Past modal verbs are “must”, “could”, “might” and “may” with

“have” + past participle to talk

about suppositions or speculations regarding a past
event. This is called the modal perfect tense.
Here are some examples of past modal verbs:
 The cat has escaped – I must have left the window open by
mistake.
 Claire has left her handbag here – she must have left in a rush.
 I don’t know why he did that, he could have hurt himself.
“May” and “might” are actually very similar although some people say
that the past modal form of “may” has a slightly higher level of
probability.

We use the past modal verb form of

MAY and MIGHT to speculate about
the past

For example, in the above image, we can see two people speculating
about why John hasn’t arrived at work yet. The woman suggests that
he is late because he missed the train (in the past):
 What isn’t John at work yet?
 I don’t know, he might have missed the train.
The woman could also use the past modal verb form of “may” and it
would have the same meaning i.e. a speculation about what happened
to John.
 I don’t know, he may have missed the train.

Use the past modal form of MIGHT to talk

about something in the past which didn’t
happen

Remember, if we are talking about something that didn’t happen or a

possibility in the past, we use “might have” and not “may have”:
“The car came around the corner so fast that I might have
been killed.”

The modal perfect continuous

For speculations about a continuous action in the past, we can use the
modal perfect continuous tense:
MAY/MIGHT + HAVE BEEN + ING FORM OF VERB
Example: “They don’t know why he crashed the car, but I’ve heard that
he may have been drinking and driving.”

Formation of negative sentences

To form a negative past modal verb sentence, simply insert the word
“NOT” in between the modal verb and the word “have”:
MAY/MIGHT + NOT + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
For example: “Quinoa is a simple food that you may not have heard
of.”

Negative sentences with past modal verbs

If you want to politely ask somebody as you speculate about what may
have happened, you use “Do you think you may/might have + past
participle”:

DO YOU THINK YOU + MAY/MIGHT + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

Examples:
 Do you think you may have added too much water to your plant?
It looks quite yellow.
 Do you think she might have forgotten about the appointment?
It’s 9:20.
 You’ve been looking all morning, do you think you might have
lost your keys?

The past modal form with COULD is

used to talk about CAPABILITY in the
past
When we talk about ability or capability in the past we can use a form
of the conditional perfect.
COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Here are some examples of could as a past modal verb for capability in
the past:
 I could have been a professional dancer, but I broke my leg when
I was 17.
 You could have passed your exams if you had studied as I told
you!
 He could have asked me to help him build the wardrobe, instead
of spending all day doing it by himself.

Negative form to express impossibility in the

past
Whereas “may/might not have…” express that something possibly did
not happen in the past, “could not have …” means that something
definitely did not happen. It was impossible.
COULD (+NOT) + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Here are some examples for clarity:
 Even if I had studied for 1000 hours I could not have passed that
exam! It was too difficult – impossible!
 Wow! 100% on your exam! You could not have done any better –
well done!

We use “could have” to offer gentle criticism

If a native English speaker is slightly annoyed with you for not
mentioning something important, they might say to you:
 You’re an hour late! You could have let me know!
 You could have sent a message at least!
 She didn’t warn me about the visit, she could have mentioned
that they were coming!

The past modal form with MUST is

used to talk about what you believe
is certain about the past

The past modal verb form with “must” can be used in situations where
you are very sure about your deductions and believe there are no
other possibilities. It has a similar structure to “might/may have” but
with much stronger certainty.
MUST + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Here are some examples of must as a past modal verb expressing sure
deductions/beliefs:
 Karen is late – she must have missed her train. (no other
explanation is possible)
 I don’t have my keys – I must have left them in the kitchen.
 The bicycle has disappeared – it must have been stolen.
Use “couldn’t have” for negative certainty in
the past, not “mustn’t have”
As mentioned before, if we are certain something was impossible or
did not happen in the past we must use the past modal verb “couldn’t
have,” because “mustn’t have” cannot be used with this meaning.
Here is an extra example:
 The bicycle couldn’t have been stolen – there was nobody here.

We use the SHOULD in the past

modal verb form to talk about past
mistakes and make
recommendations / strongly criticise
past actions.
We can use this past modal when commenting on past errors or to
criticize or make suggestions about past behaviour. Using “should” to
criticise is stronger than using “could” and more direct.
SHOULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
For example:
 You should have been here TWO hours ago- sorry there was
traffic.
 He should have gone to the doctor immediately instead of
waiting.
 She should have added more salt to the food, it tastes bland.

Use “shouldn’t have” in negative sentences

expressing past criticism
For example:
 We shouldn’t have turned left before, this is the wrong direction.
 You shouldn’t have said that to her, now she’s upset.
 He shouldn’t have gone to work, he was very ill.

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The past modal form with WOULD is
used to talk about past possibilities
and their (unreal) consequences
“Would have” structures are a past conditional (often used together
with “if” to form the 2nd conditional), which describe not only a past
possibility but also its past potential consequences. Often these
consequences can no longer happen in the present, meaning they are
describing situations that are unreal or unlikely/impossible to occur
now.
For example:
 If he had passed his exams, he would have become a doctor (no
longer possible now).
 She would have been here earlier but her train was delayed.
 I would have called you but my phone had no battery.

“wouldn’t have” is used for expressing

negative past possibilities
For example:
 He wouldn’t have crashed the car if he hadn’t drunk so much.
 She wouldn’t have left, if they hadn’t been so rude to her.
 We wouldn’t have chosen this hotel, if we had read the reviews.

Summary of past modal verbs

Essentially, all modals can be used in the past by adding “have + past
participle,” however, their meaning and function often change:
 May / Might have = speculating in the past
 Could have = capability in the past
 Should have= criticism / recommendation in the past
 Would have= past possibilities and their (unreal) consequences
For example, see how the following past modals change the meaning
of the sentence below:
 I may/might have talked to John… [but not sure]
 I could have talked to John… [was able in the past but probably
no longer able now]
 I should have talked to John… [but didn’t, criticising]
 I would have talked to John (if)…. [but didn’t, unreal
consequence]
Past modal structures in songs
Speculating and commenting on events that happened in the past is an
extremely popular theme in music that we hear all the time. Below are
just a few examples of songs that use some of the past modal
structures we have reviewed above, feel free to check them out and
listen for when the past modals are used. Can you think of any more
songs that you like which also use past modals? Leave a comment with
your favourites, the Break Into English team would love to listen to
your picks!
Rolling In The Deep – Adele
It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
When I Was Your Man – Bruno Mars
P.s. There are also famous scenes