May / might / could have: expressing past probability | |
Structure: modal + have + past participle may have been, could have gone, might have lost, etc. | |
We use may have, could have,might have to say that it was possible that something happened in the past (but we are not 100% sure). | He may have missed the bus. The road might have beenblocked. (= ‘I think the road was blocked, but I’m not 100% sure.’) |
The negatives are may not haveand might not have. We don’tuse couldn’t have in the same way. | He may not have left yet. I might not have given her the money; I’m not sure.
I could not have given her the money, I’m not sure.
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Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Modal verbs for expressing past probability (deduction)
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