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Modal Verbs - Present and Past

This document discusses modal verbs used for speculation and deduction in the present and past tense. Modal verbs are chosen depending on the level of certainty, with "must" indicating 90% certainty something is true, "may, might, could" indicating 50% certainty, and "can't" indicating 90% certainty something is not true. Examples are provided to illustrate the use of different modal verbs based on the level of certainty about something being true in the present or past.

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NELLY ECHEVERRIA AVALOS (LCA)
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168 views2 pages

Modal Verbs - Present and Past

This document discusses modal verbs used for speculation and deduction in the present and past tense. Modal verbs are chosen depending on the level of certainty, with "must" indicating 90% certainty something is true, "may, might, could" indicating 50% certainty, and "can't" indicating 90% certainty something is not true. Examples are provided to illustrate the use of different modal verbs based on the level of certainty about something being true in the present or past.

Uploaded by

NELLY ECHEVERRIA AVALOS (LCA)
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Modal Verbs

For speculation and deduction - Present and Future


We can use Modal Verbs when we want to make a guess about something. We choose the
modal verb depending on how sure we are.

Level of certainty

“Look at how big his house is. He must be


rich.”

90% sure that “She went to bed at 3:00am. She must be


must + base form
something is true feeling exhausted.”

“She has watched that movie more than 6


times. She must love it!”

may + base form “I can’t find my History book. The teacher


might + base form might have it, but I’m not sure.”
50% sure that could + base form
“Today could be a good day. We’ll see.”
something is or isn’t
true “He may not be coming too see me
tomorrow. He looked indecisive”
may not + base form
mightn’t + base form

“That can’t be true! It’s just not possible.”


90% sure that
can’t + base form “I know I can’t fail this exam because I
something isn’t true
studied a lot.”

NOTE: You can't use 'mustn't' to talk about something that you are sure is not
true, either in the present or the past.
Modal Verbs
For speculation and deduction - Past
We can use Modal Verbs when we want to make a guess about something. We choose the
modal verb depending on how sure we are.

Level of certainty

“I can’t find my book at home. I must


have left it at school.”
90% sure that
“She looks exhausted. She must have
something must have + past participle
gone to bed very late.”
was true
“He told me he doesn’t have any money
left. He must have spent it all!”

“I don’t know where Sharon is. She


may have + past participle
might have + past participle might have left already, but I’m not
50% sure that sure.”
could have + past participle
something
“He hasn’t arrived yet. He could have
was or wasn’t gotten lost.”
true
may not have + past participle “I may not have passed my exam. The
mightn’t have + past participle teacher will tell me tomorrow.”

“That can’t have happened! It’s just


90% sure that not possible.”
something can’t have + past participle
“I know I can’t have failed yesterday’s
wasn’t true
exam because I studied a lot.”

NOTE: You can't use 'mustn't' to talk about something that you are sure is not
true, either in the present or the past.

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