Perfect modals

Perfect Modals

Perfect Modals

Perfect modal in English work in similar ways to perfect verb tenses. We form them with the verb have and the past participle of the main verb. When we change an ordinary modal verb to a perfect modal, we change the meaning. In this post I will talk about how to form and use perfect modals.

What are perfect modals?

We form perfect modals with have and the past participle. We always use the following formula to make a statement with perfect modals: subject + ordinary modal + have + past participle To ask a question, we reverse the subject and the ordinary modal. ordinary modal + subject + have + past participle

Perfect modals of ability, permission, and possibility

When ordinary modals become perfect modals, they often express possibility, even if the ordinary models suggested other things. The ordinary modals of ability are can and could. The perfect modal of ability is could have + past participle. He could have driven himself to work today. This sentence has several meanings. He had the ability and/or permission in the past to drive himself to work. It is possible that he drives himself to work, but we are not 100% sure. In this case, could have…becomes a modal of possibility.

Now look at the negative

He couldn’t have driven himself to work today. This sentence also has two meanings. He did not have the ability and/or permission to drive himself to work. We are 100% sure that he did not drive himself to work. This is stronger than the same sentence in the affirmative. 🤔 Here is a question... Could he have driven himself to work today? I’m not sure. Maybe.

Perfect modal of (permission) and possibility

The ordinary modals for permission are can and may. The ordinary modals of possibility are may and might. When these modals become perfect modals, they all become modals of possibility. ->Carlos may have fixed his car if he had had the chance. This is something that could have happened, but we are not sure. There is also some regret that he never had the chance to fix his car. ->I might (have studied harder if I had known that the test would be this hard. This also expresses possibility. I am not sure I would have studied harder, but it’s possible. Again, I regret not studying harder. ->She might not (may not) have come if she had known it would snow. We are not 100% certain that she would have stayed home because of the weather, but it is possible. She may regret going out in the snow. To ask a question, use would. Would you have studied harder if you had known how hard the test was? I probably would have. The perfect modal would have expresses regret for what I did not do.

Perfect modals of (advice) regret

You may be familiar with the ordinary modals of advice, should, ought to, and had better. Look at these sentences when they are changed to perfect modals. ->I should have called you before I left. This expresses regret that I did not call you. ->They ought to have finished working by now. This is a deduction or a conclusion. It is 8:00 pm. The workday is long over. ->We can also say, “They should have finished working by now.” The two sentences have the same meaning. ->He had better have paid the rent today! This is a strong statement meaning that if he did not pay the rent today, he may lose his home. ->To ask a question, use should have. ->Should I have called you before I left? Yes, I would have appreciated it.

The perfect modal would have

The perfect modal would have… is often used in a conditional sentence to express regret. ->I would have bought a better car if I had known that this one would break down. This expresses regret that I bought the wrong car. The condition was that I did not know that the car I bought had problems. This perfect modal can also express possibility when used in a question. ->Would he have taken the train to work if it stopped near his house? Maybe. It’s possible.

Perfect modals of (necessity and obligation) deduction

The ordinary modals of necessity and obligation are must and have to. Let us see what happens when they become perfect modals. ->He must have seen the Statue of Liberty. He came to New York by ship. This is no longer a modal of necessity. It is now a deduction. Everyone who comes to New York by ship sees the Statue of Liberty, so I am sure that he saw it. ->She has to have read that book. Her professor assigns it every year. This is also a deduction. ->We must not have filled out the forms correctly. They didn’t process our credit card application. This is also a deduction. Not that we use must not for the negative, not mustn’t. ->We ask a question with these perfect modals a little bit differently. We use the simple past tense. Since I am not sure of the answer, I am answering with a modal. ->Did she work hard all of her life? Yes, she must have. She was never home with her family. No, probably not. She may have taken too many days off.

Fill in the blank with the correct perfect modal. In most cases you will also need the past participle. In may cases you may have more than one correct answer. Example: I should have gotten(get) a flu shot this year. I didn’t like being sick. Use the following perfect modals: could have, may have, might have, should have, ought to have, had better have, would have, must have, have to have

1. They______________(arrive) in Texas by now. Their flight took off 6 hour ago. 2. I’m not sure, but it____________(rain) last night. 3. I____________(think) about how hard it is to get a new job before got mad and quit. 4. _________you________(choose) a different major of you were starting college today?

1. must have arrived, have to have arrived, should have arrived, ought to have arrived

2. may have rained, might have rained, could have rained

3. should have thought, ought to have thought

4. would; have chosen

Example: I should have gotten(get) a flu shot this year. I didn’t like being sick. Use the following perfect modals: could have, may have, might have, should have, ought to have, had better have, would have, must have, have to have

5. His car isn’t here. He_____________(forget)we were coming to visit and decided to leave. 6. I’m not completely sure, but I _____________(visit) Mesa Verde when I was a small child. 7. He_____________(understood) that French movie. French is his native language. 8. She______________(turn) her paper in on time. She’s about to fail the class. 9. You______________(be) more careful about what you said. You know how easily he gets angry. 10. Do you think their car________________ (break down). I don’t know. It_____________.

5. could have forgotten, may have forgotten, might have forgotten

6. might have visited, may have visited, could have visited

7. has to have understood, must have understood

8. had better have turned

9. ought to have been, should have been, could have been

10. could have broken down; could have, may have, might have

Thank you students! 😊

TEACHER BRENDA RAMÍREZ 👩‍🏫✨

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