Modals of deduction — Beyoncé and the Art of the Long Game
Grammar: Modals of deduction and speculation (must have, can't have, might have, could have, should have
Free ESL grammar exercise on modals of deduction themed around beyoncé and the art of the long game. Printable worksheet from classplan.ai.
What's on this worksheet
A Level 6 (proficiency) ESL grammar exercise on media, practising modals of deduction and speculation (must have, can't have, might have, could have, should have. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
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
- 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.
Sample items
- She ______ (plan) the release cycle years before it was announced.
- The label ______ (expect) a country record — it came without any warning.
- She ______ (choose) a safer follow-up, but she didn't.
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