Uns Class

UNIT 11 UNIT 11 EXERCISES Mr. Uns MAHMOUDI

modAl VERBS oF PRoBABIlITy 1 Underline the correct option.

Modal auxiliary verbs can express ability, obligation, permission, and 1 A I passed my driving test this morning.
request. They can also express probability, or how certain a situation B You must / can’t be delighted.
is. 2 If you slept till noon, you must / can’t still be tired.
3 They did a 15-kilometre walk today. They can’t / must be fit.
11.1 Probability in the present and future Ex. 1–3 4 A Is that Cathy over there?
B She’s in Rome. It can’t / could be her.
1 Must and can’t express the logical conclusion of a situation. 5 Chris has bought loads of milk. He must / can’t have a large
must = logically probable family.
can’t = logically improbable 6 My credit card was refused in the shop. I must / might be over
We don’t have all the facts, so we are not absolutely sure, but we are the credit limit.
pretty certain. 7 A The kids have been playing football all morning.
He must be exhausted. He hasn’t slept for 24 hours! B They must / may be hungry and thirsty – I’ll get them a snack.
Sue can’t have a ten-year-old daughter! She’s only 24! 8 A Why aren’t they here yet?
He’s in great shape, even though he must be at least 60! B They may / can’t be lost.
A walk in this weather! You must be joking! 9 A Do you think they are married yet?
Aren’t they answering? They must be in bed. They can’t be out this late! B They can / may be.
2 May/might/could express probability in the present or future. 2 Write sentences in the continuous infinitive using the words
May/might + not is the negative. Couldn’t is rare in this use. in brackets.
He might be lost. 1 Bob and Marianne are still in a queue for concert tickets after
They may be stuck in traffic. two hours.
You could win the lottery this week. Who knows? (they / can’t / still / wait)
Dave and Beth aren’t at home. They could be at the concert, I suppose. They can’t still be waiting!
___________________________________________________
We may go to Greece for our holiday. We haven’t decided yet. 2 Simon is leaving his job after only 2 months.
Take your umbrella. It might rain later. (he / can’t / leave / so soon)
I might not be able to come tonight. I might have to work late. ___________________________________________________
They may not know where we are. 3 A removal van came and took all their things away in boxes.
3 The continuous infinitive is formed with be + -ing. (they / must / moving house)
You must be joking! ___________________________________________________
They can’t still be eating! 4 Teresa’s bike is being mended.
Peter might be working late. (she / won’t / cycle / to work today, then)
They may be coming on a later train. ___________________________________________________
I could be sitting on a beach right now. 5 She should have been here by now. Perhaps there’s a lot of traffic.
(she / might not / come)
___________________________________________________
11.2 Asking about possibilities 6 The land opposite my house has been sold.
Question forms with modal verbs of probability are unusual. To ask (they / could / build / some new houses)
about possibility/probability we usually use Do you think …? ___________________________________________________
‘Do you think she’s married?’
‘She can’t be.’ 3 Match the questions with the answers.
1 __ Why do you think he didn’t go to school today?
‘Where do you think he’s from?’
2 __ Was Fred on the train?
‘He might be Portuguese.’
3 __ Have Mary and David bought that house yet?
‘Do you think they’ve arrived yet?’ 4 __ Do you think Joseph took my book back to the library?
‘They may have. Or they might have got stuck in the traffic.’ 5 __ You didn’t leave the oven on, did you?
a He may have been.
11.3 Probability in the past Ex. 4 b He may have felt unwell.
c They must have done by now.
1 The perfect infinitive is formed with have + past participle.
d He can’t have done.
He must have caught a later train. e I might have done.
They might have lost our phone number.
2 These forms express degrees of probability in the past. 4 Complete the sentences with the perfect infinitive.
He must have been exhausted. 1 You _________ (must/see) the statue. It’s right by the entrance.
She can’t have told him about us yet. 2 No, he _________ (must/catch) a later flight – the plane landed
The letter may have got lost in the post. an hour ago and he isn’t here.
He might have changed his mind. 3 ‘I went to the meeting but no one else was there.’
They could have moved house. ‘You ________ (can’t/go) at the right time – or you __________
3 The continuous infinitive is formed with have + been + -ing. (might/go) to the wrong room.’
She must have been joking. 4 ‘My cat jumped on my bed and woke me up.’
They can’t have been trying very hard. ‘It ________ (might/be) hungry.’
He could have been lying to you. 5 ‘Sarah said something about moving abroad on her own.’
‘She ___________ (must/ be) joking She’s getting married
next week.’