TM

Modal verbs 5 - Past forms lingua house

Innovation in Learning

A A A A ENGLISH GRAMMAR

3 Modal verbs for certainty, possibility and expectation

Study the table below.

Modal verb Past forms and examples

must must have + past participle
Norman wasn't at home. He must have been on his way to work.

can't can't have + past participle

Andrew can't have missed his train. He got there 10 minutes early.

may / may not may/may not have + past participle

Robert isn't usually so rude. He may have been tired.
Dan didn't say hello. He may not have seen me.

might / might not might/might not have + past participle

I'm not totally sure, but I think the match might have started already.
"Why wasn't John at the meeting?" "He might not have known about it."

could / couldn't could/couldn't have + past participle

Why didn't you answer the phone? It could have been Anne.
NOTE: couldn't have + past participle has a similar meaning to
can't have + past participle:
James couldn't have been on holiday. I saw his wife at the supermarket.
(= it is not possible that James was on holiday.)

should / shouldn't should/shouldn't have + past participle

Where's George? He should have been here an hour ago.
The price shouldn't have been $10. It's usually much more.

Dialogue
A: Where's Carol? She should have been here an hour ago.
B: She might not have known about the meeting.
A: She must have known. I sent everyone a text message.
B: Her phone may have been switched off.
LE

3/5
AB

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

O
c Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT
 TM
Modal verbs 5 - Past forms lingua house
Innovation in Learning

A A A A ENGLISH GRAMMAR

4 Must or can't
Complete the following sentences with the past form of must or can't.

1. I didn't hear you come in last night. I (be) asleep.

2. Allie doesn't look very happy. Her interview (go) well.
3. I didn't receive your email. You (send) it to the wrong address.
4. I heard that Julie passed all her exams. She (be) delighted.
5. Mike's first day at work (be) easy. His new boss is very demanding.
6. Look at Paul's new sports car. It (cost) him a fortune.

5 Should/shouldn't have
Yesterday was a very strange day. A lot of unexpected things happened. Read the sentences below and
look at the pictures. Write a sentence about what should or shouldn't have happened in each picture.

1. Jack had never played chess before.

Jack shouldn’t have won (win) a game of chess.
2. The contract was carefully checked by the director.
There (be) so many mistakes in the contract.
3. Mr Faber ordered an ipad.
Mr Faber (receive) a laptop.
4. The weather forecast predicted sun.
It (be) sunny.
5. Mario locked his front door before he went out.
Mario's front door (be) open.
6. Before the start of the race, nobody gave Derek a chance of winning.
Derek (lose) the race.
LE

4/5
AB

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

O
c Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT
 TM
Modal verbs 5 - Past forms lingua house
Innovation in Learning

A A A A ENGLISH GRAMMAR

6 Practice
Make a sentence about each situation using a past modal verb structure. More than one structure may
be possible in some of the sentences.

1. It is possible that Bill was out of town.

Bill may/might/could have been out of town.

2. It is not possible that Jane knew about my birthday party.

Jane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. I'm certain that Joseph was responsible for the mistake.

Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. It is possible that Andrew did not hear the news about his brother.

Andrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. It is strange that nobody called me yesterday.

Somebody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. It is impossible that you saw me last weekend. I was on holiday.

You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. I'm sure the politician knew that he was going to lose the election.

The politician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. It is strange that it was so cold last month. Normally August is a very hot month.

It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . so cold in August.
9. Her Russian is excellent. It is possible that she had a very good teacher.

Her Russian is really excellent. She . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10. It is strange that Nick was in Paris. He booked a flight to Rome.

Nick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in Paris. He . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in Rome.

LE

5/5
AB

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex

Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
PI

O
c Linguahouse.com OC
P H OT