I N S P I R AT I O N 3

Worksheet 3
Modals must, cant, could, may and might
1a Complete the sentences with these words. Use each word only once. cant 1 2 3 could might must 3 Complete the dialogue using the correct words in italics. HOST: PAUL: Whats the capital city of South Africa? Is it Cape Town, Pretoria or Johannesburg? Mmmm, thats difficult. What do you think John? JOHN: I dont know. It (1) could/must be Cape Town. DIANA: No, it (2) cant/must be Cape Town because thats on the coast and Im sure the capital city isnt on the coast. PAUL: Yes, youre right. So it (3) cant/could be Pretoria or Johannesburg. JOHN: Can we have a clue? HOST: 2 Read these sentences. Write P if the sentence shows something is possible, C if it shows something is certain or I if it shows something is impossible. 1 2 3 4 It cant be made of ice because it isnt cold. Jack might be at home because the lights are on. You must be tired because you started working at six oclock this morning. A: Whose keys are these? B: They must be Johns. He lost his keys earlier. 5 6 A: The phone is ringing. Can you answer it? B: Sure. It may be Paul. He said hed phone. Im sorry. I might be late because the traffic is really bad. PAUL: PAUL: PAUL: HOST: Yes, okay. It isnt Johannesburg. Then it (4) could/must be Pretoria. Thats right. Heres your next question. Which is the longest river in Europe? Is it the Volga, the Nile, the Danube or the Rhine? Well, it (5) could/cant be the Nile because thats in Africa. JOHN: And I know the Rhine is shorter than the Danube, so it (6) cant/must be that. I dont think its the Volga. Is that in Europe? DIANA: Yes, it is. So it (7) could/cant be the Danube or the Volga. PAUL: HOST: Can we ask for another clue? Yes, the river doesnt go through Hungary. DIANA: Then it (8) cant/must be the Volga because the Danube goes through Budapest which is the capital of Hungary.

It ___________ be Colin. Im certain its him. It ___________ be Colin, but it ___________ also be John. It ___________ be Colin because Colin doesnt speak French.

1b Which sentences in 1a show that something is: a) possible b) impossible c) certainly true? Write a, b or c next to each sentence.

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