Unit 9 y 10 - MODAL VERBS: Possibility, Certainty and Ability

• POSSIBILITY:

PRESENT / FUTURE PAST

🡪 MAY(NOT)/ MIGHT(NOT)/ COULD + base 🡪 MAY(NOT)/MIGHT(NOT)/COULD HAVE +

f. p.part.
(puede que…) Something possible (puede que haya …)

• CERTAINTY:

PRESENT PAST

🡪 MUST + base f.: We are sure that sth. is 🡪 MUST HAVE + P.Part.: (debe haber…)
true.
Positive certainty.
🡪 MUST HAVE BEEN +…-ING: (debe haber estado..-ndo)
🡪 MUST BE +…-ING: Positive certainty in
progress.

🡪 CAN´T + base f.: We are sure sth. is 🡪 CAN´T HAVE + P.Part.: (no puede haber…)
impossible
Negative certainty.
🡪 CAN´T HAVE BEEN +…- ING:(no puede haber estado -
🡪 CAN´T BE +…- ING: Negative certainty in
ndo)
progress.

• ABILITY:

PRESENT / FUTURE PAST

🡪 CAN/ CAN´T + base f.: for the 🡪 COULD/ COULDN´T + base f.: for general
present. abilities

🡪 WILL BE ABLE TO…: for future 🡪 WAS/ WERE ABLE TO… / MANAGED TO…: for
specific past situations
🡪 BE ABLE TO…: for the other tenses

UNITS 9 y 10 “MODALS”: certainty, possibility and ability

1. Complete with a MODAL VERB:
There’s someone at the door. It ____________be the postman.
Don't worry, you ____________ pay now.
I think you _______________ take a pullover with you.
Jones ________________ be president if Smith has to resign.
Sorry, I can't stay any longer. I ______________ go.
It was 5 o'clock an hour ago. Your watch ____________be right.
It's a school rule, all the pupils _______________ wear a uniform.
I suppose that our team ________________win, but I'm not sure.
Let's tell Diana. She ________________know.
In my opinion, the government _______________ do something about this.
She is ill, so she ………………………. see the doctor.
Mike is nine months old. He ……………………………… (not / eat) nuts.
I am very tall. So I …………………… play basketball.
I’m sorry but we …………………………………………. (not / come) to your party tomorrow.
You are speaking very quietly. I ………………………………….. (not / understand) you.
1George has traveled a lot. He ……………………… speak four languages.
I can’t sing now but I ………………….. sing very well when I was a child.
You’ve been coughing a lot recently. You ……………………….. smoke so much.
You have a bad headache. So you ………………………. go to bed early.
……………………….. play chess when he was young.
You …………………….. drive a car when you are 18.
She ……………………. be 25. She looks older than that.
His telephone doesn’t answer. He ……………………………………….. (go) to the club.
She entered the room carrying a wet umbrella. She …………………………………(walk) in the rain.
He ………………………………………… (be) home, but we didn’t telephone him.
She ………………………………... (help) me a lot by giving me a little of his time, but she preferred to go out.
I can’t find the house. I ………………………………………….. (write) down the address.
She is very sleepy. She ……………………………………. (stay) up very late last night.
I ………………… go for a walk later. It depends on the weather.
The ground is covered with snow. It ………………………………………… (snow) last night.

2. Complete the second sentence so that it contains might, might not, must, mustn’t, can or can’t.
1. Don't stand up in the boat! You ___________ fall in the river.
2. Sue says she's stuck in the traffic and she………………….be late.
3. You really…………start spending more time on your work.
4. Tell Peter he………….stay the night here if he wants to.
5. That's a really stupid idea! You …………………be serious, surely!
6. You……………….realise it, but this is very important to me.
7. Don't be silly. You…………………expect me to believe you!
8. We're not sure but we………………go to Prague for Christmas this year.
9. Me learn to fly! You……………be joking.
10. Bill cooked the lunch, so you………………….expect anything special!

3. Rewrite each sentence so that it contains can, could, must, have to, or should (including negative
forms).
1. I'm sure that Helen feels really lonely…...
2. You're not allowed to park here.
3. It would be a good idea if Harry took a holiday.
4. I'm sure that Brenda isn't over thirty.
5. Do I need a different driving license for a motorbike?
6. What would you advise me to do.
7. Mary knows how to stand on her head.
8. You needn't come with me if you don't want to.
9. It's possible for anyone to break into this house.
10. The dentist will see you soon. I don't think he'll be long.

