Modal Verbs of Probability

Click here for all the exercises about modal verbs We can use these modal verbs (also called modals of deduction, speculation or certainty) when we want to make a guess about something. We choose the verb depending on how sure we are.

1: Talking about the present: must / might / could / may / can't

must + infinitive might / might not + infinitive could / could not + infinitive may / may not + infinitive cant + infinitive

For example: I am waiting for Julie with another friend, David. I ask: 'Where is Julie?' David guesses:

She must be on the bus. (I'm fairly sure this is a good guess) She might come soon. (maybe) She could be lost. (maybe) She may be in the wrong room. (maybe) She cant be at home. (I'm fairly sure this isn't true)

Notice that the opposite of must is cant in this case.

Will / won't
We use will and wont when we are very sure:

Shell be at work now.

Should / shouldnt
Should and shouldn't are used to make an assumption about what is probably true, if everything is as we expect:

They should be there by now. It shouldnt take long to drive here.

This use of should isnt usually used for negative events, instead use will:

The underground will be very busy now (not: 'should be').

Can
Can is used for something that is generally possible, something we know sometimes happens:

Prices can be high in London.

Can is not used to talk about specific possibilities:

He could be on the bus (not: 'can be').

2: Using modal verbs to talk about the past: must / might / could / may / can't + have + past participle
(Click here to review how to make the past participle)

must have + past participle might / might not have + past participle could / couldnt have + past participle may / may not have + past participle cant have + past participle

For example: You: Where was Julie last night? David:

She must have forgotten about our date. She might have worked late. She could have taken the wrong bus. She may have felt ill. She cant have stayed at home.

Will / wont + have + past participle

Will and won't / will not + have + past participle are used for past certainty (compare with present use of 'will' above):

The parcel will have arrived before now.

Should + have + past participle

Should + have + past participle can be used to make an assumption about something that has probably happened, if everything is as we expect (compare with present sue of 'should' above):

The train should have left by now

Could
We can use could to talk about a general possibility in the past (compare with the use of 'can' above):

Prices could be high in the sixteenth century.

This is not used to talk about specific possibilites in the past:

He could have been working late (not: 'could be', which is present)

VERBS enable

NOUN ability

ADJECTIVE able unable

ADVERB ably

absence absentee absent accident accommodate acknowledge accomodation acknowledgemen t action activity activist actress actor activation addition additive adequacy inadequacy admire admiration advantage disadvantage advertise admit adopt advise advertisement advertiser admission admittance adoption advice advisability affection affect agree disagree effect agreement disagreement alcohol allow allowance ambition amuse annoy amusement annoyance ambitious advisable inadvisable affectionate unaffectionate effective ineffective agreeable disagreeable alcoholic agreeably disagreeably alcoholically advisably inadvisably additional additive adequate inadequate admirable advantageous disadvantageous admirably active inactive accidental

act activate add

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excitement anxiety anxious apologetic apparent apologetically apparently

apologise appear disappear applaud apply appoint appreciate approve disapprove argue arrange arrive assist associate assume astonish attend

apology appearance disapperance applause applauder application applicant appointment appreciation approval disapproval argument argumentation arrangement arrival assistance association assumption astonishment attendance attention

applicable

applicably

appreciative

arguable argumentative

arguably

attentive attractive unattractive avoidable unavoidable ADJECTIVE basically avoidably unavoidably ADVERB basis beautifully believably unbelievably

attract avoid ERBS base beautify believe bleed

attraction attractiveness unattractiveness avoidance NOUN base basic

beauty beautician beautiful belief disbelief blood believable unbelievable

bravery breathe broaden brighten breath breadth brightness brilliance burry calculate burial calculation calculator caution change change changeability child childhood choose circle civilise classify enclose collect comfort compare compel compete complete compose conclude confirm confide choice circle civiilsation civics class classification enclosure collection collector comfort discomfort comparison compulsion competition competitor completion composition composer conclusion confirmation confidence

brave breathless broad bright brilliant

cautious changeable childish childlike unchangeable

circular civil civic civilised uncivilised

collective comfortable uncomfortable comparative comparable compulsory competitive complete imcomplete comfortably uncomfortably comparably compulsorily

confident unconfident

confidential confess confirm confuse congratulate confession confirmation confusion congratulation consciousness unconsciousness conserve consider construct consume continue discontinue conservation consideration construction consumption continuation discontinuation convenience inconvenience converse cook correct encourage discourage conversation cook cooker correction courage encouragement discouragement cowardice create creation creature creator crime criminal criticize critic criticism curiosity cruelty custom damage endanger damage danger dangerous continuous discontinuous continual convenient inconvenient conversational cookery correct incorrect corrective courageous coward creative criminal critical curious cruel customary considerable inconsiderable constructive considerably inconsiderably conscious unconscious confirmed unconfirmed

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darkness day

dark daily deaf deceitful decisive indecisive

deafen

deafness deceit

decide decorate deepen defend deliver depend describe destroy determine develop dictate die differ differentiate direct discover discuss

decision decoration decorator depth defence defendant delivery dependence independence description destruction determination development dictation death difference differentiation

deep defensive indefensible deliverable undeliverable dependent independent descriptive describable indescribable destructive non-destructive determined undetermined indefensibly

dictatorial dead deadly different

direction director direct indirect directory discovery discussion distance distant

distribute disturb divide doubt

distribution disturbance division doubt dust duster divisive doubtful dusty

ease economise educate

easy economy economics education efficiency

easily economic economical uneconomical educational efficient inefficient

elect electrify embarrass

election electricity electrician embarrassment employment unemployment employee employer enjoyment entrance enthusiasm enthusiast equalisation equality inequality exception exhibition expense expensive inexpensive explanatory explicable inexplicable explosive enthusiastic unethusiastic equal unequal enthusiastically unenthusiastically enjoyable enjoyably electric electrical

employ

enjoy enter enthuse

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explanation explosion expression extension extinction

