Modals BTA
Modals BTA
- to make perfect tenses (You have moved out without telling me?)
do (do, does)
- to make negatives (Lindsay does not reply my messages)
- to ask questions (Do you plan to invite me on you wedding?)
- to show emphasis (Our parents do insist that we stay at home this weekend)
- to stand for a main verb in some constructions (You drive better than she does)
For example:
- It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.
- I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.
- This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!
- Don’t worry, the doctor should come within minutes.
For example:
- She can speak six languages.
- My grandfather could play golf very well.
- I can't drive.
For example:
- Children must do their homework.
- We have to wear a uniform at work.
- You should stop smoking.
For example:
- Could I leave early today, please?
- You may not use the car tonight.
- Can we swim in the lake?
Modal
Expressing Example
Verb
Strong obligation You must stop when the traffic lights turn red.
must
logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He's been working all day long.
lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of tomatoes in
need not
obligation the fridge.
These past modal verbs are all used hypothetically, to talk about things that didn't really happen in the past.
COULD HAVE + PP
1. Could have means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the
past, but that you didn't do it.
- I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.
- They could have won the race, but they didn't try hard enough.
- Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.
- He could have studied harder, but he was too lazy and that's why he failed the exam.
2. We use could have when we want to make a guess about something that happened in the past. (See also
modals of probability.) In this case, we don't know if what we're saying is true or not true. We're just talking
about our opinion of what maybe happened.
In this case, we can also choose to use might have to mean the same thing:
- He might have got stuck in traffic.
- He might have forgotten that we were meeting today.
- He might have overslept.
3. Couldn't have means that something wasn't possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it.
- I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam ( it was impossible for me to have
arrived any earlier).
- He couldn't have passed the exam, even if he had studied harder. It's a really, really difficult exam.
Sometimes it is also common to use can’t have in this case, especially when we are sure that something did
not happen in the past.
- He can't have been at the meeting, he's on a business trip this week.
- They can't have bought it today because the shops are closed.
SHOULD HAVE + PP
1. Should have can mean something that would have been a good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like
giving advice about the past when you say it to someone else, or regretting what you did or didn't do when
you're talking about yourself. Shouldn't have means that something wasn't a good idea, but you did it
anyway.
Examples:
- I should have studied harder! (I didn't study very hard and so I failed the exam. I'm sorry about this now.)
- I should have gone to bed early (I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired).
- I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't feel good.)
- You should have called me when you arrived (You didn't call me and I was worried. I wish that you had
called me).
- John should have left early, then he wouldn't have missed the plane (but he didn't leave early and so he did
miss the plane).
2. We can also use should have to talk about something that would have happened if everything was fine,
but hasn't happened.
His plane should have arrived by now.
John should have finished work by now.
1. Part of the third conditional. (We’ll learn about it later in chapter 11 of this book)
- If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy a
car).
2. Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or not (volition), we can
also use would have to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third
conditional, but we don't need an if clause.
- I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy.
- I would have called you, but I didn't know your number.
- I would have helped you. (I didn't know you needed help).
2. MAIN VERBS
B. Linking Verbs (appear, be, become, feel, get, go, grow, look, prove, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay,
taste, turn)
A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It is called a linking verb because it links the subject to
a complement. A complement is either an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun that identifies or describes the
subject.
Some verbs describe action. They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses. Other verbs
describe state (non-action, a situation). They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with
continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning).
- stative verbs (examples): be, like, love, prefer, wish, impress, please, surprise, hear, see, sound, belong to,
consist of, contain, include, need, appear, resemble, seem
E. PHRASAL VERBS
A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a preposition, or both.
Typically, their meaning is not obvious from the meanings of the individual words themselves.
Or else, the following table (taken from the book BTA SMP) should help you remember more …
ask somebody out invite on a date Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
ask around ask many people the same question I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.
back something up reverse You'll have to back up your car so that I can get
out.
blow up explode The racing car blew up after it crashed into the
fence.
30. Easter Island, 3,000 km off the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean is very far from land. Today, it is a
small island with few people or trees , but at one time a lot of people lived there. Scientists believe that the
must not have landed
original inhabitants _____________________________________ by accident. Around 100 people
may have landed
_______________________________ on the western coast of the island. But then the number of inhabitants
must have used up all the food on the
increased too quickly. Scientists agree that the inhabitants ________________________________
island and finally all died. The Easter Island statues are famous, but nobody knows why they are there or
might have been gods
why there are so many . The statues _____________________________ , or Easter Island
could have been part
__________________________ of a much bigger island. The statues are very large and heavy , so they
can't have been easy to move.
________________________ Scientists still do not know how the inhabitants
may have discovered the island
__________________________ .
9. I don't know where they went on holiday but they bought Euros before they left so they
gone to France or Germany.
must have been on the phone continuously for hours.
10. His number was busy all night - he ___________
could have been Mickey I saw at the party. He didn't recognise me at all.
11. It ___________
can't have
12. I know you were in Bali. But I’m sorry, I had a company too. I______________invited you to my flat.