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Speculations: Logical Assumptions

The document discusses different modal verbs used to express assumptions and possibilities in English: 1) "Must" and "must have" are used to express logical assumptions about present and past certainties. 2) "Can't" and "can't have" are used to express logical assumptions that something is not possible in the present or past. 3) "Could", "may", and "might" are used to express possibilities but with less certainty than "must", using various structures depending on if referring to present or past events.

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Raindance Gi
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37 views9 pages

Speculations: Logical Assumptions

The document discusses different modal verbs used to express assumptions and possibilities in English: 1) "Must" and "must have" are used to express logical assumptions about present and past certainties. 2) "Can't" and "can't have" are used to express logical assumptions that something is not possible in the present or past. 3) "Could", "may", and "might" are used to express possibilities but with less certainty than "must", using various structures depending on if referring to present or past events.

Uploaded by

Raindance Gi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Speculations

Logical assumptions
My house is very It must be
near the motorway. noisy.
MUST
You can use must to say that you believe
something IS certain:
• You’ve been travelling all day. You must be
tired.
• ‘Joe is a hard worker.’ ‘Joe? You must be
joking.’
• Louise must know the answer. She is very
smart.
CAN’T
You use can’t to say that you believe something
IS NOT possible:
• You’ve just had lunch. You can’t be hungry
already.
• They haven’t lived here for very long. They can’t
know many people.
STRUCTURES
Three structures are possible:

be (tired/ hungry / at work etc. )


must
I/ you/ he (etc.) be ( doing / going / joking etc. )
can’t
do/get/know/have etc.
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE PAST
For the past we use must have (done) and can’t
have (done).
• ‘I’ve lost one of my gloves.’ ‘You must have
dropped it somewhere.’
• Sarah hasn’t contacted me. She can’t have got
my message.
• Tom walked into a wall. He can’t have been
looking where he was going.
PAST STRUCTURES
Three structures are possible:

been (asleep/ at work etc. )


must have
I/ you/ he (etc.) been ( doing / looking etc. )
can’t have
done/got/known etc.
COULD, MAY, MIGHT
We use could, may and might to say that
something is possible. However, this does not
express absolute certainty.
He may be in his office.
Where’s Ben?

He might be having
lunch.

Ask Ann. She might


know.
STRUCTURES
• Present structures
could
be (tired/ hungry / at work etc. )
may
I/ you/ he (etc.) (not) be ( doing / going / joking etc. )
might
do/get/know/have etc.

• Past structures
been (asleep/ at work etc. )
may (not) have
I/ you/ he (etc.) been ( doing / looking etc. )
might (not) have
done/got/known etc.

NB couldn’t have = can’t have


could = may, might

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