Modal Verbs and Functions Flashcards

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: "Tom ___ the report to the client yet. I've just checked, and it's still sitting in his drafts folder."

Answer: can't have sent

For a confident negative deduction about the past, standard English uses 'can't have' or 'couldn't have' + past participle. The email in the drafts folder is evidence that sending it was impossible. 'Mustn't have' is not used for negative deduction in standard British English. 'Needn't have' means something was done but wasn't necessary, and 'shouldn't have' criticises an action that did happen.

Which sentence clearly shows that the speaker DID do something that turned out to be unnecessary?

Answer: I needn't have booked a table — the restaurant was almost empty.

'Needn't have' + past participle means the action was carried out but proved unnecessary. The speaker booked, and the booking was wasted. 'Didn't need to' and 'didn't have to' usually mean the action was not necessary and was not done, as the follow-up clauses confirm. 'Mustn't have booked' is not a standard way to express deduction.

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: "Despite the blizzard, the climbers ___ reach the summit, and they radioed base camp from the top at 6 p.m."

Answer: were able to

When talking about a specific achievement on one occasion in the past, affirmative 'could' is not normally used. We use 'was/were able to' or 'managed to' instead. 'Could' is fine for general past ability ('She could swim at five') and in negatives ('They couldn't reach it'), but not for one successful event. 'Might' expresses possibility, and 'would' expresses future-in-the-past or habit, so neither describes a confirmed accomplishment.

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: "There's nothing worth watching and the shops are closed, so we ___ go to bed early."

Answer: might as well

'Might as well' (or 'may as well') suggests doing something because there is no better alternative, which fits the situation. 'May well' and 'could well' express strong probability ('It may well rain'), not a resigned choice. 'Would sooner' expresses preference and normally contrasts two options ('I'd sooner stay in than go out'), so it doesn't fit naturally here.

Choose the option that best completes the sentence: "It's rather odd that she ___ have left the party without saying goodbye to anyone — that's not like her at all."

Answer: should

This is 'putative should', used after expressions of surprise, emotion or judgement such as 'It's odd/strange/surprising that...'. It presents the event as something being reacted to, not as a statement of obligation. 'Must have' would be a deduction, which clashes with 'It's odd that'. 'Would have' suggests an unreal or hypothetical past. 'Ought' needs 'to' ('ought to have'), so 'ought have' is ungrammatical.

In the sentence "He WILL leave his wet towels on the bedroom floor, no matter how many times I ask him not to," with 'will' stressed in speech, what function does 'will' have?

Answer: It criticises an annoying, characteristic habit that he insists on.

When 'will' is stressed in speech (and not contracted), it expresses irritation at someone's typical, stubborn behaviour. The phrase 'no matter how many times I ask him not to' confirms the speaker's annoyance at a repeated habit. 'Will' can express deduction ('That will be the postman'), but that use refers to a present situation and carries no annoyance. It is not a request, and this sentence is about present habit, not the future.