Choose the best modal completion for each sentence.
1Leo is speaking to us live from a café in Tokyo, so he ............... beside me in the London office right now.
Wrong!
The live call and "right now" require present impossibility, so "can't be sitting" is correct.
2The sun is out now, but the pavement is wet and people are closing their umbrellas, so it ............... recently.
Wrong!
The wet pavement and closing umbrellas are strong evidence of a recent event, so "must have rained" is correct.
3We do not know how long Maya's train was delayed, so she ............... home yet.
Wrong!
Because the length of the delay is unknown, "might not have got" expresses an unresolved past possibility.
4Nora replied to emails at 2, 3, and 4 a.m., so she ............... through most of the night.
Wrong!
The repeated late-night replies strongly support an activity continuing over a period, so "must have been working" is correct.
5The museum's entry system confirms that its only door remained locked and no one was inside all Monday, so Priya ............... the building that day.
Wrong!
The locked door and empty building make past entry impossible, so "can't have entered" is correct.
6The flight landed over an hour ago. Under normal conditions, the passengers ............... the arrivals hall by now.
Wrong!
"Under normal conditions" signals an expectation rather than certainty, so "should have reached" is correct.
7The smoke is coming from either the kitchen or the garage, and neither room has been inspected yet, so the fire ............... in the kitchen.
Wrong!
Either room remains a genuine possibility until both are inspected, so "could be" is correct.
8The back door was unlocked during the storm, but no one saw how it opened. The wind ............... it open.
Wrong!
The storm makes the wind one possible cause, but there is not enough evidence for certainty, so "could have blown" is correct.
9The weather station recorded no rainfall, and time-lapse footage shows clear skies all night, so it ............... overnight.
Wrong!
The weather record and footage are incompatible with overnight rain, so "can't have rained" is correct.
10Every desk is empty, today is a required remote-work day, and nearly everyone is active online, so most staff ............... from home.
Wrong!
The empty office, remote-work requirement, and active online accounts support the current deduction "must be working".
11The empty lab's only door remained sealed from 6 p.m. until morning, so the equipment ............... during the night.
Wrong!
The sealed only exit makes removal after 6 p.m. impossible, so "can't have been removed" is correct.
12The parcel tracker shows the driver outside our address, and someone has just rung the bell. That ............... the driver.
Wrong!
The live tracking information and immediate doorbell provide strong current evidence, so "must be" is correct.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- Leo is speaking to us live from a café in Tokyo, so he can’t be sitting beside me in the London office right now.
- The sun is out now, but the pavement is wet and people are closing their umbrellas, so it must have rained recently.
- We do not know how long Maya’s train was delayed, so she might not have got home yet.
- Nora replied to emails at 2, 3, and 4 a.m., so she must have been working through most of the night.
- The museum’s entry system confirms that its only door remained locked and no one was inside all Monday, so Priya can’t have entered the building that day.
- The flight landed over an hour ago. Under normal conditions, the passengers should have reached the arrivals hall by now.
- The smoke is coming from either the kitchen or the garage, and neither room has been inspected yet, so the fire could be in the kitchen.
- The back door was unlocked during the storm, but no one saw how it opened. The wind could have blown it open.
- The weather station recorded no rainfall, and time-lapse footage shows clear skies all night, so it can’t have rained overnight.
- Every desk is empty, today is a required remote-work day, and nearly everyone is active online, so most staff must be working from home.
- The empty lab’s only door remained sealed from 6 p.m. until morning, so the equipment can’t have been removed during the night.
- The parcel tracker shows the driver outside our address, and someone has just rung the bell. That must be the driver.