Making a guess: may, might,

could, must, can’t, should

Noreen Zamir
Lecturer
University of Sahiwal
Making a guess about a present situation
• When we are completely certain about something, we don’t use
modal verbs:
The camera isn’t working because the battery hasn’t been charged.
• But sometimes we make a guess. If we’re certain our guess is correct,
we use must or can’t:
‘It must be the battery.’
‘It can’t be that. I recharged it yesterday.’
Lucy’s just bought a new car – she must be earning plenty of money.
‘Is that Marina at the door?’ ‘It can’t be her, she’s on holiday.’
Making a guess about the future
• If we make a guess about the future,
• we use may (not), might (not) or could, but NOT couldn’t:

If we wait for a few days, the prices might be cheaper.

I could get a part-time job next summer.
The tickets may not arrive in time. ! ✗ The engineer could not be able
to fi x it. ✓ The engineer might not be able to fi x it.
Expectations
• When we expect something to be true, or have a strong feeling our
guess is correct,
• we use should or shouldn’t:
• You can phone Henry at work. He should be in the offi ce by now.

• Don’t take any food. There should be plenty to eat once you get
there.
• Allow half an hour to get through security at the airport – it shouldn’t
take longer than that.
Making a guess (2)
Rules must, mustn’t, have (got) to
Form
Present Must I must go now. You must not
(mustn’t) smoke here.
Must we leave now?
Present Have to You have to leave now. They don’t
have to work today.
Do I have to pay?
Have to go I have (’ve) got to pay my phone bill.
He hasn’t got to work today.
Has she got to work today?
Past Had to We had to buy a new TV. We didn’t
have to pay.
Did you have to get a visa?
Future Will have to You’ll have to leave soon. We won’t
have to pay.
Will she have to get a visa?
Positive rules and necessary actions
We use have to: to say that something is necessary, or is a rule:
• The taxi’s here. We have to leave now. (necessary)
• All car passengers have to wear a seat belt. (a rule)
• Do I have to buy batteries? (Is it necessary?)
• NATURAL ENGLISH In informal British English
• We also use must but it is less common than have (got) to.
• We usually use must for
• a rule given by the speaker to another person, or to himself/herself:
You must wear your coat; it’s cold outside. (parent to young child)
I must lose some weight. (I think I should do this.)
• instructions (often in writing and with a passive verb):
Answers must be written in ink. (exam instructions)
• We don’t use must or have got to for past or future situations, we use
forms of have to:
Past: We had to have visas to visit China last year.
future You’ll have to charge the battery before you can use it.
Negative rules
• We use can’t or not allowed to say that there is a rule NOT to do something:
You can’t smoke here.
We’re not allowed to use calculators in the exam.
• We can also use must not, but usually only for explaining rules and in instructions:
Remember, children, you mustn’t ride your bikes on the grass.
These lights must not be used outdoors.
• To talk about negative rules in the past or future we use be allowed to
I wasn’t allowed to do that when I was a child.
We won’t be allowed to check in until later.
• ! If there is no rule to say something is necessary, we use don’t have to, NOT mustn’t.
Compare: You don’t have to eat in here, you can eat outside if you prefer. (You have a
choice)
You mustn’t eat in here. (You don’t have a choice. You have to eat somewhere else.)
Necessary and unnecessary actions need,
needn’t, don’t have to/need to
• Need can be a modal verb, but the only modal forms that we use
• are needn’t and needn’t + have + past participle:
You needn’t leave yet, it’s early.
You needn’t have done that report.
• We generally prefer to use need to, which is a regular verb, with the
usual verb changes:
You need to leave now.
Do I need to buy batteries?
She does not (doesn’t) need to do it.
Necessary actions
• We can use need to
to say that something is physically necessary:
I’m tired. I need to get some sleep.
• when we believe that something is necessary or important:
He really needs to lose weight.
• to mean have to
You need to score 60% to pass the exam.
• past
Jane’s condition was quite serious. She needed to stay in the hospital overnight.
• future
You’ll need to get some photos for this passport application.
Unnecessary actions, present and future
We use needn’t/don’t need to, don’t have to or haven’t got to: to say
that something isn’t necessary or isn’t a rule:
You needn’t take any food – lunch is provided. (It isn’t necessary.)
You don’t need to buy a battery – it already has one.
Men don’t have to do military service in Britain. (It isn’t a rule.)
no rush. We haven’t got to leave yet.
We use won’t need to or won’t have to for unnecessary future actions:
You won’t need to bring any extra money on Friday, everything is
included in the price.
I won’t have to wait for long; the bus comes every ten minutes.
Unnecessary actions in the past
We use didn’t need to or didn’t have to: to say that something wasn’t
necessary in the past. We don’t know if the action happened or not:
The pain went away so I didn’t need to see a doctor.
We didn’t have to pay – it was free.
We use needn’t + have + past participle to say that an action happened in
the past although it wasn’t necessary:
You needn’t have brought a camera.
You can use mine.
You needn’t have gone to a photographer’s.
There’s a photo machine at the station.
Requests and suggestions; offers, promises
and warnings can, could, would, will, shall
• Requests
• We use can to make requests in most situations:
Can you help me with these bags? Yes, of course (I can).
Can we have two coffees, please? Certainly/Sure.
We usually add please to requests to make them polite:
Can we have two coffees, please? We put please in front of the verb to
make a request stronger: Can we please have a menu? Would you
please be quiet?
• We often use will you with people we know well: Will you give me a
hand with this?
• We use could or would for more polite or formal requests:
Excuse me. Could you help me with this? (in a shop)
Would you sign this form? (talking to a customer in a bank)
But we don’t use could or would to reply to requests:
‘Would you help me?’ ✗
‘Yes, I would.’ ✓ ‘Yes, of course.’
Suggestions
we
SUGGESTIONS AS you watch a DVD
STATEMENTS
could

We/You could

SUGGESTIONS AS Why don’t we/shall watch a DVD

QUESTIONS should
How about/what about watching
• We often use we/you could and should we when we are not sure that
the listener will like the suggestion.
‘We could try that new Japanese restaurant.’
We can agree or disagree with the suggestion. If we disagree, we
usually give a reason
‘Shall we get a pizza?’ ‘Yes, let’s do that. / That’s a good idea. / Great.’
‘How about meeting up for coffee on Sunday?’ ‘Oh, I can’t, I’m really
busy. I’m sorry
Will for offers, promises, warnings
to agree Will you sign this for me?’ ‘Yes, I will.’ (✗ Yes, I’ll.) ‘Will
you have some more cake?’ ‘no, thanks, I won’t. I’m on
a diet.’
to offer or promise to do something We’ll drive you to the station if you like. We won’t
forget how kind you’ve been to us.

to say if someone else agrees or is able to do something Take it to Marco – he’ll fi x it for you. Ask my teacher
(or not) about it – she’ll help you. don’t ask carol. She won’t
know the answer.
promises/warnings I’ll be with you in a minute. don’t touch the cooker –
you’ll get burnt
• We can also make offers with shall I/we or I/we could. We use these
forms when we are not sure that the listener will want to accept:
‘Shall we help you with that?’ ‘ No, thanks. I can manage on my own.’
‘I could get Lucy’s present for you.’
‘That’s kind of you, but I’d rather do it myself.’
We don’t use the present simple to make offers:
‘My hair’s wet.’ ✗
‘-I get you a towel.’
✓ ‘I’ll get you a towel.’
✓ ‘Shall I get you a towel?’