1. Past Modals Of Deduction Exercises
2. Past Modals Exercises Oxford
3. Modals In The Past

Modal verbs of deduction – summary chart

may, might

We use may and might to talk about things that are possibly true, but we don’t know for sure.

Should have, could have, and would have are sometimes called 'modals of lost opportunity' because they describe situations when we are imagining that the past was different.

• He’s more than 2 meters tall. He might be a basketball player. (=perhaps he is)
• He says Betty is his friend, but I think she may be his girlfriend.

1. Past Modals Exercise. The English Learning Lounge Free apps on both Apple and Android. Fun exercises to improve your English.
2. Nov 08, 2017  Modal Auxiliary Verbs Exercise. Fill in the blanks with appropriate modal auxiliary verbs.
3. Do the exercise below on the present and past of modals and click on the button to check your answers. (Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lessons on modals and present and past modals ).

We use may not or might not to talk about things that are possibly not true, but we don’t know for sure.

• You should call her. She might not know where you are. (=perhaps she doesn’t know)

can

We don’t use can as a modal of deduction.

• He might/may be at home now. (NOT He can be at home now)

must, can’t

We use must when we are sure, or quite sure, that something is true.

• You must be tired after the long journey. (=I’m sure you are tired)
• I’m sure I had the keys when I left. They must be in the car.

But we use can’t (NOT mustn’t) when we are sure, or quite sure, that something is not true.

• We’ve been walking for hours. It can’t be far from here. (NOT It mustn’t be far)
• They’ve lived here only for a couple of months. They can’t know many people.

+ be -ing

After may, might, must or can’t we can use be + -ing, when we are talking about actions in progress.

• They’ve gone to Ibiza, and right now they must be having a great time.
• Call him. He might be waiting for us.

“Past modals” or “modals of lost opportunity” are used to imagine that the past was different. (Image: Photokanok, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Should have, could have, and would have are sometimes called “modals of lost opportunity” because they describe situations when we are imagining that the past was different.

Before we study those terms in the past, let’s review the difference between should, could, and would. The general rule is:

• Should for recommendation / advice
  “If you want to lose weight, you should eat healthy food.”

• Could for possibilities
  “I have the day off tomorrow.”
  “Great! We could spend the day at the beach. Or we could go shopping.”

• Would for imagining results
  “If I were rich, I would buy a boat.”

The same general rule applies when using should have, could have, and would have for imaginary past situations.

Should Have

Use should have to say that a different action was recommended in the past.

If you arrive late to English class, you can say:

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“I should have left my house earlier.”

If you regret an argument, you can say:

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you yesterday. I’m sorry.”

You can also use should have / shouldn’t have to tell other people that a different action in the past would have been better. If your son fails a test, you can say:

“You should have studied. You shouldn’t have played video games all weekend.”

Could Have

Use could have to talk about possibilities if something had been different in the past.

For example, someone who didn’t go to college can say:

“If I had gone to college, I could have gotten a better job.”

When talking about a gymnast who didn’t win a competition, you can say:

Past Modals Of Deduction Exercises

“She could have won the gold medal if she hadn’t fallen three times.”

Could have is often used with “if + had + past participle” (If I had gone / if she hadn’t fallen) – these “if” phrases express the imaginary past situation. However, in some cases you can use could have without the “if” phrase. Imagine you’re driving with a person who makes a dangerous maneuver on the road. You can say:

“Are you crazy? We could have gotten into an accident.”

Would Have

Use would have to imagine a result (if something had been different in the past):

If you arrive late at the airport and miss your flight, you can say:

“If we had arrived earlier, we would have caught our flight.”

If you forget your umbrella, and it starts to rain, and you get wet, you can say:

“If I had brought my umbrella, I wouldn’t have gotten wet in the rain.”

Would have expresses more certainty about the result than could have:

“If I had worked harder, I could have gotten a promotion.”
(maybe I’d get a promotion… but maybe not)

Past Modals Exercises Oxford

On a test where you need 70% to pass:
“I got a 68 on the test. If I had gotten two more points, I would have passed.”
(with the two points, passing the test is CERTAIN)

Modals In The Past

Spoken English

In spoken English, many people say should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve.