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Modals Deduction Past

We can use modal verbs like must, might, may, could, and can't followed by have and a past participle to talk about the past in a speculative or deductive way. [1] Must have indicates certainty about the past, might/may/could have indicate possibility, and can't have indicates impossibility. [2] Examples are given like "You must have been very pleased" and "He could have been stuck in traffic." [3] The structure is the same as using modals for present speculation but uses the perfect infinitive (have + past participle) instead of the base infinitive.

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Susan Sue Berrospi Merino
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501 views

Modals Deduction Past

We can use modal verbs like must, might, may, could, and can't followed by have and a past participle to talk about the past in a speculative or deductive way. [1] Must have indicates certainty about the past, might/may/could have indicate possibility, and can't have indicates impossibility. [2] Examples are given like "You must have been very pleased" and "He could have been stuck in traffic." [3] The structure is the same as using modals for present speculation but uses the perfect infinitive (have + past participle) instead of the base infinitive.

Uploaded by

Susan Sue Berrospi Merino
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Modals Deduction Past

We can use modal verbs to talk about how sure or unsure we are about something in the past just
as we use modals in the present with a slight change in the form.
He must be really happy about his promotion. (present deduction)
He must have been very happy when he was told about his promotion. (past deduction)

When we use a modal verb to talk about a situation where we are not expressing a fact but we are
using deduction the form is MODAL + have + past participle (verb 3)

Must have + past participle


We use must have + past participle when we are quite sure about something.
You must have been very pleased when you received the results of your exams.
He must have forgotten his phone at home again. Hes not answering.
I must have left my keys in the car. I cant find them.

Might have/may have/could have + past participle


We use might have/may have/could have + past participle when we are not sure about something
but we think it was possible.
He was supposed to be here an hour ago but he could have been stuck in a traffic jam.
He may have said he was coming but I cant really remember. I wasnt listening.
I might have been here when I was a child but I cant really remember.

Cant have + past participle


We use cant have + past participle for things that we are sure did not happen in the past.
I cant have left my phone at work. You phoned me when I was walking to my car. Thats it. It
must be in the car.
You cant have seen him this morning. He was with me all the time.
She cant have liked the show. She hates musicals.

Modals deduction (past)

In the same way that we use modal verbs to say how certain we are about things in the present we
can also use them to speculate about the past.
Have + past participle (have done, have been have stolen etc.) is called the perfect infinitive.
When we use modal verbs to talk about the present they are followed by an infinitive without to.
When we use modal verbs to talk about the past they are followed by a perfect infinitive.

must + perfect infinitive

We use must + perfect infinitive when we feel sure about something in the past.

You must have been delighted when you heard youd won the lottery.

The thieves must have come in through the window. Look its still open.

Oh no! Wheres my car? Someone must have stolen it!

might/may/could + perfect infinitive

We use might, may or could with the perfect infinitive to say that we think something was
possible but we arent sure.

The thieves might have escaped by car but we cant be sure.

He should be hour by now. He may have been delayed by a traffic jam or something.

I cant find my purse. I could have left it in the supermarket but I just dont know.

cant + perfect infinitive

We use cant + perfect infinitive when we feel sure something didnt happen in the past.

I thought I saw John in town this morning but it cant have been him hes in Greece this
week.

I cant have left it in the supermarket I had it on the bus on the way home.

You cant have read the instructions properly. Theyre perfectly clear.
- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/quick-grammar/modals-deduction-
past#sthash.Fvrc8mQa.dpuf

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