It is just one of a number of possibilities. This form is not as strong as might or may. Use could to express a possibility which is one of many. I think he wanted to practice French this summer.

Jack might have gone to France for her vacation.To use might as a modal verb in the past tense, you could say: Past = might / may + have + past participle (done).The construction for may and might in the past tense is: David may invite Jessica to the match.She might come this evening, but she also had some work to do.The construction would be:Įxamples of using might or may in the present tense include: Use might or may to express an opinion that you think has a good possibility of being true. Alice must have asked for some help on the test because she got an A.Past = must have + past participle (done)Įxamples of the modal verb must in the past tense include:.The construction for the modal verb must in the past tense is: Jack must think I'm crazy because I think grammar is easy!.Some examples of the modal verb must in the present tense include:

Use must plus the verb when you are almost 100 percent sure that something is the case. For ease of grading, the answers follow the brief test. When finished reviewing the various modal verbs, take the quiz-or have students take the quiz-after the examples. But the speaker does not know for sure, which makes the verb must a modal verb of probability. For example, 'He must be at work it's 10 o'clock.' In this sentence, the speaker is nearly sure that the person is at work based on the speaker's knowledge that the person in question usually works during the day. Put another way, you use modal verbs when you want to guess something, notes Perfect English. Modal verbs of probability are used to express an opinion of the speaker based on information that the speaker has.

Modal verbs of probability exercises