Gram. Supp.

33 Focus 3_Modals 4 (could-should have for possibility)

Objective: can use should/could have +Past Participle Verb to talk about past speculations.

could have + Past Participle
means that something was possible in the
past, but it didn’t happen
OR
- Yesterday I left the window unlocked. The thieves could have got
in through it. I was lucky.
- I could have gone directly to college, but I decided to travel for a
year.
- I could have bought bread, but I didn’t know we needed it.

is used when we want to make a guess about
something that happened in the past. In this
case, we don't know if what we're saying is
true or not true (speculation).
- He is never late for meetings. He could have forgotten that we
were meeting today.
- Somebody called you when you were away. I am not sure, but she
could have been Süreyya.
- That boy has been walking around for an hour. He could have
been lost.
- A gas leak could have caused the explosion.

couldn't have + Past Participle - I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam.
Something wasn't possible in the past, even - He couldn’t have known about the story. He wasn’t there.
if you had wanted to do it. - “Dad! Dad! I saw a shark!” “You couldn’t have seen a shark.
There’s no shark in this lake.”
- I thought I saw Adrian this morning, but it couldn’t havebeen him.
He is in Greece this week.

should have + Past Participle - She should have locked the door before you went out. This
This was a good idea, but you didn’t do it. neighbourhood doesn’t seem safe. (Now she regrets not locking the
door.)

shouldn’t have + Past Participle - She shouldn’t have left the door unlocked! This neighbourhood
This wasn’t a good idea, but you did it. doesn’t seem safe. (Now she regrets not locking the door.)

EXERCISE 1. Complete the sentences with could have / couldn’t have + past participle using the verbs given
in parentheses.

1. Why did you stay in a hotel? You _______________________ (stay) at Mary’s. I know she asked you to.
2. She _______________________ (forget) about the meeting as I sent her an email about it two days ago.
3. All the passengers _______________________ (save) if the emergency services had arrived quicker.
4. In ancient civilizations, they _______________________ (keep) track of the exact time since the clock didn’t exist
back in those days.
5. You _______________________ (ask) me before you bought those tickets. I can’t come with you on Friday.
6. You _______________________ (see) Paolo in the office yesterday; he’s in Brazil on holiday.
7. I _______________________ (apply) for a work visa when I was living in Japan but I decided to return home
instead.
8. There was so much traffic. There _______________________ (be) an accident.
9. Mary _______________________ (defeat) her opponent as she didn’t have any formal training in boxing.
10. Julie _______________________ (buy) the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.

EXERCISE 2. Vanessa, Georgina, Mike and Gavin are students who share a student house. They often have
arguments. Complete the gaps with the past form of one of the modal verbs should, must, can, might, or
could (positive or negative).

Conversation 1
Vanessa: Someone forgot to lock the front door last night.
Mike: Well, it 1_________________ (be) me. I definitely remember locking it, so it 2 _________________ (be)
someone who came home after me.

Conversation 2
Vanessa: Who’s this?
Mike: It’s just my friend, Bill.
Vanessa: Well, you 3 _________________ (tell) us that you were bringing someone home. I was planning on
watching my favorite program tonight!

Conversation 3
Georgina: Oh no! Where have my chocolates gone? There are only two left!
Vanessa: Well, I think the cat 4 _________________ (eat) them because I forgot to feed him, or it
5 ________________ (be) Gavin because you know what he’s like when he’s hungry.

Conversation 4
Gavin: Look at this – and Georgina still hasn’t done the washing-up!
Mike: Well, she 6 _________________ (see) the note saying her to wash up.

Conversation 5
Georgina: Vanessa and Gavin aren’t speaking to each other this morning.
Mike: They 7 _________________ (have) an argument. I remember hearing shouting last night.

EXERCISE 3. Rewrite Eleanor’s mysterious experience and replace the underlined words/phrases with a
modal.

1. Perhaps, the hotel manager and the doctor sent Eleanor to the other side of Paris deliberately, so that they
had the ability to get rid of Mrs. Redwood.
The hotel manager _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Surely the doctor sent a letter with Eleanor when she went to his surgery.
The doctor ______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. It would have been a good idea for the British Embassy to check the story.
The British Embassy ______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Probably Eleanor waited for a long time at the doctor’s surgery.
Eleanor ________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Eleanor had the ability to get back to the hotel with the medicine successfully eventually.
Eleanor ________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Surely it is impossible that they removed Mrs Redwood’s signature from the hotel register.
They ___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Perhaps they didn’t take Eleanor back to room 342 when she returned to the hotel. Perhaps it was a different
room.
They ___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. It is a shame that Eleanor wasn’t able to persuade embassy officials to believe her.
It is a shame ____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. It wasn’t a good idea for the authorities to put a young girl like Eleanor in a Mental Institution.
The authorities ___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. It is possible that Eleanor invented the whole story.
Eleanor ________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
 ANSWER KEY
Exercise 1
1. Why did you stay in a hotel? You could have stayed at Mary’s. I know she asked you to.
2. She couldn’t have forgotten about the meeting as I sent her an email about it two days ago.
3. All the passengers could have been saved if the emergency services had arrived quicker.
4. In ancient civilizations, theycouldn’t have kept track of the exact time since the clock didn’t exist back in
those days.
5. You could have asked me before you bought those tickets. I can’t come with you on Friday.
6. You couldn’t have seen Paolo in the office yesterday; he’s in Brazil on holiday.
7. I could have applied for a work visa when I was living in Japan but I decided to return home instead.
8. There was so much traffic. There could have been an accident.
9. Mary couldn’t have defeated her opponent as she didn’t have any formal training in boxing.
10. Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.

Exercise 2

1. can’t/couldn’t have been 4. might /could have eaten 7. must have had
2. must have been 5. might/could have been Source: New Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate.
3. should / could have told 6. might not have seen Work book P. 67

Exercise 3

1. The hotel manager and the doctor might/may/could have sent Eleanor to the other side of Paris
deliberately, so that they could get rid of Mrs. Redwood.
2. The doctor must have sent a letter with Eleanor when she went to his surgery.
3. The British Embassy should have checked the story.
4. Eleanor may/might/could have waited for a long time at the doctor’s surgery.
5. Eleanor could get back to the hotel with the medicine successfully eventually.
6. They can’t / couldn’t have removedMrs. Redwood’s signature from the hotel registry.
7. They may/might/could not have taken Eleanor back to room 342 when she returned to the hotel. It
may/might/could have been a different room.
8. It is a shame that Eleanor couldn’t persuade embassy officials to believe her.
9. The authorities shouldn’t have put a young girl like Eleanor in a Mental Institution.
10. Eleanor may/might/could have invented the whole story.
Source: New Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate. Student Book P. 101