{"id":11149,"date":"2015-01-25T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/?p=11149"},"modified":"2023-12-10T09:00:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T14:00:23","slug":"modal-verbs-in-english-deduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/modal-verbs-in-english-deduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Modal Verbs in English: Deduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/110777414\" width=\"660\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><strong>Download:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/AEG-Lesson10-Worksheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Worksheet &#8211; Practice Exercises<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/AEG-Lesson10.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Full text<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/EspressoEnglish\/AEG-Lesson10.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Audio<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Right-click each link and select &#8220;Save&#8221; or &#8220;Save as&#8230;&#8221; to download<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"alert\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">This is a free sample lesson from the<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Advanced English Grammar Course<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9396 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"463\" height=\"75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393.png 463w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393-300x48.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><center><i><strong>Secure payment<\/strong> &#8211; Credit Card, Debit Card, or PayPal<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Contact me for payment by Banco do Brazil deposit<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-11152\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-1.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"234\" height=\"297\" \/>Today&#8217;s lesson will focus on using modal verbs for\u00a0<strong>certainty, probability,\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>deduction.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Deduction&#8221; means\u00a0using the information available to make a guess or draw a conclusion about the facts.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the information available, you might be more certain that your conclusion is true, or less certain that your conclusion is true &#8211; and we use different modal verbs to indicate the degree of certainty.<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>How certain are you?<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"312\"><strong>Use these modal verbs:<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">100% &#8211; Completely or almost certain<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">must, can\u2019t, couldn\u2019t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">80% &#8211; Expecting to be certain<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">should<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"312\">50% &#8211; Maybe certain<\/td>\n<td width=\"312\">might, may, could<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s look at some examples.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Modal Verbs for Certainty<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>Certainty about the Present<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When making deductions about the present, we use\u00a0<strong>must\u00a0<\/strong>if we are sure something is true and\u00a0<strong>can&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>if we are sure that something is impossible.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11153\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11153\" style=\"width: 149px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11153\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-2.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"149\" height=\"188\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11153\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;He must be a chef.&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For example, if you see this guy, you can say:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He\u00a0<strong>must\u00a0<\/strong>be a chef.<br \/>\n<em>(we are very\u00a0certain, because of his uniform and what he is doing)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>He\u00a0<strong>can\u2019t\u00a0<\/strong>be a policeman.<br \/>\n<em>(we are very certain he is NOT a policeman)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Carla works every day from 9 AM to 5 PM. Right now it\u2019s 10:30 AM, so\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She\u00a0<strong>must\u00a0<\/strong>be at work.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<strong>can&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>be at home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Put it into practice!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>You&#8217;ll see five pictures accompanied by sentences. For each one, fill in the blank with\u00a0<strong>must\u00a0<\/strong>(if you think it is true) or\u00a0<strong>can&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>(if you think it&#8217;s not possible).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11154 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-3.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"150\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-3.jpg 266w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-3-256x300.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>He _____________ be a vegetarian.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11155\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-4.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"176\" height=\"172\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>They ______________ be in love.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11156\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-5.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"250\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-5.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-5-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>You studied all night. You ___________ be exhausted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-6-300x135.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"231\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-6-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-6.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>That __________ be right\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11158\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-7-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"134\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-7-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-7.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 134px) 100vw, 134px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>She ____________ love her cat.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Certainty about the Past<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When we consider some present evidence and draw\u00a0a reasonably certain conclusion about what happened in the past, we use\u00a0<strong>must have\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>plus the past participle of the verb.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11159\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-8-204x300.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"142\" height=\"209\" \/>must have + past participle<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>when we draw the conclusion that something DID happen<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sheila got a tan. She\u00a0<strong>must have spent\u00a0<\/strong>a lot of\u00a0time in the sun\u00a0lately.<\/li>\n<li>There was one banana left, but now it&#8217;s gone. My husband\u00a0<strong>must have eaten\u00a0<\/strong>it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>must not have + past participle<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>when we draw the conclusion that something did NOT happen<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The car is still dirty. Paul <strong>must not have washed<\/strong> it yet.