Unit 5 Grammar Presentation

MODALS TO EXPRESS DEGREES OF CERTAINTY

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MODALS TO EXPRESS DEGREES OF CERTAINTY:

Speculations about the Present

It must be true = It has to be true =

It has got to be true =

I think that it is probably true. (I am at least 80 to 90% sure.)

It may be true = It might be true =

I think that it is maybe true. (I am only about 50% sure.)

It can’t be true = It couldn’t be true =It must not be true =

I think that it is probably not true.

I don’t believe it.

It may not be true = It might not be true =

I think that it maybe is not true.

MODALS TO EXPRESS DEGREES OF CERTAINTY:

Speculations about the Past

It must have been true = It had to have been true =I think that probably it was

true.

It may have been true = It might have been true =It could have been true

I think that maybe it was true.

It can’t have been true = It couldn’t have been true =It must not have been true

I think that probably it wasn’t true.

I don’t believe that it was true.

It may not have been true = It might not have been true I

think that maybe it wasn’t true.

MODALS TO EXPRESS DEGREES OF CERTAINTY:

Speculations about the Future

We may solve it soon = We might solve it soon =We could solve it soon =

Maybe we will solve it soon.

We may not solve it soon = We might not solve it soon Maybe we will not solve it

soon.