Modal Verbs

For speculation and deduction - Present and Future

We can use Modal Verbs when we want to make a guess about something. We choose the
modal verb depending on how sure we are.

Level of certainty

“Look at how big his house is. He must be

rich.”

90% sure that “She went to bed at 3:00am. She must be

must + base form
something is true feeling exhausted.”

“She has watched that movie more than 6

times. She must love it!”

may + base form “I can’t find my History book. The teacher

might + base form might have it, but I’m not sure.”
50% sure that could + base form
“Today could be a good day. We’ll see.”
something is or isn’t
true “He may not be coming too see me
tomorrow. He looked indecisive”
may not + base form
mightn’t + base form

“That can’t be true! It’s just not possible.”

90% sure that
can’t + base form “I know I can’t fail this exam because I
something isn’t true
studied a lot.”

NOTE: You can't use 'mustn't' to talk about something that you are sure is not
true, either in the present or the past.
Modal Verbs
For speculation and deduction - Past
We can use Modal Verbs when we want to make a guess about something. We choose the
modal verb depending on how sure we are.

Level of certainty

“I can’t find my book at home. I must

have left it at school.”
90% sure that
“She looks exhausted. She must have
something must have + past participle
gone to bed very late.”
was true
“He told me he doesn’t have any money
left. He must have spent it all!”

“I don’t know where Sharon is. She

may have + past participle
might have + past participle
50% sure that
could have + past participle
something
was or wasn’t
true
may not have + past participle
mightn’t have + past participle
might have left already, but I’m not
sure.”
“He hasn’t arrived yet. He could have
gotten lost.”
“I may not have passed my exam. The
teacher will tell me tomorrow.”

“That can’t have happened! It’s just

90% sure that not possible.”
something can’t have + past participle
“I know I can’t have failed yesterday’s
wasn’t true
exam because I studied a lot.”

NOTE: You can't use 'mustn't' to talk about something that you are sure is not
true, either in the present or the past.