<\/li>\n<li>He barely touched his lunch. He <strong>must not have been\u00a0<\/strong>hungry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>couldn&#8217;t have + past participle<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>when we are certain that something was IMPOSSIBLE<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Martha\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have\u00a0taken<\/strong>your notebook; she wasn&#8217;t even in class yesterday.<\/li>\n<li>The cookies are gone. But Eric\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have reached\u00a0<\/strong>the cookies on the top shelf; he\u00a0<strong>must have asked\u00a0<\/strong>his older brother to get them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-9.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-9.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-9-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Can\u2019t have <\/strong>is also possible, but it is much less common than <strong>couldn\u2019t have.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example that illustrates the difference between <strong>must not have <\/strong>and <strong>couldn\u2019t have:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I don\u2019t see the report here \u2013 she <strong>must not have<\/strong> printed it out.<br \/>\n<em>(we draw the conclusion that she did not do it)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>The printer\u2019s been broken for the past week, so she <strong>couldn\u2019t have<\/strong> printed out the report.<br \/>\n<em>(we know it was IMPOSSIBLE for her to do it)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Put it into practice!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>You&#8217;ll see five pictures accompanied by sentences. For each one, fill in the blank with\u00a0<strong>must have\u00a0<\/strong>(if you think it happened), <strong>must not have <\/strong>(if you think it didn\u2019t happen) or\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>(if you think it&#8217;s impossible).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11161\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-10.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-10.jpg 319w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-10-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-10-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The thief ______________________ gotten in through the window.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11162\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-11-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-11.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>I _________________________ left my phone at work; I made a call on the drive home.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11163\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-12-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"146\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-12-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-12.jpg 266w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 146px) 100vw, 146px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">She __________________ been happy when she heard the good news.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11164\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-13-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-13.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>They _____________________ bought a house without a loan because they had no savings.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11165\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-14-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-14.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">He looks upset. He _________________________ liked whatever she just said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11166\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-15-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-15.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>\u201cHow was your presentation?\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u201cGreat! It _______________________ been better!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Certainty about the Future<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Making deductions about the future is the same as making predictions. As you learned in the lesson about future tenses, we can use\u00a0<strong>will\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0<strong>going to\u00a0<\/strong>for saying what we believe will happen in the future. When you are quite sure that your prediction is correct, you can also add the word\u00a0<strong>definitely\u00a0<\/strong>to emphasize your certainty:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She<strong>&#8216;s\u00a0definitely going to\u00a0<\/strong>love this book &#8211; it&#8217;s by her favorite author.<\/li>\n<li>The kids\u00a0<strong>will definitely\u00a0<\/strong>be thrilled when we tell them we&#8217;re going to Disney World.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Two slightly more formal expressions that can be used for talking about the future\u00a0with certainty is saying that something<strong>\u00a0is certain to<\/strong>\u00a0happen, or\u00a0<strong>is sure to<\/strong>\u00a0happen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engineers\u00a0<strong>are certain to\u00a0<\/strong>develop\u00a0even faster computers.<\/li>\n<li>The country\u00a0<strong>is sure to\u00a0<\/strong>come to the aid of its ally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Modal Verbs for Expectation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>Present\/Future Expectation<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When you\u00a0<em>expect\u00a0<\/em>something to happen (although you are not completely, 100% certain), you can use\u00a0<strong>should\/shouldn&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>for the present or\u00a0future:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Present:<br \/>\n<\/strong>I took my car to the mechanic yesterday and he said the problem would be fixed in a day &#8211; so my car\u00a0<strong>should\u00a0<\/strong>be ready by now.<\/li>\n<li><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11167\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-16-300x292.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"167\" height=\"163\" \/>Future:<br \/>\n<\/strong>Can you please type up these notes? It\u00a0<strong>should\u00a0<\/strong>only\u00a0take about half an\u00a0hour.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Present:<br \/>\n<\/strong>The weather is clear, so our flight\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>be delayed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Future:<br \/>\n<\/strong>I&#8217;ve written out all the instructions for this task step by step, so you\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>run into any problems when you try to do it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Put it into practice!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>What is one thing you expect to do or one thing you expect to happen within the next week? Create your own sentence using <strong>should:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Ex) Within the next week, I should finish the book I&#8217;m reading.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Past Expectation<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>For expectations about what was supposed to happen in the past, you can use\u00a0<strong>should have\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t have <\/strong>plus the <strong>past participle:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-17-261x300.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"110\" height=\"126\" \/>I sent the package three weeks ago with express mail. They\u00a0<strong>should have\u00a0<\/strong>received it already.<br \/>\n<em><em>= I expect that they have already received it<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>This car is brand new. It\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>broken down.<br \/>\n<em>= I expected it NOT to break down<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Because\u00a0<strong>should\/shouldn&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>are\u00a0also used for giving advice and recommendations, we can also use\u00a0<strong>should have\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>for evaluating\u00a0things in the past and declaring them to have been right or wrong, good or bad:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lindsay\u00a0saw a woman who needed help, but did nothing.<br \/>\n&#8220;Lindsay, you\u00a0<strong>should have\u00a0<\/strong>helped her.