2017-11-02 Grammar: inference about the past

Greg Malivuk
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http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: p. 262-263 exercise 5
1 a should or may/might/could
  b may/might/could
  c may/might/could
2 a shouldn’t or can’t
  b shouldn’t
  c can’t/couldn’t
  d must (“Let’s not answer it!” means the speaker is pretty sure it’s a salesperson.)
3 a might not / may not
  b should
  c must
4 a must (“I don’t know what the problem is this time.” - the speaker believes it’s a fight)
  b may/might/could
  c may/might/could
  d shouldn’t or can’t/couldn’t
  e must not
5 a must
  b couldn’t
  c should
  d may/might/could
6 a must not
  b must
7 a should
  b may/might/could
  c must not
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Remember: to make inferences about the past, use the same modals with a perfect form:
p. 265 exercise 7 - Change these sentences to be about the past.
1 Frank might have changed jobs.
2 He should have had no trouble finding a new job.
3 It might have taken a while, but he had excellent qualifications and lots of experience.
4 He must have been really unhappy to want to move to a brand new company.
5 He must not have liked working in such a big company very much.
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Note: “should have” usually sounds unreal, and “could have” and “might have” can be unreal, but “may have” is only real
unreal = something was possible or probable, but it happened a different way
real = something was possible or probable, but I don’t know if it happened

I might/could have won the lottery last night. It’s too bad I didn’t buy a ticket.
- unreal: It would have been possible with a ticket, but I didn’t have a ticket.
I may/might/could have won the lottery last night. I need to find the ticket that I bought.
- real: It’s really possible that I won, but I don’t know.
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Handout: In your group, speculate about what these items might have been used for in the past.
1 It might have been a footstool.
- It was a pillow.
2 It could have been a bracelet. It might have been a pin. It may have been a brooch.
- It was a brooch.
3 These could have been used to carve the pyramids. It could have been a mirrror and a knife for the hair. It could have been a knife and tools for eating food.
- These were a razor and mirror.
4 These may have been masks. They could have been a kind of lock.
- They were masks or goggles for the snow.
5 This might have been used for orientation. It could have been used to catch falling fruit. It could have been a calendar.
- It was a map.
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Homework (optional): handout p. 265-266 exercise 8