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Modals of Deduction- Might,may, could, must, can't
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Modals of Deduction- Might,may, could, must, can't

Who Could Be at the Door?

Speculations About Visitors

  • The conversation begins with a question about who might be at the door, leading to various speculations.
  • One person suggests it could be their neighbor, but another counters that the neighbor finishes work at 6:00 PM and it's only 3:00 PM.
  • They consider whether it might be a mother visiting, but one participant clarifies that their mother is unwell and won't come today.
  • The possibility of a babysitter arriving is mentioned, confirming she was expected around 5:00 PM.

Delivery of Flowers

Discussion on Flower Delivery

  • A new topic arises regarding flowers delivered to the office; one person wonders who they are for.
  • There’s speculation that the flowers might belong to one of them, but doubts arise since no one has informed her about them.
  • Another participant claims they could be for them because it is their birthday, prompting congratulations from others.

Where Is Tanya?

Inquiry About Tanya's Location

  • The conversation shifts to Tanya's whereabouts; someone notes they haven't seen her all morning.
  • Various locations are suggested where Tanya might be, including the photocopy room and cafeteria.
  • It’s confirmed that she cannot be in the photocopy room due to equipment issues.
  • Finally, they deduce she must be in the cafeteria since it's almost 11 AM and that's when she usually goes there.
Video description

We use modal verbs for deduction – guessing if something is true using the available information. The modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. We use must when we feel sure that something is true or it's the only realistic possibility.We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we're not sure. We use can't when we feel sure that something is not possible.