Perfect Modals: Expressing Past Possibilities and Regrets, Apuntes de Inglés

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Prepared by Ela GUNDOGDU

WHAT ARE PERFECT MODALS?

COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING

MAY / MIGHT HAVE DONE SOMETHING

MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING

SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING

CAN’T HAVE DONE SOMETHING

MAY / MIGHT HAVE DONE SOMETHING

We use MAY / MIGHT HAVE DONE SOMETHING;  To Express a weak possibility in the past. I don’t know where I have lost my umbrella. I might have left it on the train. I might have dropped it. Or I might have left it at the bus stop. A: Why didn’t John come to school yesterday? B: Well, he might have decided to stay at home. Or he might have spent the day. He might even have slept all day. You know how he is.

MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING

We use MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING;  To Show we are almost sure something happened in the past. A: John was terribly tired yesterday and when I called him last night, he didn’t answer the phone. B: He must have fallen asleep. A: Some villagers trapped on the mountain for a week. B: Oh! They must have been very hungry when they came back.

CAN’T HAVE DONE SOMETHING

We use CAN’T HAVE DONE SOMETHING;  To show that we are almost sure something did NOT happen in the past / impossibilities. She can’t have forgotten to send you an invitation. You are her best friend and besides, I saw your name on the list. You can’t have seen Tom at the mall yesterday. He is in hospital and is very ill. A: I saw M. K. Atatürk when I was a child. B: You can’t have seen him. He died long before you were born.

EXERCISES; Fill the blanks using a perfect modal.

1. We are lost because we don’t have a map. You _____________________ (ask) for directions the last time we stopped for gas.
2. A: Turkish athletes won five medals at 1980 Olympic Games. B: They _________________________ (win)!!! They didn’t participate in 1980 Olympics.
3. Why did you walk all the way to the station? You _____________________ (miss) the bus.
4. Your flat looks great. You _____________________ (spend) a lot money on decoration.

SHOULD HAVE ASKED

CAN’T HAVE WON MUST HAVE MISSED

MUST HAVE SPENT