adverbs of possibility and probability exercises

We use could to make general statements about the past: Where are they? They could have got lost. We use may have, might have or could have to make guesses about the past: Notice the difference in meaning between can and may/ might/ could: He may/ might/ could be(NOT can) in his office. We do not use can to talk about specific events:ī: I'm not sure. (= People often get lost in this town.) Be careful! (= It is sometimes very cold here in winter.) We use can to make general statements about what is possible: He could have been working late (not: 'could be'.We use may, might and could to say that something is possible, but not certain:.This is not used to talk about specific possibilites in the past (instead we use could + have + past participle): Prices could be high in the sixteenth century.We can use could + infinitive to talk about a general possibility in the past (compare with the use of 'can' above): Should + have + past participle Should + have + past participle can be used to make an assumption about something that has probably happened, if everything is as we expect (compare with present use of 'should' above): The parcel will have arrived before now.Will / won't + have + past participle Will and won't / will not + have + past participle are used for past certainty (compare with present use of 'will' above):

She must have forgotten about our date.

could / couldn't have + past participle.

might / might not have + past participle.

( Click here to review how to make the past participle)

He could be on the bus (not: 'can be').Ģ: Using modal verbs to talk about the past: must / might / could / may / can't + have + past participle.

The underground will be very busy now (not: 'should be').Ĭan Can is used for something that is generally possible, something we know sometimes happens:Ĭan is not used to talk about specific possibilities:.

This use of should isn't usually used for negative events. Should / shouldn't Should and shouldn't are used to make an assumption about what is probably true, if everything is as we expect: We use will and won't when we are very sure: Notice that the opposite of 'must' is ' can't in this case. I am waiting for Julie with another friend, David. 1: Talking about the present: must / might / could / may / can't + infinitive We choose the verb depending on how sure we are.

We can use these modal verbs (also called modals of deduction, speculation or certainty) when we want to make a guess about something. Report this ad Click here for all the exercises about modal verbs. Click here to download this explanation as a pdf.

Adverbs of possibility and probability exercises