Past Modals Exercises PDFSet 5: Advanced Past Modals of Deduction: Continuous & Passive Perfect Modals Exercises
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.When I arrived at midnight, Emma's desk lamp was still warm. She ___ just before I got there — the screen was off but the chair was still pushed back.
a) must have workedb) must have been workingc) should have been workingd) could have worked
2.The neighbours' music was extremely loud at 2 a.m. They ___ a party, but I didn't go over to check.
a) must have hadb) should have been havingc) would have hadd) could have been having
3.The suspect claims he was at the gym from 6 to 8 p.m. However, his car was captured on CCTV downtown at 7:15. He ___ at the gym during that entire period.
a) might not have been exercisingb) mustn't have exercisedc) can't have been exercisingd) shouldn't have been exercising
4.I called her office five times between 2 and 4 p.m. and she never picked up. She ___ in a meeting the whole afternoon.
a) must have beenb) should have beenc) would have beend) might have been
5.The deadline was yesterday, but Marcus spent the whole week watching videos online. He ___ on the project instead of wasting time.
a) should have been workingb) must have been workingc) could have been workingd) would have been working
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.must have been working
2.could have been having
3.can't have been exercising
4.might have been
5.should have been working
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."must have been working"(b)
'Must have been working' is used for a strong deduction about an ongoing activity in the past. The warm lamp and pushed-back chair suggest she was in the middle of working (a continuous activity) right up until shortly before the speaker arrived. 'Must have worked' would suggest a completed action (she finished working at some point), but the evidence points to an activity that was still in progress.
2."could have been having"(d)
'Could have been having' expresses an uncertain speculation about a past ongoing activity. The speaker heard loud music (evidence) but didn't verify, so they can only speculate — it's possible a party was in progress. 'Must have had' would be too certain given that the speaker didn't confirm it. 'Could have been having' combines possibility (could) with the continuous aspect (ongoing party).
3."can't have been exercising"(c)
'Can't have been exercising' expresses a deduction of impossibility about an ongoing past activity. The CCTV evidence proves he was downtown at 7:15, making it impossible that he was continuously at the gym from 6 to 8. The continuous form (been exercising) matches the claim of an ongoing activity over a period. 'Mustn't have exercised' is not standard British English for past impossibility deduction — use 'can't have'.
4."might have been"(d)
'Might have been' expresses uncertain speculation about an ongoing past state. The speaker doesn't know why she didn't answer — a meeting is one possibility, but there could be other explanations (she could have been away from her desk, on another call, etc.). 'Must have been' would be too certain without stronger evidence. 'Might have been' leaves appropriate room for doubt.
5."should have been working"(a)
'Should have been working' criticises a past continuous failure — Marcus was not working on the project over a sustained period when he should have been. The continuous form (been working) emphasises the ongoing nature of the neglected responsibility. 'Should have worked' (simple) would criticise the lack of a completed action, while 'should have been working' criticises how he spent his time.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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