, have to, needn't, can't, etc. 103
 Practice
EXERCISE O Form
Choose the correct word or phrase in italics to com plete each sentence.
1 You must/needn't save a file before you turn the computer off, or you will lose it.
2 I'm afraid this is a non-smoking office, so you haven't got to/can't smoke in here.
3 Employees are reminded that they mustn't/needn't use the office phone to make
personal calls.
4 You needn't/mustn't send that reminder to Eastwood's - they paid the invoice
this morning.
5 You don't have to/can't buy or sell alcohol in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and several
other countries.
6 This income tax form must/needn't be completed and returned to the Inland Revenue
within 30 days.
7 You mustn't/don't have to come to the meeting if you have more important things to do.
8 This information is highly confidential, so you mustn't/needn't discuss it with anyone.
9 As you are from the EU, you mustn't/don't have to have a visa to go to France.
10 Drivers wishing to hire a car must/aren't allowed to be over 21 and have a full
driving licence.

e x e r c is e © Talking about obligation

Read w hat these people say about their jobs. Fill in the blanks w ith h ave to, don't
have to, or can't.

Being a pilot Being a police officer

is a great job in lots of can mean very different
ways - for a start, you things, depending on
1 do^-fc have, to work what area of the city
9.00 to 5.00 in an you work in. In the
office - but I don’t suburbs, it’s pretty
think I ever wanted a quiet - from time to
job like that. As a pilot time you 1 .. ..................
you 2 ......................be deal with car thefts or
responsible, because a break-ins, but on the
lot of people depend whole, it’s very safe
on you. Health is and you 2 .....................
important - we have worry about getting
regular medicals and attacked. But there are
eye tests, because some areas where it’s
as a pilot you very dangerous - lots
3 ......................be of drug crime, armed
100% fit and alert. You 4 ......................spend weeks gangs - and that can be a problem for us because
in the gym or anything else like that, but before any we 3 ......................use weapons - all we have is a
long flight you 5 ......................make sure you get truncheon*. So if we 4 ......................go and deal
plenty of rest, and of course you 6 ...................... with a crime in an area like that, we 5 ......................
drink any alcohol. When you’re flying, you go alone because it’s too dangerous. We always
7......................be able to concentrate really hard for 6 ......................take a partner or go in larger groups,
long periods - this is one job where you simply and we 7 ......................stay in radio contact all the
8......................make mistakes. time in case anything goes wrong.
*truncheon = a short, heavy stick

104 Modal verbs (3): obligation and necessity - must, have to, needn't, can't, etc.
EXERCISE €> Telling people what to do
Write sentences using the words in brackets w ith m ust, needn't, or mustn't.
1 James needs these documents urgently, (fax them to him immediately)
You Must -ftf-x the.M t o hiiM iMiMe.ditf.te.ly.
2 Good, we all seem to agree, (discuss the matter any further)

3 We've still got plenty of stock, (order any more yet)

4 Our health care products are selling really well, (make sure we keep our market share)

5 The CEO's been trying to get hold of you all morning, (call her right now)

6 I've got a very important meeting this afternoon, (be late)

EXERCISE O Past obligation

Shelley Gould writes features for a leading wom en's magazine. Read w hat she says
about the changes in the m agazine industry th at she has seen. Fill in the blanks
w ith h a d to, didn't h ave to, or couldn't.

W hen I first started writing features

for the magazine - not so very
crashing, and you 6............................
think too much about the layout
long ago - we didn't have the kind of because that was the job of the design
technology everyone uses today. We department. The whole process was
tad t o type everything out on electric much slower - we 7...........................
typewriters - or even manual ones and finish our features at least two weeks in
you 2............................work carefully advance, and we 8........................... just
because you 3........................... erase hand them over the day before like we
mistakes so easily - I remember I do now. And of course there was no
4........................... use a small pot of Internet - we 9 ........................... get any
white paint called Tippex to make information at all just sitting in the office -
corrections. Horrible stuff. In some ways, if we wanted to find things out, we
though, it was simpler because you 10........................... go out and do the
5........................... worry about computers research ourselves.

EXERCISE © Didn't need to vs needn't have

Fill in the blanks w ith didn't n eed to or needn't h av e and put the verb in brackets
in to the correct form.
1 We were worried we might have to cut the workforce, but we got some large orders, so
w e ........................................(make) anyone redundant.
2 We sent the manager of our Istanbul branch some important documents by air courier,
but w e ........................................(spend) so much money because he was away on
holiday at the time.
3 An interpreter came with us to a meeting with some Japanese clients, but we
........................................ (hire) her because they all spoke excellent English.
4 The negotiation in Hamburg went very well, so w e ........................................ (spend) the
whole week there and we came back a day early.

