Modals of deduction

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Whatever her detractors must have been expecting, it was not that. She might have followed the conventional route. She could have stayed in the lane that Lemonade defined. The album cannot simply be understood as genre tourism; it must be read as a reckoning.

Grammar Reference · Modals of deduction

must have — certainty

Use must have + past participle for a logical certainty about the past. She must have planned this for years.

can't have —

Use can't have + past participle when you are certain something did NOT happen. They can't have heard the announcement.

might / could have

Use might have or could have for past possibility that is uncertain. She could have stayed in the same genre.

should have —

Use should have when an expected outcome did not occur. It should have failed, but the charts told a different story.

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Modals of deduction

1.She (plan) the release cycle years before it was announced.

2.The label (expect) a country record — it came without any warning.

3.She (choose) a safer follow-up, but she didn't.

4.Critics (miss) the cultural context of the CMA incident entirely.

5.The backlash (feel) devastating to the Chicks at the time.

6.The album (fail) according to industry logic — but it didn't.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.I'm certain the strategy was deliberate.

2.I'm sure she didn't plan a conventional promotional tour.

3.It's possible the critics changed their view after the chart results.

4.By any logic, no country record should have broken streaming records that fast.

5.It was possible for her to release nothing for another three years.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

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