Tag: modals

Modals of deduction (present)

 

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Use modals of deduction to say how sure you are about something.

 

 

 

Use:

  • could / might / may – for things / actions that are possible

Example: He could be our new teacher.

                 That girl might be his new girlfriend. 

                 The man in black may be his grandfather.

  • must – for things / actions that are almost certain

Example: She must be his sister.

  • can’t  – for things / actions that are impossible

Example: That lady can’t be our new principal. I saw her working at a grocery store last week.

Modals of regret

Do you have any regrets?no-regrets

Use these modals to talk about your regrets:

  • SHOULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

I should have listened to my parents more when I was a teenager.  (I didn’t listen to my parents. Now I’m a poor artist who can’t pay the bills.)

  • COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

I could have chosen a different career. (I didn’t like my parents’ suggestions and chose to go to art school.)

  • WOULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

I wish I had listened to my parents. I would have been a rich doctor now. (Unfortunately, I’m just a poor artist and nobody knows my name.)