Share Modal verbs of deduction and speculation present and past
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She ______ at work now because her car is not in the driveway.
must be
He ______ tired; he slept for ten hours last night!
can’t be
She ______ her keys at home because she’s locked out.
must have forgotten
He ______ the project so quickly—it usually takes days!
can’t have finished
They ______ at home, but I'm not sure.
may \ might be
She ______ spicy food, so let’s ask her first.
may \ might not like
They ______ to the cinema yesterday but I’m not sure.
may \ might have been
Susan ______ her umbrella in the café last night, but I’m not sure.
may \ might have left
This ______ her phone; it’s a photo of her cat on the screen!
must be
You ______ serious! This is the funniest joke ever.
can’t be
John ______ very tired yesterday; he went to bed at 8 p.m.
must have been
You ______ Tom at the party—he was on vacation!
can’t have seen
Alex ______ busy at the moment, so let’s text him instead of calling.
may \ might be
Lena and Mike ______ about the meeting because nobody told them.
may \ might not know
They ______ (receive) the email yet. They didn’t reply.
may \ might not have received
She ______ the instructions correctly. She didn’t make such mistakes previously.
may \ might not have understood
