Modals of deduction: past – B2 English Grammar Test

1  Choose the correct options to complete the sentences.

1   The escaped prisoners must have has / had / having help from one of the guards.

2   It might / can / can’t have taken you six months to read that book. It’s only 60 pages!

3   Without Sgt Reece’s determination the murder might have / has / had gone unsolved.

4   I didn’t recognise Fran. She must / mustn’t / don’t have dyed her hair.

5   They lived on Dover Street, but they can / can’t / might have moved since then.

6   The burglar can’t have / had / having realised that his phone was recording his crime.

7   Everyone agreed he was guilty so the evidence might / must / can’t have been clear.

8   It may have been deliberate or it must / could / can have been an accident.

2  Match 1–7 to A–H. There is one extra option.

1   My bike has disappeared.   …D…

2   Our air conditioner was broken all summer.

3   My bag was 12 kilos overweight on the return flight.

4   That parcel hasn’t arrived yet.

5   Grace is never usually late for work.

6   Do you think I should change my password?

7   They should be here by now.

A   She must have overslept.

B   It may have got delivered to the wrong address.

C   You must have bought lots of souvenirs!

D   Someone must have stolen it.

E    Probably. You might have been hacked.

F    They can’t have learned much.

G   That can’t have been very comfortable for you.

H   Yes, they should. But they could have got lost.

3  Read each situation. Then write a deduction using must have, might have or can’t have and the prompts in brackets. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1   An elephant was walking down Oxford Street in London.

      ……They might have been making a film. …… (They / be making / a film)

2   A man who robbed a bank in New York was seen in Paris 40 mins later.

      …………………………………… (It / be / his twin)

3   Someone in Texas won the lottery three times in five years.

      …………………………………… (He / cheat)

4   A plate fell off the top of a tall building but it didn’t smash.

      …………………………………… (It / be / a real plate)

5   A man in Scotland ate no food for 382 days.

      …………………………………… (He / lose / a lot of / weight)

6   A woman paid 1 million euros for a potato.

      …………………………………… (She / need / the money)

4  Rewrite the sentences using the modal verbs in brackets.

1   It’s possible that someone stole Lauren’s headphones.

      ……Someone might have stolen Lauren’s headphones. …… (might)

2   It’s impossible that William has broken his leg again.

      …………………………………… (can’t)

3   Maybe someone took photos of the attacker.

      …………………………………… (could)

4   I’m sure that the investigation took a long time.

      …………………………………… (must)

5   Perhaps someone gave the police new evidence.

      …………………………………… (may)

6   It’s not possible that the burglars got in through that tiny window.

      …………………………………… (can’t)

5  Complete the news story using must/can’t + infinitive or must/might/can’t + have + past participle. Use the verbs in the box.

It 1……must be…… one of the strangest crimes of the century. At some point between Thursday night and Friday morning two farm horses in north Florida were painted bright pink. Police are still trying to work out what happened. The suspects 2……………… the farm on foot as no one heard any noise. Farmer Jay Hughes thinks the act 3……………… committed by an angry ex-employee. Others believe that it 4……………… carried out by kids, playing a joke. ‘At the moment we 5……………… sure of anything,’ said Sheriff Lucy Wyndham, ‘except that it 6……………… an accident. We’re talking to local shops where the suspects 7……………… the paint.’ The mystery continues.