Past modals of

deduction
Remember the modals...

1. Of obligation:
a. must, have to, had to, should, ought to.
2. Of absence of necessity:
a. don’t have to, don’t need to, needn’t.
3. Of Prohibition:
a. mustn’t
4. Of advice:
a. should, ought to.
5. Of ability:
a. can, could.
Remember the modals of deductions...

In English we use modals for logical assumptions or deductions:

Must = almost certain that this is/was true.

Example: I’ve never seen him before. He must be new here.

May/Might/Could = Possible that this is/was true

It’s Jenny’s birthday next week and she may have a party.

Can’t/Couldn’t = Almost certain that this is/was impossible.

She can’t have gone bungee jumping; she has a fear of heights.
The following information is provided by the
British Council.

You can find more information on:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/
Modals – deductions about the past

Look at these examples to see how must, might, may, could, can't and couldn't are
used in the past.

1. An earthquake? That must have been terrifying!

2. We don't know for sure that Alex broke the coffee table. It might have been the dog.
3. How did she fail that exam? She can't have studied very much.
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 past.
must have

We use must have + past participle when we feel sure about what happened.

1. Who told the newspapers about the prime minister's plans? It must have
been someone close to him.
2. The thief must have had a key. The door was locked and nothing was
broken.
3. Oh, good! We've got milk. Mom must have bought some yesterday.
might have / may have

We can use might have or may have + past participle when we think it's
possible that something happened.

1. I think I might have left the air conditioning on. Please can you check?
2. Police think the suspect may have left the country using a fake passport.

May have is more formal than might have. Could have is also possible in this
context but less common.
can't have / couldn't have

We use can't have and couldn't have + past participle when we think
it's not possible that something happened.

1. She can't have driven there. Her car keys are still here.
2. I thought I saw Adnan this morning but it couldn't have been him
– he's in Greece this week.
Test your grammar:

Why were there no buses yesterday? Maybe it was the snow or

they _____ been on strike.
must have
might have
couldn't have
You _____ seen her, surely! She was standing right in front of
you.
must have
might have
can't have
Let's ask at reception to see if they have your keys.
Someone _____ found them.
must have
might have
can't have
He _____ gone to Russia. He didn't have a passport.
must have
might have
couldn't have
I explained the homework but she did the wrong page. She _____
misunderstood me.
must have
may have
can't have
Oh no! My phone's not in my bag. I _____ left it at home.
must have
can have
couldn't have
It is still a mystery how the robber gained access to the bank.
Police are investigating whether the suspect _____ known one
of the employees.
must have
may have
couldn't have
I _____ left my wallet in the restaurant. I paid for the taxi
home afterwards.
must have
could have
can't have
Where's Clare? Her bag's here and her computer's still on so she
_____ gone home.
must have
might have

can't have
I can't remember my password! But I _____ written it in my
notebook as sometimes I do that.
must have
may have

couldn't have
He wasn't answering the phone before. Maybe he went to the shop
or he _____ been in the shower.
must have
might have

couldn't have
Sorry, I don't know if she's here or not. She was feeling ill so she
_____ gone home.
must have
might have

can't have
She _____ cleaned the whole house on her own in two hours. She
must have had some help.
must have
might have

can't have
Wow! Have you finished all that already? You _____ been hungry!

must have
may have

can't have
He _____ known about it when I saw him. I'm sure he would have
told me.
must have
might have

couldn't have
Oh, great! His car's here. He _____ come home earlier than
planned.
must have
might have
can have
Acronyms
● Are informal expressions.
● Are used only when texting.
● Do not pronounce them.

Do Mexicans have acronyms? Yes

American
Acronyms
GOAT
Greatest Of All Time
LOL
Laugh Out Loud
ROFL
Rolling On Floor Laughing
WTF
BFF
Best Friends Forever
IDK
I don’t know
IDC
I don’t care
ILY
I Love You
JK
Just Kidding
OMG
Oh My God
(Oh My Gosh)
OMW
On My Way
BRB
Be Right Back
TTYL
Talk To You Later
TGIF
Thanks God It’s Friday
ASAP
● this word can be pronounced.

As Soon As Possible
British
Acronyms
TBH
To Be Honest
NBD
No Big Deal
EOD
End Of Day
IMO
In My Opinion
LMK
Let Me Know
OOO
Out Of Office
TOS
Terms Of Service
TL;DR
Too Long; Didn’t Read
Abbreviations
D.O.B.
Day Of Birth
Bus.
British = Business
Co.
Corp.
American & British = Corporation
Dept.
American & British = Department
Ltd.
American and British = Limited.
Def.
Slang British = Definitely
St.
British and American = Saint.
w/
British = with
w/o
British = Without