Modals of deduction

Modal Uses example

Must something is true; based on You are all wet. It must the raining
strong evidence outside.

Could, something is possible, but  Don’t put the book on the

May, we are not sure window. It could fall.
Might  We will try to get there on followed by
time, but we may arrive late infinitive,
if there is a lot of traffic. without “to”
 Did you hear that? I think
there might be someone at
the door.

Can’t something is not true, for He works on Christmas. He can’t

sure be happy about that

Grammar explanation
We can use modal verbs for deduction – guessing if something is true using the available
information. The modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. This
page focuses on making deductions about the present or future. 

must
We use must when we feel sure that something is true or it's the only realistic possibility.

This must be her house. I can see her car in the garage.
He must live near here because he always walks to work.
Come inside and get warm. You must be freezing out there!

might, may, could
We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we're not sure. 

She's not here yet. She might be stuck in traffic.

He's not answering. He could be in class.
We regret to inform you that some services may be delayed due to the bad weather.

They all have the same meaning, but may is more formal than might and could.

can't
We use can't when we feel sure that something is not possible.

It can't be far now. We've been driving for hours.

She can't know about the complaint. She's promoted him to team leader.
It can't be easy for him, looking after three kids on his own.

Note that these verbs, like all modal verbs, are followed by an infinitive without to.
1. Complete the following sentences with CAN'T, MUST, MIGHT

a) I can hear some music coming from that window. He______________ be at home.
b) Mark told me Sarah was working late today, so she _______________ be home right now.
c) Harry doesn't answer the phone. He_______________ be in the movies.
d) Ring! Ring! That_______________ be mom; she said she'd call me back in a minute.
e) I_______________ have left my keys in the car...or maybe at John's.
f) Sue is late for class. She _______________have missed the bus.
g) That DVD_______________ cost more that 15€; it's an old movie!
h) Christina has already been three times to that new pizza restaurant. It_______ be really good.
i) Robert always gets straight A's. His parents_______________ be really proud of him.
j) Her new boyfriend is absolutely gorgeous. He_______________ be a model.
k) A: What's that deafening noise out there?
l) B: My downstairs neighbors_________ be having another barbecue. It's the fifth one this month!
m) A: Have you called Sam?
n) B: yeah, but he_______________ have already left, because nobody answered the phone.
o) A. How much further do we have to go?
p) B: Not much. Her house_______________ be very far from here.
q) Lisa failed her driving test, so she_______________ be in a good mood right now.
r) George wasn't promoted as he had expected, so he_______________ be totally disappointed
with himself.
s) He and his sister_______________ come with us if their parents give them permission.

Test

1. Do you remember my birthday party last year? You _____ remember! It was the same day as your
graduation.

a. can't
b. could
c. must

2. Come in and sit down. You _____ be tired after the journey.

a.

must
b. might
c. can't

3. Whose is this coat? It _____ be Paul's. It's way too small for him.

a.

must
b. could
c. can't

4. The exam results will be out soon. It _____ be this week or possibly next week.

a.

must
b. might
c. can't
5. She always gets such good grades at school. She _____ work very hard.

a.

must
b. could
c. can't

6. The doctor said my headaches _____ be because of the hot weather but they're going to do some tests to
be sure.

a.

must
b. could
c. can't

7. He _____ be our teacher! He looks about twelve!

a.

must
b. might
c. can't

8. Take this umbrella just in case. It looks as if it _____ rain.

a.

must
b. might
c. can't

TEST YOURSELF

1. The house isn't hard to find. It's the red one at the end. You _____ miss it!

a.

must
b. might
c. can't

2. What an amazing trip! You _____ have some incredible photos.

a.

must
b. might
c. can't

3. That _____ be the vegetarian option. It's got chicken in it.

a.

must
b. may not
c. can't

4. Have you got your passport? I'm not sure if you'll need it but they _____ ask you for ID.
a.

can't
b. might
c. must

5. Who left their laptop on my desk? It _____ be Mel's – she's working at home today.

a.

must
b. could
c. can't

6. Samira has flu. We don't know yet but she _____ need to take the whole week off.

a.

must
b. can't
c. may