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modals in the past

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  • She _________ (see) you yesterday; she was in another city.
    can’t have seen you / couldn’t have seen you
  • You _________ (tell) me you were running late; we waited outside for 20 minutes.
    should have told me / ought to have told me
  • Trina was able to make a quick decision about the new job
    advice
    deduction / speculation
    ability
    obligation
  • We _________(cancel) the meeting because the CEO was ill.
    had to cancel /needed to cancel
  • You _________ (worry) so much, everything turned out fine.
    needn’t have worried / didn’t need to worry
  • You _________ (ignore) her message; now the issue is bigger
    shouldn’t have ignored / ought not to have ignored
  • You _________ (buy) new notebooks; we had plenty at home.
    needn’t have bought / didn't need to buy
  • They’ve been talking for hours. Surely they must have come to a decision.
    deduction / speculation
    permission
    obligation
    ability
  • Did you manage to finish your project?
    ability
    advice
    obligation
    permission
  • I wasn’t allowed to take a gap year. My parents wouldn’t let me
    advice
    deduction / speculation
    obligation
    permission
  • He _________ (call) us, but he didn’t.
    could have called / might have called
  • He _________ (leave) already; his coat isn’t here anymore.
    must have left
  • Fred probably shouldn’t have left school when he was 16.
    permission
    advice
    ability
    obligation
  • With a bit more luck, Manchester United could have won.
    permission
    deduction / speculation
    advice
    ability
  • We could only have ice cream if we finished our main course.
    ability
    permission
    obligation
    advice
  • I _________ (check) the schedule more carefully; I missed the deadline.
    ought to have checked / should have checked
  • They _________ (misunderstand) the instructions; that would explain the mistake.
    might have misunderstood / may have misunderstood / could have misunderstood
  • She _________ (finish) the task; the file was corrupted.
    couldn’t have finished / can’t have finished / couldn't finish
  • They _________ (tell) us earlier; now we can’t change anything.
    should have told us / ought to have told us
  • I didn’t have to choose which university until I got my results
    permission
    obligation
    ability
    deduction / speculation
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