Past modals
Paraphrase the following phrases using the words in brackets:
e.g. I can play football quite well. (when a child) -
When a child I could play football quite well.
He may write a book about ghosts in a month. (long ago) -
He may have written a book about ghosts long ago.
1. He may be studying in his room. (when I called him)
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2. Jade can’t beat Ellen in tennis. (last weekend).
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3. She’s quite able to lift this suitcase, it isn’t heavy. (when she went on holiday)
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4. The situation is bad, but it could be worse. (yesterday)
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5. Nicky must be asleep now. (when his parents called at his bedroom)
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6. You must be tired. (you came home late yesterday)
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7. They can’t know many people here. (when they moved to their new house)
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8. My neighbour can’t be playing the trumpet. I’ve never heard him playing. (previous)
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9. That man outside the café might be waiting for someone. (we saw last night)
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10. Jane looks pale, she may be ill. (on Monday)
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11. You must come immediately. (when I asked you)
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12. You mustn’t leave the lecture without professor’s permission. (when you were at university)
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13. You should apologise for talking to her like that. (yesterday)
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14. You shouldn’t listen to our conversation, it’s private. (last time we saw you)
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Past modals
Keys
1. He may be studying in his room. (when I called him)
He may have been studying in his room when I called him.
2. Jade can’t beat Ellen in tennis. (last weekend).
Last week Jade couldn’t beat Ellen in tennis.
3. She’s quite able to lift this suitcase, it isn’t heavy. (when she went on holiday)
When she went on holiday, she was quite able to lift that suitcase, it wasn’t heavy.
4. The situation is bad, but it could be worse. (yesterday)
The situation was bad yesterday, but it could have been worse.
5. Nicky must be asleep now. (when his parents called at his bedroom)
Nicky must have been asleep when his parents called at his bedroom.
6. You must be tired. (you came home late yesterday)
You must have been tired when you came home late yesterday.
7. They can’t know many people here. (when they moved to their new house)
They can’t have known many people here when they moved to their new house.
8. My neighbour can’t be playing the trumpet. I’ve never heard him playing. (previous)
My previous neighbor can’t have been playing the trumpet. I’d never heard him playing.
9. That man outside the café might be waiting for someone. (we saw last night)
That man we saw last night outside the café might have been waiting for someone.
10. Jane looks pale, she may be ill. (on Monday)
Jade looked pale on Monday, she may have been ill.
11. You must come immediately. (when I asked you)
You had to come immediately when I asked you.
12. You mustn’t leave the lecture without professor’s permission. (when you were at university)
When you were at university, you were not allowed to leave the lecture without professor’s permission.
13. You should apologise for talking to her like that. (yesterday)
You should have apologised yesterday for talking to her like that.
14. You shouldn’t listen to our conversation, it’s private. (last time we saw you)
You shouldn’t have listened to our conversation last time we saw you, it was private.
