Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
B2 Section 9 : Modal verbs - Coggle Diagram
B2 Section 9 : Modal verbs
Will
and
Would
Will
to talk about things are very predicable
She'll read for hours if she is alone.
to talk about how materials behave or about how big or fast something is
Hot air will always rise.
to make guess about the present, the guess is based on what usually happens.
will + infinitive or future continuous
Lucy will be at home at the moment. (I think this because she is usually at home at this time.)
Would
to talk about typical behaviour or habit in the past
often use a time expression to make the meaning clearer.
Lucy would read for hours when she was a child.
should
for guesses about the present
to make guesses about the present
It's called logical necessity
means 'if everything else is normal, then this is true'
He should be at home now. He left ages ago. (= If everything is normal, he is at home now.)
can also use to make guesses about the future
He should arrive in a few minutes. (= If everything is normal, he will arrive in a few minutes.)
Can and could for general truths and tendencies
to say that something often happens or is possible in a certain situation.
to talking about a typical characteristic of something.
London can be cold in June.
to talk about people's typical behaviour
He can be grumpy
use 'could' for the past of this use of 'can'.
My village had only one bus an hour and the bus could be very late
should have/shouldn't have
for past regrets
to talk about things that we regret in the past or to talk about how someone did something wrong in the past.
I failed the exam. I should have studied more. (But I didn't study much.)
Should/shoudn't + have + past participate
must have
and
can't have
for logical necessity in the past
to talk about things that we believe happened in the past.
Must have
is for things we are almost certain were true.
Why didn't Julie come to meet us yesterday? She must have been at work
Can't have
is for things that we are almost certain aren't true.
Why didn't Julie come to meet us yesterday? She can't have been at home
might have
and
could have
for logical necessity in the past
really have the same meaning with
might/could
She might have gone home. (= I think it's possible she went home, but I'm not sure.)
might + have + past participate