Speculation And Deduction 2 2z283u

Sentence Structure Subject /Modal verb /Neg. form /Main verb /Object

She /

must not / /

be

very happy /

May is sometimes a little bit "more sure" (50% chance); whereas might expresses more doubt (maybe only a 30% chance).

Could , Might, May Are used to speculate about something the speaker or writer is unsure about.

That star you’re looking at might in fact

be Jupiter.

May is more certain than might

Must, may, might

Imagine that we have three keys on a ring and we know that one of these keys opens the trunk. This may/might be We pick up one of the keys and say: the key But after trying two keys unsuccesfully, we will pick up the third key and say:

This must be the key!( no other Choice remains)

Must have

Past action or situation: must+ perfect infinitive

Is used to express near certainty about something in the past. I rang your flat yesterday. A woman answered But I didn’t recognize her voice.

Oh, it must have been my sister, Ann. I don’t think you have met her yet. .

Can’t / Cannot Couldn’t / Are also used Could not to indicate certainty, in relation to impossible ideas and situations:

A man answered the phone. I suppose it was her husband.

It can’t/couldn’t Have been her husband. He’s been dead for 2 years!

Couldn’t / Could not

Couldn’t is used to indicate an impossible situation

Can also be used in questions, sometimes with possibly, to speculate about something:

You can’t /couldn’t be hungry. You’ve just had dinner.

Can I have some sweets, mom. I’m hungry!

Could have, Might have, May have Are used to express uncertainty about something in the past: I think I may have met you before.

The dinosaurus might have survived without the meteor impact.

Couldn’t have / Can’t Are used to express certainty that have something in the past was impossible or didn’t happen:

He couldn’t have damaged your bike – He was with me all evening. It can’t have been raining, as the path is completely dry.

Choose one of the words from the box below COULD CAN MUST to fill in theMAY gap. MIGHT CAN’T

1. You’ve been playing tennis in this hot sun for MUST almost four hours. You…………… be thirsty! CAN’T 2. Surely she……….. know about the secret holiday we’ve planned. We’ve told nobody.

3.

CA CAN It………… get quite noisy in this classroom when N

everyone arrives in the morning.

COULD / MIGHT / 4. I feel very tired. I think I………………………………. be getting a cold. MAY

• Complete the sentences. Circle on the correct word. 1. JackCAN’T ............. be at home. His jacket is still here. a) Might b) can‘t c) could MUST

2. This .......... be the right answer. The others are definitely wrong. a) can‘t b)COULD must c) could 3. With luck, tomorrow ……………… be a sunny day.

Examples and explanations taken from A Practical English Grammar, A. J. Thomson and A. V. Martinet, Oxford University Press. Cambridge Objective First Certificate , Annette Capel, and Wendy Sharp.