Modal verbs — past deduction

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

These individuals could not have experienced something that never happened, yet their confidence in the fabricated memory was indistinguishable from confidence in a real one.

Grammar Reference · Modal verbs — past deduction

must have + past

She must have seen the attacker clearly. — near-certain deduction about the past

can't have + past

He can't have encoded that detail — he wasn't there. — near-certain negative deduction

might/may/could have

The witness may have confused the two faces. — possible past explanation, less certain

would have —

A recording would have captured what memory distorted. — imagined different past outcome

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Modal verbs — past deduction

1.The jury (trust) the eyewitness — her account was detailed and consistent.

2.He (be) at the scene — he was in a different city that evening.

3.The post-event interview (alter) her original perception without her realising.

4.Participants (confuse) the researcher's suggestion with a real childhood event.

5.If the police had used neutral language, the witness (recall) the event differently.

6.Given the low lighting, she (see) the face clearly from that distance.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.I'm sure the defendant was present — three witnesses confirmed it.

2.It's impossible that she recognised him — she had never met him before.

3.Perhaps the stress of the event distorted her encoding of the details.

4.If investigators had recorded the first interview, the appeal would have succeeded.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

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

Modal verbs — past deduction01EnglishPlans.com