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>I said something mean to my best friend during an argument.<br \/>\n&#8220;I\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>said that. It really hurt her feelings.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-18-300x298.jpg\" alt=\"modal-verbs-in-english-18\" width=\"222\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-18-300x298.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-18-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-18.jpg 517w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Put it into practice!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Think of one thing you regret doing, and one thing you regret NOT doing. Make sentences about them using\u00a0<strong>should\/shouldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong><strong>+ the past participle:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u00a0<strong>should have&#8230;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>I\u00a0<strong>shouldn&#8217;t have&#8230;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Modal Verbs for Possibility<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>Present\/Future Possibility<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We can use\u00a0<strong>may,\u00a0might\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>could\u00a0<\/strong>to talk about things that are possible in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Present:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-19-300x256.png\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"141\" height=\"120\" \/>Where&#8217;s Fred? He&#8217;s not in his office.<br \/>\nHe\u00a0<strong>may<\/strong>be in the bathroom&#8230; or he\u00a0<strong>might<\/strong>\u00a0be in the conference room.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t eat that mushroom. It<strong> could\u00a0<\/strong>be poisonous.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Future: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The weather forecast says it <strong>may <\/strong>rain tomorrow.<\/li>\n<li>Your daughter is really smart. She <strong>could <\/strong>be very successful someday.<\/li>\n<li>We <strong>might\u00a0<\/strong>take a road trip this weekend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some people say that <strong>might <\/strong>is less certain than <strong>may, <\/strong>but in spoken English there is really no effective difference. It\u2019s probably best to\u00a0use\u00a0<strong>might.\u00a0<\/strong>The word\u00a0<strong>may\u00a0<\/strong>is less common, and\u00a0we can only use\u00a0<strong>could<\/strong>\u00a0in the positive form, not the negative form, for talking about possibility:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you sure that&#8217;s a good idea?<br \/>\nThe boss\u00a0<strong>may not \/ might not\u00a0<\/strong>like it when he finds out.<br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">The boss\u00a0<strong>could not\u00a0<\/strong>like it when he finds out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>I\u00a0<strong>may not \/might not\u00a0<\/strong>be the smartest person in the class, but I definitely work the hardest.<br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">I\u00a0<strong>could not\u00a0<\/strong>be the smartest person in the class, but I definitely work the hardest.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Past Possibility<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When talking about past possibilities, we can use&#8230; <strong>might have \/ may have \/ could have + past participle <\/strong>(for positive possibilities) and <strong>might not have \/ may not have + past participle <\/strong>(for negative possibilities).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Positive Past Possibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11171\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-20-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Modal Verbs in English\" width=\"235\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-20-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/modal-verbs-in-english-20.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/>She&#8217;s not home. She\u00a0<strong>might have\u00a0<\/strong>gone to the store.<\/li>\n<li>He <strong>may have <\/strong>misunderstood you when you talked to him yesterday.<\/li>\n<li>The person who stole the documents\u00a0<strong>could have\u00a0<\/strong>been one of the employees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Could have\u00a0<\/strong>is usually used in unreal conditions &#8211; when we are imagining a possibility if\u00a0something in the past had\u00a0been\u00a0different: &#8220;If we had started this project earlier, we\u00a0<strong>could have\u00a0<\/strong>finished on time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Negative Past Possibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John\u2019s not here. He\u00a0<strong>might not have\u00a0<\/strong>known about the meeting.<\/li>\n<li>If she hasn\u2019t called you back, she\u00a0<strong>may not have\u00a0<\/strong>listened to your voicemail yet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember that\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>is only used when we are certain that something is\u00a0logically\u00a0<em>impossible\u00a0<\/em>in the past:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have\u00a0<\/strong>taken the car;\u00a0she doesn&#8217;t have a key.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use\u00a0<strong>must<\/strong>\u00a0(present) and\u00a0<strong>must have<\/strong>\u00a0(past) when you are very certain that something is\/was true<\/li>\n<li>Use\u00a0<strong>can&#8217;t<\/strong>\u00a0(present) and\u00a0<strong>couldn&#8217;t have<\/strong>\u00a0(past) when you are very certain that something is\/was impossible<\/li>\n<li>Use\u00a0<strong>should\/shouldn&#8217;t<\/strong>\u00a0(present) and\u00a0<strong>should have \/ shouldn&#8217;t have<\/strong>\u00a0(past) to talk about things you expect to be true, although you don&#8217;t have complete certainty<\/li>\n<li>You can also use\u00a0<strong>should have \/ shouldn&#8217;t have<\/strong>\u00a0for judging actions in the past to be good or bad<\/li>\n<li>Use\u00a0<strong>might<\/strong>\u00a0(most common),\u00a0<strong>may,<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>could<\/strong>\u00a0to talk about present and future possibilities<\/li>\n<li>Use\u00a0<strong>might have, may have,<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>could have<\/strong>\u00a0to talk about past possibilities<\/li>\n<li>For a possibility that something did NOT happen, use\u00a0<strong>might not have<\/strong>\u00a0and<strong>\u00a0may not have<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Learn more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/stative-verbs-action-verbs-and-verbs-that-are-both\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">State verbs and action verbs<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"alert\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">This is a free sample lesson from the<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Advanced English Grammar Course<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10865\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc.png\" alt=\"aegc-transparent\" width=\"449\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9396 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"463\" height=\"75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393.png 463w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/cooltext1454238393-300x48.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><center><i><strong>Secure payment<\/strong> &#8211; Credit Card, Debit Card, or PayPal<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Contact me for payment by Banco do Brazil deposit<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Download: Worksheet &#8211; Practice Exercises Full text Audio Right-click each link and select &#8220;Save&#8221; or &#8220;Save as&#8230;&#8221; to download This is a free sample lesson from the Advanced English Grammar Course Secure payment &#8211; Credit Card, Debit Card, or PayPal Contact me for payment by Banco do Brazil deposit Today&#8217;s lesson will focus on using [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[167,86],"class_list":["post-11149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar","tag-advanced-english","tag-english-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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