Your bestie always phones you on your birthday. Yesterday was your birthday but she didn’t phone you. (She must have...//She could have...)
She must have lost my phone number // She could have decided to break off our friendship
You are usually at the top of the class for spelling in your English lessons, but the teacher tells you that all your answers are incorrect. You don’t believe it. (I can't have... // The teacher must have...)
I can't have made a mistake // The teacher must have misunderstood something.
Your cousin told you she was going to marry a Hollywood actor. (She might have... // She can't have...)
She might have gone crazy // She can't have met any Hollywood star.
Yesterday you ate seafood in a restaurant. You’ve been sick all night and you feel terrible. ( I could have...// The ... might not have...)
I could have got food poisoning // The ... might not have been fresh.
Your English teacher gives you a list of fifty phrasal verbs to learn. After only five minutes you say ‘I’ve finished!’ Your teacher says… (I can't have... // You must have...)
You can't have learnt all these words so quickly // You must have known them before
You sent an email to a colleague to phone you urgently as soon as he got to the office. That was yesterday and your colleague still hasn’t called. (She might have... // There could have...)
She might have gone on vacation // There could have been some troubles with email delivery system
The lights were on in Sally’s apartment but she didn’t answer the door when you rang the doorbell. (She might have ... // She could have ...)
She might have fallen asleep // She could have been busy doing her homework
I think my heart has stopped beating! I tried to feel my pulse this afternoon but I couldn’t feel a thing. ( I must have... // I might have...)
I must have become a vampire // I might have forgotten how to measure my pulse.
When I came home from the pub last night, I put the key in my front door but it wouldn’t fit. I tried three times and in the end I had to sleep in the car. (You must have... // You might have...)
You must have been trying to get into the wrong flat // You might have taken the wrong key
I think I’ve been ripped off. I ordered a camera on mail order and sent off a cheque for a thousand dollars. That was six weeks ago and I haven’t heard anything. (It could have... // They must have ...
It could have got lost in the post // They must have stolen your money and escaped the country.
