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Understanding Past Modals in English

This document discusses the use of past modal verbs to speculate or make deductions about past actions. It outlines: 1) Must have is used when we are almost sure something happened. Can't have is used to say something did not happen. 2) Might/may/could have indicate something was possible. May/might not have suggest something was possibly not. 3) Can't have and couldn't have imply something almost certainly did not happen or was impossible. Couldn't have refers to the more distant past. It also explains should/ought to have express regret or criticism about not doing the right thing in the past. Must have and should have have very different meanings when making deductions versus

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Rafael Gavilan
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15 views1 page

Understanding Past Modals in English

This document discusses the use of past modal verbs to speculate or make deductions about past actions. It outlines: 1) Must have is used when we are almost sure something happened. Can't have is used to say something did not happen. 2) Might/may/could have indicate something was possible. May/might not have suggest something was possibly not. 3) Can't have and couldn't have imply something almost certainly did not happen or was impossible. Couldn't have refers to the more distant past. It also explains should/ought to have express regret or criticism about not doing the right thing in the past. Must have and should have have very different meanings when making deductions versus

Uploaded by

Rafael Gavilan
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Past modals

Must, may / might / could, can’t / couldn’t + have + past participle


1. I must have left my phone at Anna's. I definitely remember having it there.
You must have seen something. You were there when the accident happened.
2. Somebody might have stolen your wallet when you were getting off the train.
I wonder why she's not here. I suppose she could have forgotten about the meeting.
He still hasn't arrived. I may not have given him the right directions.
3. She can't have gone to work. Her car's still there.
You couldn't have seen their faces very clearly. It was too dark.

• We use must, may / might / could, or can't / couldn't + have + past participle to make
deductions or speculate about past actions.

1. - We use must have when we are almost sure that something happened or was true.

The opposite of must have is can't have NOT mustn't have

2. - We use might / may / could + have when we think it's possible that something happened
or was true.

• We can also use may / might not have (but NOT couldn't have) to talk about the
possibility that something didn't happen. NOT I couldn't have given him the right
directions.

3. - We use can't have and couldn't have when we are almost sure something didn't happen or
that it is impossible. We only use couldn't have when the speculation is about the distant past,
e.g. They couldn't have been married. They both died young.

Should have / ought to have + past participle


We've gone the wrong way. We should have turned left at the traffic lights.

It's my fault. I ought to have told you earlier that my party was on Saturday.

• We use should / shouldn't + have + past participle to say that somebody didn't do the
right thing, or to express regret or criticism.
• We can use ought / oughtn't to have as an alternative to should / shouldn't have, e.g. I
ought to have told you earlier.
• must have and should have have completely different meanings. Compare:
She should have phoned me. = I told her to phone me but
she didn't.
and
She must have phoned me. = I'm sure she phoned me. I think that missed call was her
number.

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