Page 159 - BACKUP ENGLISH | PREPARATORY CLASS

THEME 13 OLD TIMES

Structure

Modal verbs of deduction: may, might, must, and can’t

We use may, might, must, and can’t to say how sure we are about something.
When we feel sure that something is true, we use must.
e.g. This car must belong to someone else, not Mrs Garcia, because hers is blue of the same model.

We use may and might to say that we think it is possible.
e.g. Mr Seinfeld is not at the office right now; he may / might be in a meeting.
We use can’t when we feel something is not true.

e.g. The bag can’t be light because he is having difficulty carrying it.

d) Fill in the blanks with may, might, must, or can’t.
1. It is raining outside, so it ________ be wet on the roads.

2. I forgot my keys at home. They ________ be on the kitchen counter.

3. I’m not sure if Pam will come to the party. She ________ have other plans.
4. I saw her studying all night. She ________ be prepared for the exam.

5. John is a vegetarian, so he ________ eat meat.

e) Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the underlined words with may, might, must, or can’t to express a different
level of certainty.

1. I’m almost certain she will be late for the meeting.
__________________________________________________________

2. He is completely unsure about the decision.
__________________________________________________________
3. I’m sure Emily lives near here. She passes by our house every morning.

__________________________________________________________
4. It is highly probable that they will cancel the event.
__________________________________________________________

5. There is no possibility that I will be able to finish the project on time.
__________________________________________________________

f) Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.

1. The weather looks nice, so we ____ go for a picnic in the park.
a. might b. can’t
2. Tom is a great swimmer; he ____ be afraid of water.
a. can’t b. might
3. Ronald ____ be exhausted after working a 12-hour shift.
a. can’t b. must
4. Julie ____ join us for dinner, but she has not confirmed yet.
a. must b. may
5. Pam ____ be at home because her car is not in the driveway.
a. can’t b. may

English for Preparatory Class 157