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
Hello jitu_jaga,
The sentence about Sachin Tendulkar you mention doesn't sound right to me, at least out of context. In other words, perhaps in a specific context it would make sense, but out of context it does not.
Your other sentences with 'would' to talk about possibility (rain or getting married) are also not standard. At least in British or American English, 'would' isn't used to speak about possibility in this way. It can be used within a conditional structure to speak about a possibility, but that is a different structure, which is clearly indicated in most cases with an 'if' clause.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi SonuKumar,
In answer to your first question, yes, that is correct.
'She must have gone home' means the speaker has good reasons to believe she went home, or that it is the only logical explanation they have at hand to explain a situation.
'She can't have gone home' means the speaker has reasons to believe that it is impossible that she went home.
'She must not have gone home' is not as strong. It means the speaker is making a supposition -- they think she probably did not go home, but don't have strong evidence for this.
I hope that makes it clear.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi TJ,
It's important to remember that modal verbs have multiple uses. One use of 'could' is as the past form of 'can' to describe possibility. It's helpful to compare the two:
The first sentence describes something that is generally possible (getting lost) in certain situations (when it is foggy). The second sentence describes something that was generally possible (getting lost) in certain situations (when it was foggy).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Hamdy Ali,
Yes, that is right. Both 'I'm sure' and 'I'm confident' are common ways to experss this. Good work!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team