Ohne Titel

PROBABILITY

• CERTAINTY - LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS
• Positive certainty in the present: MUST
• My doctor must be married. She wears a wedding ring.
• Inflation must be falling because prices are lower these days.
• Derek must be a lawyer because he is always quoting parts from the civil code.

Folie 2

• POSITIVE CERTAINTY IN THE PAST: MUST HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
• Louis is wearing crutches. He must have had an accident.
• The audience gave Martha a standing ovation. She must have sung very well.
• I saw Mark buying very fancy clothes yesterday. He must have gone on a date.

Folie 3

• NEGATIVE LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS IN THE PRESENT: CAN'T
• Will can't be the thief. He has never committed a crime before.
• Jerry can't be going to jail. He is not guilty for the murder.
• NEGATIVE LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS IN THE PAST: CAN'T HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
• The door of the museum wasn't forced, so the burglars can't have broken it.
• Mark was with me at school when Jeniffer's purse went missing. He can't have stolen it.

POSSIBILITY

• PRESENT: COULD/MAY/MIGHT + BARE INFINITIVE
• Paula could be on holiday.
• I might have flu.
• I may go with you to the party if you want.
• PAST: COULD/MAY/MIGHT HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
• Freda might have overslept
• I could have gone to the party with you if you wanted.
• CONTINUOUS FORMS:
• Laura might be visiting some relatives in Florida.
• The missing girl may have been wearing a blue skirt.

Folie 5

• REMEMBER:
• There is no real difference between might, may and could.
• The negative forms of may and might are may not and might not, and they aren't usually contracted.
• The negative form of could is couldn't. The meaning is similar to can't.