2 modals to express degree of certainty

8/18/2019 2 Modals to Express Degree of Certainty

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Modals to ExpressDegrees of Certainty

Nosy Neighbors

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Focus on Gramm ar 5Part II, Unit 6By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ WellsCopyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Nosy Neighbors 2

I haven’tseen the

Chins for amonth.

They mayhave been

abducted by

aliens.

Or theymight be

staying withtheir son for

a while.

Well, theycouldn’t have

gone on

vacation. Thedog is still there.

Hmmm. They must have

moved to an

exotic island.

Then theyshould be

very happy.


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Speculating about the Present

Modals speculating about the present arefollowed by a base form verb .

Then they shou ld be very happy.

base form verb

You cou ld be right.


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Review

Modals and modal-like expressions expressdegrees of certainty .

Degree of Certaintycertain near

certaintynearimpossibility

lesscertain

nomodal

musthave tohave got to

can’tcouldn’t

maymightcould


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He had to have robbed abank.

They must have moved toan exotic island.

Near Certainty

There are several modals that express near certainty,including m ust have and had t o h ave.


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Less Certainty

There are several modals that express less certainty,including m ay , and m i g h t .

They may have been abductedby aliens.

They might be staying with theirson.


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Practice 1Use modals to suggest reasons forthese classroom situations. Speculateon what might have happened.

Example : One of your classmates is late.She must have gotten stuck in traffic.There was a big accident.

1. You smell smoke.

2. The teacher is angry.

3. The desks are shaking.

4. You can’t find your textbook.

5. The lights go out.


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She ough t to take us for a drive soon.

Modals speculating about the future are also followedby a base form verb. The modals shou ld and o u g h tto express near certainty.

Speculating about the Future 1

That Ferrari shou ld last a lifetime.


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Speculating about the Future 2

Use m ay , m i g h t , and cou ld when you areless certain.

The Chins may not return.

The house might get sold.

They could move next month.


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Practice 2Use modals to express future

possibilities about these present situations.

Example : We shop for food at grocery stores.‘Smart’ kitchens might calculate what we need andorder it electronically. In the future, householdcomputers may do all our shopping.

1. Ordinary people don’t travel in space.

2. Houses are made of wood.

3. People pay for products with cash or credit cards.

4. Our fingerprints provide identification.

2 modals to express degree of certainty

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