Level: beginner
Possibility
We use may, might and could to say that something is possible, but not certain:
They may come by car. (= Maybe they will come by car.)
They might be at home. (= Maybe they are at home.)
If we don't hurry, we could be late. (= Maybe we will be late.)
We use can to make general statements about what is possible:
It can be very cold here in winter. (= It is sometimes very cold here in winter.)
You can easily get lost in this town. (= People often get lost in this town.)
| Be careful! |
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We do not use can to talk about specific events:
Notice the difference in meaning between can and may/might/could:
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- can and may/might/could
Level: intermediate
We use may have, might have or could have to make guesses about the past:
I haven't received your letter. It may have got lost in the post.
It's ten o'clock. They might have arrived by now.
Where are they? They could have got lost.
We use could to make general statements about the past:
It could be very cold there in winter. (= It was sometimes very cold there in winter.)
You could easily get lost in that town. (= People often got lost in that town.)
- could and could have
Impossibility
Level: beginner
We use can't or cannot to say that something is impossible:
That can't be true.
You cannot be serious.
Level: intermediate
We use can't have or couldn't have to say that a past event was impossible:
They know the way here. They can't have got lost!
If Jones was at work until six, he couldn't have done the murder.
Certainty
Level: beginner
We use must to show we are sure something is true and we have reasons for our belief:
It's getting dark. It must be quite late.
You haven’t eaten all day. You must be hungry.
We use should to suggest something is true and we have reasons for our suggestion:
Ask Miranda. She should know.
It's nearly six o'clock. They should arrive soon.
Level: intermediate
We use must have and should have for the past:
They hadn't eaten all day. They must have been hungry.
You look happy. You must have heard the good news.
It's nearly eleven o'clock. They should have arrived by now.
- Probability 1
- Probability 2
- Probability 3
- Probability 4
- Probability 5
Comments
Hello hikaru tsuki,
Which of these you use depends on what you consider the current, normal or likely state. For example, if I say 'I might come' then I am suggesting or assuming that the normal situation is not coming, and I am saying that there is a chance of this changing.
As another example, if I look out of the window and say 'It might rain' then I am suggesting that the normal/expect weather is dry, but that rain has become a possiblility.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, teachers.
I wander if this sentence correct, I mean the use of (might not) to talk about an impossible situation in the past?
Here is the sentence (They lost the game yesterday. They might not have played well.)??
Hello Karzan,
You can use 'might not' with 'have played' to speculate about the past, but I wouldn't call that an impossible situation. By the way, another way to speculate about why they lost is: 'Perhaps they didn't play well'.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Please, can someone tell me which one of these is correct:
1) May John keep doing the task....
or
2) May John keeps doing the task...
Hello Adediran,
The first sentence is correct, though it is not a particularly natural or likely sentence.
After modal verbs such as 'may' we use the base form of the verb, without the third-person 's'.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
can anyone please explain the rules of having .
I mean which one will be right
I am doing fun
I am having fun
Hello habib047,
I'd encourage you to look up 'fun' in the dictionary – see the Search box on the lower right. 'do' does not collocate (go with) 'fun', but 'have fun' is a common phrase, as you'll see in the dictionary.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello teachers. I have a question for you if you don't mind. Please can someone say why in this sentence the 'would' instead of 'would have'?
I thought back to our childhood, when she and I would find ourselves walking ...
Hello rewand,
This is 'would' used to describe past habits. For example, I could say 'When I was a child, I would go for long walks every morning'.
'Would have' here would describe an unreal past - something the speaker would have done (if it had been possible).
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Here is two confusing sentence...
1. If we don’t hurry we could be late.
>>>Here could be is used to shows something is possible in future.
but,
2. It could be very cold in winter.
>>>Here could be is used to describe past. how??
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