Flashcards

MODAL VERBS OF PROBABILITY

KARLA JANNETH GUTIERREZ GUTIERREZ Espanhol 5 flashcards

Flashcards do conjunto (5)

1MODAL VERBS OF PROBABILITY Sometimes Modal auxiliary verbs can express probability, or how certain a situation is.֍Probability in the present and future
Must and Can't espresses the logical conclusion of a situation.
Must = logically probable
(Ex. He must be exhausted. He hasn't slept for 24 hours)
2Can't= logically improbable We're not absolutely sure but we're pretty certain (Ex. She can't have a ten-year-old daughter! She's only 24!)May/might/could express probability in the present or future
(Ex. He might be lost)
May/might + not is negative. Couldn'tis rare in this use.
3The continuous infinitive is formed with be + ing (Ex. You must be joking I could be sitting)֍Asking about possibilities
Questions forms with with modal verbs of probability are unusual.We usually use: Do you think ...?
(Ex. Do you think she's married? She can't be)
4֍ Probability in the past The perfect infinitive is formed with have+past participle. (Ex. He must have caught a later train)These forms express degrees of probability in the past.
(Ex. He must have been exhausted
She can't have told him about us us yet
The letter may have got lost in the past)
5The continuous infinitive is formed with have+been+ing (Ex. She must have been joking They can't have been trying very hard He could have been lying to you)֍