Modal verbs (3): obligation and necessity - must, have to, needn't, can't, etc. 105
 Production
TASK 1 Write down w hat the follow ing people m ight say in these situations using m ust,
needn't, or mustn't.
1 A supervisor in a supermarket hears a check-out operator being rude to a customer.
You M u stn 't -talk, -to cuStoMe.rS like. th A t.
2 A clerk in a store is explaining to a customer that refunds cannot be given without
a receipt.

3 A pension salesman is explaining that there is no obligation to pay contributions

every month.

4 You have just heard a colleague give a terrible presentation. Give him some advice.

5 You notice that a colleague uses the 'save' facility on his computer every ten minutes.
You know that the computer has an 'auto-save' facility.

6 You overhear a temporary secretary discussing travel insurance with a travel agent.
Your company has a policy that covers all the employees.

TASK 2 Make notes in the columns about your current job. Then write a short paragraph
about yourself using h ave to, don't h ave to, and ca n 't See the exam ple.

obligation no obligation prohibition

diScuSS loAnS w ith clie.ntS •finAnciAl AnAlySiS no loAnS ove.r ^ rO O jO O O

I work AS a tending o-ffice.r -for An AMe.ricAn bAnk, And I hAve. t o diScwSS loAnS
w ith clie.nts And decide, w hether o r n o t t o Authorize, th e**. I d o n 't hAve. t o do
the. -finAnciAl AnAlySiS o-P the. coMpAnie.S in ^ue.Stion becAuSe. we. hAve. a Sp>e.ciAlize.d
te.AM o-f AnAlyStS -for th A t jo b . I CAn Authorize. loAnS o-f up t o 4 ^ 0 0 )0 0 0 ) b u t
CAn't Authorize. Anything ^re.Ate.r thAn th A t MySe.l-f.

obligation no obligation prohibition

106 Modal verbs (3): obligation and necessity - must, have to, needn't, can't, etc.
Modal verbs (4): speculation - may, might,
must, can't
Presentation
Q Speculating about the future
We can use m ay, m ight, and could, followed by the bare infinitive (active or passive) to
speculate about the future:
Analysts say that interest rates m ay rise before the end o f the year.
(perhaps they will rise)
One commentator has said that the first rate rise m ight com e next month.
(perhaps it will come)
A significant increase cou ld h av e a dramatic effect upon business confidence.
(perhaps it will affect it)
There is no significant difference in meaning between m ay, m ight, and cou ld in
this context.
(See Unit 15 for other ways of speculating about the future.)

© Speculating about the present

We use m ust, m ay, m ight, and can't to speculate about the present:
Shona hasn't come into the office - I'm sure that means she is ill.
Shona hasn't come into the office - she m ust b e ill.
I'm afraid I haven't seen the file - but perhaps Khalid knows where it is.
I'm afraid I haven't seen the file - but Khalid m ay/m ight know where it is.
The bill for the meal comes to $250,000. I'm sure it isn't right.
The bill for the meal comes to $250,000. It can't b e right.
If we want to talk about something happening at the moment of speaking we use a
continuous form (be doing):
The traffic is terrible again today - I'm sure they are repairing the road again.
The traffic is terrible today - they m ust b e repairing the road again.

Q Speculating about the past

We use m ay/m ight, m ust, can't/couldn't followed by have done, have been done, or have
been doing to speculate about the past:
He sold his shares at their peak, so I'm sure he made a lot o f money.
He sold his shares at their peak, so he m u st h a v e m ad e a lot o f money.
Mr Janssen wasn't at the meeting - perhaps he was delayed at the airport.
Mr Janssen wasn't at the meeting - he m ay/m ight h av e been d elay ed at the airport.
Herr Brasseler is on holiday in Bali - I'm sure you didn't see him this morning.
Herr Brasseler is on holiday in Bali - you can't/couldn't h av e seen him this morning.
There is also a continuous form (have been doing):
The alarm went off, I'm sure someone was trying to break in.
The alarm went off, so someone m ust have b een trying to break in.

Modal verbs (4): speculation - may, might, must; can't 107

 Practice
EXERCISE O Speculating about the future
Complete the newspaper article with the words in the box.