4. Draw conclutions using CAN’T / MUST / MIGHT:

1. He drives a very expensive car and owns a private plane. (rich) ……………………………………………………………
2. He spends all day walking round the town. (job) ………………………………………………………………………………
3. They are asking the way to the city center. (tourist) ………………………………………………………………………………
4. She works for a daily newspaper. She goes to the big football matches. (sports reporter)
………………………
5. I thought he studied medicine, but she’s going to an outdoor job now. (doctor)
……………………………………………
6. She teaches maths at the university. (stupid) ……………………………………………………………………………….
7. A: What happened to your leg? B: I slipped badly on the ice and broke it.
A: Oh! That …………………………………………. hurt a lot. B: It does.
8. A: Listen! Do you hear a noise like someone shouting?
B: Yes, I do. The new neighbours upstairs ………………………………… quarrel again.
9. A: I ……………………………………………….. get a rise in my salary soon. B: What makes you think so?
A: The boss seemed very pleased with my last project.
10. A: That man over there looks like our district manager. B: No, he ………………………………………. be him.
He went to the USA three days ago and hasn’t returned yet.

5. Fill in the blanks using MUST, CAN’T, MAY, MIGHT, COULD and PAST FORMS of them:
1. Sally looks sad and worried. She ……………………………………….. (have) a problem with something.
2. Bob ……………………………………... (be) at school because I haven’t seen him today.
3. Mr. Treves hasn’t come to work yet. He has never been late for work. He ……………….
……………………………… (miss) the bus.
4. Timmy is a very good boy. He isn’t naughty, so he ……………………………….. (break) that window.
Someone else …………………………………………………… (break) it.
5. I’m sure that I dropped my key in the car. It …………………………………………(be) there at the moment.
6. The street is wet this morning. I’m not sure but it …………………………………………. (rain) last night.
7. A: I talked to your science teacher at school yesterday. B: You ………………………………………………. (talk) to
her because she wasn’t at school yesterday.
8. A: The man was being taken to hospital. He ………………………………………………. (have) an accident. B: Yes,
I’m sure he had an accident.
9. A: Will you come to my birthday party tomorrow? B: I ……………………………….. (come) to your party
because I have to look after my little sister.
10. A: I’m going to do a parachute jump next week.
B: You are going to jump out of an aeroplane! But you’re 73 years old! You ……………. (be) serious. You
……………………….. (be) mad.
A: It really ……………………….. (be) wonderful looking down on everything. I’ve always wanted to try it.
B: But anything could happen. You …………………….. (be) injured, or even killed. I wouldn’t take the
risk.
 A: Well, your life ………………………. (be) much fun if you never take risks. You ought to try it, too. You
never
know. You …………………………….. (enjoy) it.
B: Enjoy it! You ……………………….. (be) joking.

11. She knew everything about our plans. She ………………………………………… (listen) to our conversation.
12. He ……………………………………….. (eat) the roasted beef when we were out. He is a vegeterian.
13. Mrs. White bought a new fur coat! She ………………………………………………(win) a lottery.
14. John said he would ring, but he hasn’t. He ………………………………………... (forget) all about it.
15. The children …………………………….. (study) in the library now because they have a test tomorrow.
16. The singer has got a sore throath, so she ……………………………………………. (sing) at the concert.
17. I …………………………… (be) at home this evening, or I ………………………… (be) out, I’m not sure.
18. He drank three glasses of water. He …………………………………… (be) very thirsty.
19. A: Where’s the cat? B: It ………………………………………………… (go) out, the door is closed.
20. The police arrested him right away. They ………………………………………….. (find) enough evidence.
21. He had no money, so he ………………………………………………… (lend) you some.
22. We can’t wait any longer. Something ………………………………….. (do) immediately.
23. They all shouted in fear. They …………………………………………. (be) very afraid.
24. A: Your dog bit me as I was standing in the hall. B: It ………………………………………… (be) my dog. It was
with me all day.
25. A: I phoned you at 9 o’clock this morning and got no answer. B: I ……………………………………………. (be)
in the garden. I planted some flowers this morning.