English Dialogue and Exercise: Expressing Past Probability With Modals + Perfective

Have you ever come across sentences like these?

• You should have informed me earlier.
• How could you have done that to him?
• They might have lost their way in the forest.

The underlined phrases in these sentences follow a structure known as "modal + perfective" (modal + have + past participle). This construction is used to express varying degrees of certainty, probability, or advisability about past events.

In this post, you'll learn more about how and when to use this structure from a dialogue that demonstrates its usage in a real-life context.

A. Practice the dialogue below.

Betty is waiting for Jim to come home from work. It’s dark and raining outside, and she’s worried about him. Suddenly, she hears a car stop.

Dialogue

Betty: "Ah! That must be Jim now. I'll open the door for him ...."(Opening the door)
"Hello, darling. Oh! Your clothes are so wet."

Jim: "Yes, darling. I forgot to take my umbrella today."

Betty: "But it was raining a little this morning when you left for work."

Jim: "I know, but I must have forgotten to take my umbrella."

Betty: "What a pity! Never mind, go and put on some dry clothes."

Jim: "I'll put on some dry clothes in a minute, Betty. At the moment I'm very worried."

Betty: "Why, darling?"

Jim: "Because I've lost my briefcase."

Betty: "Oh, Jim. That's bad luck! Do you know where you lost it?"

Jim: "No, that's the trouble. I might have lost it anywhere."

Betty: "But a briefcase is quite a large thing. How could you have lost it?"

Jim: "I don't know. I may have left it in the coffee lounge where I had a cup of coffee this morning."

Betty: "Why don't you phone the coffee lounge?"

Jim: "I phoned them this afternoon, but it wasn't there. I suppose someone could have picked it up before I rang."

Betty: "I suppose so. Did you look in other places in your office? You might have put it in a different place."

Jim: "I don't think so, Betty. I thought I might have put it in a different place in the office, but we all looked for it and we couldn't find it."

Betty: "And was there anything very important in your briefcase, Jim?"

Jim: "Yes, unfortunately. I had the plans of a new bridge in it."

Betty: "Oh, Jim! If you had important plans in your briefcase, you should have been more careful!"

Jim: "Yes, you're quite right! ... Oh well, I suppose I'd better put some dry clothes on."

Betty: "Now, Jim, you must hurry. You should have put dry clothes on as soon as you came home. Why didn't you take your umbrella? Now hurry and change your clothes."

Jim: "All right, Betty. I won't be long ...
Betty! I didn't lose my briefcase after all! Here it is! I must have forgotten to take it this morning."

Betty: "Oh, I'm so glad. So you needn't have worried all day. You didn't lose anything. That's good."

Jim: "But - er, - Betty! I - er - must have taken my umbrella after all, because it isn't there now."

Betty: "Oh dear! You are silly sometimes, Jim. You must have lost your umbrella, not your briefcase."

(Adapted from: Radio Australia - English for You, Lesson No. 96)

Exercise Section

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Select the best answer to each of the following question

1. What is the main topic of the above conversation?
   1. Jim’s travel experiences
   2. How to take care of important documents
   3. Jim’s umbrella and briefcase
   4. The importance of carrying an umbrella
2. Betty said, "But it was raining a little this morning when you left for work."
   What did Betty most probably mean?
   1. Jim should always bring his umbrella with him when it rains.
   2. Jim shouldn't have left for work because of the rain.
   3. It was very unlikely that Jim had left his umbrella at home.
   4. It was probable that Jim had left his umbrella at home.
3. Why was Jim very worried?
   1. He forgot to bring his lunch to work
   2. He thought he had lost his briefcase
   3. He was afraid Betty would be angry with him
   4. He didn’t want to change his wet clothes
4. What was in his briefcase?
   1. His laptop and phone
   2. Some important business cards
   3. Plans for a new bridge
   4. A book he borrowed from a friend
5. Jim said, "I may have left it in the coffee lounge ...."
   What does Jim's sentence imply?
   1. He felt he should not leave his briefcase in the coffee lounge.
   2. He knows that he is allowed to leave his briefcase in the coffee lounge.
   3. It was certain that he had not left his briefcase in the coffee lounge.
   4. He thought he had possibly left his briefcase in the coffee lounge.
6. Did Jim really lose his briefcase? Where did he find it at last?
   1. No, he had never taken it with him in the first place
   2. No, he found it in his office
   3. Yes, he lost it at the coffee lounge
   4. Yes, but someone returned it to him
7. What actually happened with his briefcase?
   1. He left it at a restaurant
   2. He dropped it on the way home
   3. He forgot to take it when he left in the morning
   4. He accidentally gave it to someone else
8. What did he actually lose?
   1. His phone
   2. His umbrella
   3. His wallet
   4. His briefcase
9. What must have happened with the umbrella?
   1. He must have left it somewhere
   2. He might have given it to a friend
   3. He could have dropped it on the way home
   4. He should have remembered to take it
10. What lesson can be learned from Jim's mistake?
    1. A wet day is the best time to go for a walk
    2. Carrying an umbrella is unnecessary
    3. Losing something is not a big deal
    4. It’s important to double-check your belongings before leaving

B. Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using the correct modal + perfective form (modal + have + past participle).

1. Jim to take his briefcase in the morning.
2. Betty said Jim more careful with his belongings.
3. Jim thought he his briefcase, but he found it at home.
4. The umbrella is missing! Jim it somewhere.
5. If Jim had checked his belongings, he all day.

C. Dialogue Completion

Fill in the blanks with appropriate modal + perfective phrases.
Betty: Jim, your briefcase isn’t here! You it at work.
Jim: I don’t think so. I it with me, but I can’t find it.
Betty: Then someone it before you realized.
Jim: That’s possible. I it somewhere else in the office.
Betty: Oh Jim! You more careful.

D. True or False

Decide whether the following statements are True or False.

1. Jim lost his umbrella instead of his briefcase.
   1. True
   2. False
2. Betty told Jim that he must have been more careful with his briefcase.
   1. True
   2. False
3. Jim immediately changed into dry clothes when he got home.
   1. True
   2. False
4. Jim called the coffee lounge, and they found his briefcase there.
   1. True
   2. False
5. Betty told Jim he should have checked his briefcase earlier.
   1. True
   2. False

Updated: Feb 8, 2025
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