Topic 1.2.2 Modals of deduction (Might, must, could)

Modals of Deduction (might, must, could)

Discussion questions

  1. If a colleague arrives late to a meeting looking stressed, what might you assume happened?
  2. If a competitor suddenly drops their prices, what might be the reason for this change?
  3. When sales numbers drop in a specific region, what reasons could you think of that might explain this?
  4. If an employee consistently works late, what might be the possible explanations?

Modals of Deduction

Modals of deduction are used to express how certain we are about something. They help us indicate the degree of certainty or possibility regarding a situation. In English, the modals “might,” “must,” “may”, and “could” are commonly used for this purpose.

 

must (when you are sure something is true)

The neighbours must be out. There aren’t any lights on in the house.

Your sister must have a lot of money if she drives a Porsche.

*In this context, the opposite is can’t or couldn’t, NOT mustn’t

The neighbours can’t be out. All the lights are on in the house.

NOT The neighbours mustn’t be out. All the lights are on in the house.

 

might, may, could (when you are sure something is possibly true)

Tony’s phone is switched off. He might be on the plane now, or just boarding.

Laura might not like that skirt. It’s not really her style.

*We don’t use can instead of may, might or could.

 

can’t, couldn’t (when you are sure something is impossible/not true)

Nigel can’t earn much money in his job. He’s still living with his parents.

That woman couldn’t be Jack’s wife. Her hair has dark hair.

Activity 1

Activity 2

Speaking

Business Questions

  1. Your company’s website is getting a lot of traffic, but conversions are low. What might be the reason?
  2. Your boss has been on several calls today and seems unusually quiet. What could be going on?
  3. The team is unusually quiet in today’s meeting. What might be the cause?
  4. Your biggest competitor is launching a new product this week, but there’s no major marketing buzz. What could that mean?
  5. A co-worker is frequently checking their phone during work hours. What might be happening?
  6. Sales in a particular product line are consistently strong, but customer satisfaction surveys are low. What might that indicate?
  7. You notice several employees gathered in a small meeting room, and no official meeting is scheduled. What could be the reason?
  8. A client who usually responds quickly has been delaying communication for a week. What might be going on?

 

General Questions

  1. Your neighbour’s car hasn’t moved in several days, but you can see lights on inside their house. What might be happening?
  2. You hear loud music coming from your neighbour’s house in the middle of the afternoon. What could that mean?
  3. A friend suddenly cancels plans and hasn’t responded to your messages all day. What might be the issue?
  4. You see someone dressed in business attire at a café at 3 p.m. on a weekday. What could be the reason for that?
  5. You notice a large group of people outside a store with no signs or promotions. What might be going on?
  6. A family member is unusually quiet during dinner. What could be on their mind?
  7. Your phone keeps buzzing with notifications, but when you check, there are no messages. What might be causing that?
  8. You see a long line at a coffee shop that’s usually empty in the afternoon. What could be happening?

Activity 3

Video 

Watch four friends—Tessa, Lizzie, Jess, and Antoine—trying to guess objects based on close-up photos. As they make guesses, they use different modal verbs of deduction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjVcNegFJEU

Comprehension questions

Watch from 00:00-01:59

  1. Can you name two everyday situations where people might use modals of deduction, according to the speaker?
  2. Who are the four friends helping in this video?
  3. What task does the speaker ask the viewers to complete while watching the video?

 

Watch from 02:00-02:50

  1. What do the participants first think the object might be when they see the close-up photo?
  2. What modal verbs are used by the participants when they discuss the object?
  3. Why does one of the participants think the object can’t be a mango?

 

Watch from 02:51-06:37

  1. What are some of the guesses the participants make about the second object
  2. Which modal verbs of deduction do they use while trying to guess the object?

 

Speaking

Did you guess the objects?

What helped you to work it out?

Listening: Listen to the audio and answer the questions:

  1. What is the test that the mother made about?
  2. What is picture number one?
  3. Does any of the sons get the right answer for picture 2? What are their suggestions?
  4. What is picture 3? Which of the sons gets it right?
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