Hunt for killer bug

Scientists are planning to 2 ........................again at any commercial value as well.
examine the body of a young time; while most forms of the Some people have
woman who died almost 100 virus are fairly harmless, they expressed fears about
years ago. fear that a form similar to the disturbing the body, pointing
They believe that the body one in 1918 3 ........................ out that the virus
of Phyllis B urn1 M i^ht millions of people. If they can 7 ........................in the event
harbour the deadly virus study the 1918 virus, they of an accident. Even after 100
which killed over 50 million 4 ..................... develop a years, i t 8 ........................
people in the great influenza vaccine against this dangerous lethal and 9 ........................
epidemic of 1918. strain. Such a vaccine a new outbreak.
Experts know that the 5 .....................any future
influenza virus - which can outbreaks of the disease, and
take many forms - 6 .....................enormous

might harbour may strike might kill

could have might start could escape
may be able to could still be could prevent

EXERCISE © Speculating about the present (problem-solving)

In the Despatch Departm ent of a m ail order firm selling office supplies there are
three packages, but the address labels are not com plete. The packages are for three
different customers, Mr Green, Mr Brown, and Mr W hite. The packages contain
paper, a personal photocopier, and a computer. The packages weigh 18kg, 20kg,
and 22kg.

package: A B C
name: Mr Green
contents: computer paper
weight: 18 kg

A Complete the sentences using m ust, m ight, or can't.

1 Package B .........................be for Mr Brown or i t ............................ be for Mr White.
Package C ...........................be for Mr Green, because we know A is for him.
2 Package A .........................contain the photocopier, because the computer is in B and
the paper is in C.
3 Mr Brown's package.......................... be heavier than C, but i t ............................ not be as
heavy as A.
B Fill in the missing details in the table using the follow ing piece of inform ation:
Mr Green's package is not as heavy as Mr Brown's.

108 Modal verbs (4): speculation - may, might, must, can't

EXERCISE 0 Speculating about the past
Write sentences using the words in brackets.
1 They say they definitely sent the shipment, but it never arrived.
(They/must/send it/wrong address)
They Must htfve. se.n-t i t to -the. w ro ^ tf.ddre.ss.
2 You receive a memo saying that a company's phone number has changed.
(They/must/move/new premises)

3 You have come for a 10 o'clock meeting. It is now 10.15 and no-one else is there.
(The meeting/must/be cancelled)

4 It is 12.20. You ring a colleague but there is no reply. (He/might/go to lunch)

5 She was engaged when I rang her but I don't know who she was talking to.
(She/might/be phoning/Sales Department)

6 The equipment was repaired last week, but it has gone wrong again.
(It/can't/repair/properly)

EXERCISE O Review
Rewrite each of the follow ing sentences using m ight, can't, m ust, and a suitable
infinitive.
1 It's possible that they will give us the discount we want.
They Mi^ht <^ive. us the. discount we. wtf.nt.
2 Judging by the phone bill, I am sure she has been making long international calls.
Judging by the phone bill, s h e ................................................................................................
3 The factory is on a three-day week. I'm surethey aren't selling many cars.
The factory is on a three-day week. T h e y ............................................................................
4 It was a very bad deal. I am sure they lost a lot ofmoney.
It was a very bad deal. T h e y ....................................................................................................
5 There's a chance he will be promoted at the end of the year.
H e ....................................................................................................................................................
6 She seemed very surprised to see me, so I am sure she wasn'texpecting me.
She seemed very surprised to see me. S h e ............................................................................
7 He went home at 4.30, so I am sure hehasn't heard the announcement.
He went home at 4.30, so h e ...................................................................................................

Modal verbs (4): speculation - may, might, must, can't 109

 Production
TASK 1 Speculate about possible future events based on the follow ing inform ation. Using
may, m ight or cou ld say w hat you th ink will happen.
1 The political situation in the Middle East is very unstable.
The. price o-f oil Mi^ht rise.
2 The Christian Democrats are doing very well in the opinion polls.

3 The new Apple Mac laptop has had excellent reviews.

4 The government is spending much more than it is earning in taxes.

5 There have been a number of delays in the project.

Read the inform ation below. Using m ight, m ust, can't, and a bare infinitive or b e
doing, com m ent on the present situations.
1 I've phoned Janine three times this morning but there is no reply,
iihe Must be out seeing <k client.
2 Everyone in R&D is working very long hours at the moment.

3 I've got a new Rolex watch. I bought it in a market for £5.

4 Mustapha wasn't feeling wrell yesterday and he's not in the office today.

5 I haven't got Henry's phone number, but I know that Ann has it.

TASK 3 Read the text about the M illennium Dome in London. Using the inform ation in the
text and your own ideas, speculate about w iiat went wrong. Use m u st have, m ight
(not) have, can't have.
1 It Mi^tvfc have been built in An unsuitable location.
2 ................................................................................................................................................................
3 ................................................................................................................................................................
4 ................................................................................................................................................................
5 ................................................................................................................................................................
6 ..................................................................................................................................................

In 2000, the Millennium Dome,

which was meant to be a great
tourist attraction for London, was
opened for one year. However,
the expected numbers of visitors
did not come. The organizers
were constantly running out of
money, and it finally closed at
the end of December 2000 after
making huge losses.

110 Modal verbs (4): speculation - may, might, must, can't