You ______ (must / might / can’t) be joking! That’s unbelievable.
must
This tense is used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past.
Past perfect
This can’t be Jane’s bag. She ______ (must / might / can’t) have left it at home.
must
She ______ (not sleep) well recently because of the noisy construction.
hasn’t been sleeping
forgotten / must / have / phone / her / at / she / home / .
She must have forgotten her phone at home.
Choose the correct sentence:
They had eaten dinner by the time we arrived.
They ate dinner by the time we arrived.
Fill in the blanks: I ______ (meet) my best friend in 2019, and we ______ (stay) close ever since.
met, have stayed
He ______ (has been playing / played) football for two hours.
has been playing
Choose the correct sentence:
He might be tired because he didn’t sleep last night.
He must be tired because he didn’t sleep last night.
This grammar type is used to make guesses about a situation based on evidence or logic.
Modals of deduction
Fill in the blanks: She ______ (travel) to Hanoi last year, but she ______ (not visit) Ha Long Bay yet.
travelled, hasn’t visited
Fill in the blanks: We ______ (finish) our homework already, so we ______ (watch) TV last night.
have finished, watched
Choose the correct sentence:
He bought a new phone yesterday.
He has bought a new phone yesterday.
been / ever / have / to / you / Japan / ?
Have you ever been to Japan?
After he ______ (finish) his project, he ______ (go) to bed.
had finished, went
By the time the teacher arrived, the students ______ (already start) the activity.
had already started
She ______ (leave) the house before I ______ (wake up).
had left, woke up
the / they / last / watched / movie / week / .
They watched the movie last week.
playing / been / football / has / for / hours / he / two / .
He has been playing football for two hours.
They ______ (work) on this project since last Monday.
have been working
the / might / be / answer / correct / .
The answer might be correct.
The door is open. Someone ______ (might / must / can’t) be home.
must
I ______ (see) that movie three times, but I ______ (watch) it again with my friends last weekend.
have seen, watched
I ______ (study) for three hours. I need a break.
have been studying
hadn’t / studied / failed / he / the / he / test / because / .
He failed the test because he hadn’t studied.
This grammar type helps explain ongoing actions or habits in the recent past, focusing on their effect now. For example: "I’ve been feeling tired lately."
Present perfect continuous
This combination of tenses is used to compare a completed action in the past with an action that still has relevance to the present. For example: "I visited Paris last summer, but I haven’t visited Rome yet."
Present perfect and past simple
after / eaten / left / had / they / they / the / house / .
They had left the house after they had eaten.
has / been / she / practicing / piano / the / since / morning / .
She has been practicing the piano since morning.
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