MODALS OF DEDUCTION

We use modal verbs to say how sure we are about something.

1 must

We use must when we feel sure that something is true because there’s very strong evidence.

• He must live near here because he comes to work on foot. We don’t know where he lives but we’re sure it’s not far away.
• Come inside and get warm – you must be freezing out there.
• You’re a zookeeper? That must be very interesting.

Notice that must is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

2 might, may, could

We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we’re not sure.

• Did you hear that? I think there might be a burglar downstairs. She’s not sure there’s a burglar but she thinks it’s possible.
• We’ll try to get there early but we may arrive late if there’s a lot of traffic.
• Don’t put it up there. It could fall off and hit someone.

Might, may and could are also followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

3 can’t

We use can’t when we feel sure something is not true.

• It can’t be a burglar. All the doors and windows are locked. He doesn’t know it’s not a burglar but he feels sure it’s not.
• It can’t be far away now. We’ve been driving for hours. Where’s the map?
• Really? He has to work on Christmas Day? He can’t feel very happy about that.

Like the other verbs, can’t is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

Remember that all of these modal verbs – must, might, may, could and can’t have other uses.

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT - Susan Boyle

We talked about Susan Boyle in class and how we judge people by their appearance.

When Susan Boyle first appeared on stage, everybody laughed at her. Small, rather chubby, no make-up and with unkempt hair, she said she was unemployed, single, lived with a cat called Pebbles, wanted to become a professional singer and had never been kissed. But then she started singing and eveything changed. It was ashtonishing.

Watch the video to judge by yourself, and remember: you can't judge a book by its cover!

 

THE PASSIVE

Passive voice is formed by…

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

Peter builds a house (active)

A house is built by Peter (passive)

Remember passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.  In the example My bike was stolen, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows, A mistake was made. In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

As always, you can go to 'Grammar' to see, download and/or print a document on the passive voice plus an overview on the active/passive 

And now, time to practise!!!!

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5 (A page with lots of practice!!!)

Exercise 6

Exercise 7 (A game)