Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1Given the audit trail is complete and time-stamped, the CFO ............... the figures after the meeting.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to judge a past action as impossible or highly unlikely based on strong evidence.
2If the lab had followed its own protocol, it ............... the contamination before publishing the results.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to criticise a missed obligation in the past.
3She ............... the email, because she replied with a detailed quote from the second paragraph.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to infer a past action with strong evidence.
4The intern ............... the attachment, because the file is still sitting unopened in the shared drive.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to say something did not happen, based on evidence.
5With that level of encryption, the attacker ............... the password; they probably exploited a session token instead.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to evaluate a past possibility as unlikely but still possible.
6You ............... the client in front of their team; it undermined the whole negotiation.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to criticise a past action as a mistake.
7He ............... the deadline, because the submission portal closed at midnight and his upload is time-stamped 00:17.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to conclude a past event was impossible given the facts.
8We ............... the risk assessment more carefully; the warning signs were in the incident logs for weeks.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to express regret about a better past course of action.
9The board ............... the merger without reading the due diligence, but the unanimous vote suggests they did.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to describe a past possibility that is not the most likely explanation.
10You ............... the receipt, because the refund was processed automatically and no manual check was required.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to say an action was unnecessary in the past.
11Given the conflicting witness statements, the judge ............... the verdict on a single testimony.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to evaluate what was possible or permissible in the past; two options can work here.
12With the data still incomplete, the committee ............... the policy so quickly.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use a modal perfect to criticise a premature past decision; two options can work here.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- Given the audit trail is complete and time-stamped, the CFO can’t have altered the figures after the meeting.
- If the lab had followed its own protocol, it should have detected the contamination before publishing the results.
- She must have read the email, because she replied with a detailed quote from the second paragraph.
- The intern can’t have opened the attachment, because the file is still sitting unopened in the shared drive.
- With that level of encryption, the attacker might have guessed the password; they probably exploited a session token instead.
- You shouldn’t have contradicted the client in front of their team; it undermined the whole negotiation.
- He can’t have met the deadline, because the submission portal closed at midnight and his upload is time-stamped 00:17.
- We should have reviewed the risk assessment more carefully; the warning signs were in the incident logs for weeks.
- The board might have approved the merger without reading the due diligence, but the unanimous vote suggests they did.
- You needn’t have kept the receipt, because the refund was processed automatically and no manual check was required.
- Given the conflicting witness statements, the judge can’t have based/couldn’t have based the verdict on a single testimony.
- With the data still incomplete, the committee shouldn’t have adopted/oughtn’t to have adopted the policy so quickly.
