We use must have + past participle to speculate about things we are certain happened or were true in the past. They have opposite meanings to each other though. When we talk about things that certainly happened in the past we use modal verbs must and can’t. Things that certainly happened in the past When we talk about things that we think possibly happened in the past, we use modal verb forms might have, may have and could have.įor example, Susan didn’t come to the meeting, so we can speculate about where Susan was: Modal Verbs of Speculation about the Past Things that possibly happened in the past However, when it comes to modal verbs in the past, we use this form: modal verb + have + past participleįorms of modal verbs of speculation about the past are: may have, could have, might have, must have, can’t have. They always go with another verb and we never add any endings to them. You’ll find uploaded worksheets in pdf with the lesson and exercises you can download, as well as the quiz.Īs you probably know, modal verbs are special verbs we use to indicate modality: ability, request, suggestions, order, etc.

Many students find modal verbs confusing, so this is your chance to give it a little practice and learn how to use them. In today’s lesson, we’re going to learn about modal verbs of speculation about the past, which surely is not only useful but also challenging for you.

Perfect modal verbs exercises