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fear ferfilise fit fly

fear fearlessness fertility fertiliser fitness flight foot footprint footstep

forget forgive form

forgetfulness forgivingness formation deformity fortune misfortune

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formative fortunate unfortunate formal free fresh frequent infrequent friendly unfriendly furnished unfurnished

formatively fortunately unfortunately formally freely

formalise free refresh

formality freedom refreshment frequency infrequency

frequently

befriend furnish

friend friendship furniture furnisher generous

generosity

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gentleness gold govern government governor greed greed grow growth guilt happiness unhappiness hasten hate head heal heat heighten happy unhappy haste hatred hatefulness head headline headache heading health heat heater height hero heroine heroism hesitate hinder hesitation hindrance honesty

gentle golden

gently

greedy greedy

guilty happily unhappily hasty hateful hastily hatefully

healthy unhealthy hot high heroic hesitative

healthily unhealthily

heroically

honest dishonest honourable dishonoura ble horizontal

honour dishonour horizon house household housekeeper housewife hunger ice identify icy identification

hungry

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image imagination imitation importance

imaginary imaginative unimaginative imitative important unimportant impressive

imaginarily

impress improve include

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inclusive industrial industrilised

industrialis industry e industrialist infer influence inform misinform injure inference influence information injury innocence inquire insure inquiry insurance

influential informative uninformative

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intellectual intellect ise intellectual intend interest disinterest interpret interrupt intention interest disinterest interpretation interruption

intellectual intentional unintentional uninterested uninteresting

interrogate interrogation introduce invent invite knowledge laughter laughable introduction invention invitation

interrogative

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leader leadership legality illegality loan length less light lighter lighthouse lightness literature literacy illiteracy light literary literate illiterate live lively alive lonely alone long legal illegal legally illegally

live

life loneliness aloneness

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loss looseness loyalty disloyalty luck loose loyal disloyal lucky luckily

maintenance management mismanagement manage mismanage manager manageress marry marriage mountain mountaineer measure measurement mechanic mechanism memorise modernise modify memory memo modernisation modernity modification mountainous measurable mechanical memorial modern measur ably managerial manageable unmanageable

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morality immorality

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popularity unpopulari popular unpopular ty population poverty poor

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possession possessive possessor postage postal possibly impossibly

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probabilit y probable improbable probably improbably improbabi lity produce production productive product unproductive producer profession professional

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qualificati qualified on disqualified quarrel rapid quarrelsome rapidly

real, unreal, realisation, reality, realist realistic, unrealistic reason receiver, receipt, recipient, reception, receptionist recognition recommendation reduction reasonable, unreasonable receptive, unreceptive recognisable unrecognisable reasonably, unreasonably

receive

recognise recommend reduce

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reflection regret regularity irregularity reference, referee, referent refusal relief religion religious unreligious repeatable unrepeatable residential regrettable, regretful regular irregular referent regrettably

repeat reside resign respect respond

repetition residence, resident resignation respect, respectability, disrespect response

respectful, respectable, unrespectable

respectably, respectfully

responsibility,irresponsib responsible, ility irresponsible enrich rob richness robber, robbery romance roughen roughness royalty sadden sadness satisfaction dissatisfaction safety safe scarcity scene scenery romantic, unromantic rough royal sad satisfied unsatisfied satisfactory unsatisfactory safe unsafe scarce scenic rich

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scientific seasonal secure insecure selective sensation sensitive insensitive senseless sensible insensible sensational separate separable inseparable

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shady shameless ashamed shameful sharp short

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shame sharpness shortage signature silence similarity dissimilarity

silent similar dissimilar simple simply

simplify situate

simplicity situation sincerity

sincere sleepy sleepless sleepily asleep slippery smooth soft

sleep slip smooth soften solve

sleep sleeper slip slipper smoothness softness solution

sorrow speak spell misspell stabilize state speech spelling misspelling stability instability statement stone stop straighten strengthen stopper stoppage straightness strength stupidity succed success sun

sorry sorrowful speechless

stable unstable

stony

straight strong stupid successful sunny suntanned sunburned sufficient insufficient supportive suspicious unsuspicious sweet systematic unsystematic sympathetic unsympathetic talkative tasty tasteful tasteless tastefully tastelessly

suffice support suspect sweeten systematize sympathise talk taste tend thicken think threaten tighten

sufficiency support supporter suspect seetness system sympathy talk taste taster tastefulness tastelessness tendency thickness thought threat tightness

thick thoughtful

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entitle toughen translate treat

title toughness translation translator treatment trouble truth truthfulness troublesome true truthful trustworthy typical untypical truly tough

entrust

trust trustee type

type unite urge use vacancy vacant

typist typeface typesetter typewritten typewriter union unit unity urgency use user usefulness urgent useful useless urgently

vaccinat vaccination vaccine e validate validity value vary vibrate value variety variation variability vibration violence visibility invisibility invisibleness visualis e wake awake, awaken warm warmth valid invalid valuable invaluable valuably invaluably

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wave wealth weaken weigh widen weakness weight weightiness width wisdom wool work work worker workshop worth youth young youngster youthfulness zeal zealousness zealot zip unzip

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