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UNIT 9 Perfect Modals For Speculating

This document discusses using perfect modals to speculate about past events in active and passive voice. It provides examples of statements using modal verbs like "had to", "could/can't", "must", "might/may" to convey different degrees of certainty about past actions. The examples are either in active or passive voice, and readers are asked to identify which and convert any active examples to passive voice. Perfect modals combined with active and passive voice allow for speculation about what likely did or did not happen in the past.

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Victor Garibay
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3K views5 pages

UNIT 9 Perfect Modals For Speculating

This document discusses using perfect modals to speculate about past events in active and passive voice. It provides examples of statements using modal verbs like "had to", "could/can't", "must", "might/may" to convey different degrees of certainty about past actions. The examples are either in active or passive voice, and readers are asked to identify which and convert any active examples to passive voice. Perfect modals combined with active and passive voice allow for speculation about what likely did or did not happen in the past.

Uploaded by

Victor Garibay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Introduction to Speculating About the Past
  • Notes on Active and Passive Voice
  • Grammatical Conversion
  • Speculation Using Modals

UNIT 9 – LESSON TWO.

GRAMMAR. PERFECT MODALS FOR SPECULATING


ABOUT THE PAST: ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE.

In the previous lesson, it was learned how to


speculate about every day situations with phrases,
adjectives and expressions.
1. Clearly, the teacher forgot to tell us there were no
classes today. No one’s here.
2. I wonder if my mom will buy food on her way
home. I’m starving.
3. I’ll bet Mike isn’t coming early again. Remember
he told us he’d be working late all this week.
4. The story seems questionable from my point of
view.
5. What happened is believable, I’m sure it did
happened.
6. The accident sounds unprovable to me.
Though, it is also possible to speculate with a
grammatical structure but, in this occasion it will be
done about past events.
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NOTES FROM THE PAST.
The active and passive voice are two ways of
communicating an idea in which the focus of
attention relies on either the subject or the object of
a sentence.
Use active voice to focus on the performer of the
action.
Use passive voice to focus on the receiver of the
action.
Not all statements from the active voice are likely to
convert to the passive voice. There should be three
elements (S+V+O)
- S = Subject (performer)
- V = Verb (action)
- O = Object (receiver)
Take a look at these statements. Determine whether
each contains the elements mentioned before:
1. She enjoys here.
2. I pushed him.
3. I’ve painted that tree before.
4. I don’t mind coming here.
Another aspect to take in consideration is the
grammatical conversion. It is highly important you
observe the tense of the sentence in the active voice
in order to properly modify the sentence in the
passive voice.
1. No passive voice statement.
2. He was pushed.
3. That tree has been painted before.
4. No passive voice statement.
In the passive voice, the subject (performer)
becomes an optional element, it all depends on
whether it is relevant or irrelevant to mention in the
statement:
1. This cardboard was printed by HAPPYCOPY.
They’re really efficient.
2. My wallet was stolen. There were lots of people
around in the subway.
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-
In today’s lesson, the speculation can be formed
using modal verbs in a perfective form:
- HAVE TO (semi-modal verb)
- COULD / CAN (not)
- MUST
- MIGHT / MAY
Each perfect modal in its different forms, adds up a
different degree of certainty:
HAD TO
VERY CERTAIN COULDN’T/CAN’T
HAVE + VERB*

MUST
*(past participle form)
ALMOST CERTAIN
MUST NOT
HAVE + BEEN + VERB*

NOT CERTAIN MIGHT


*(past participle form)
MAY
COULD
Read and study the following examples:
a)Say whether they are in the active or passive
voice. What makes you think that?
b)Change them into the passive voice. What do
you need to do?

1. These stones are huge. The islanders had to have moved them
with logs and stones.
2. A heavy and strong man might have pushed this wardrobe
above the girl. There’s no question that someone killed her.
3. These stones had to have been moved with logs and stones.
We’ve tried to recreate the process, but it seems impossible.
4. The figures have these symbols, they’re difficult to read. they
must have had a hidden message.
5. I’m certain these bones couldn’t have been found near the
river, they would have disintegrated with the sea water.
6. The island couldn’t have been inhabited by humans, There’s
no doubt animals arrived first.
7. The fossils found near the creek may not have been unburied
by the kids. They’re too big for them to carry.

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