Past modals of deduction! These are my favorite grammar structures! But Toby! WHY?
Because they are essential for part two of the B2 First Speaking Exam. Oh great, Toby!
Teach me! Teach me! My name is Toby, this is SMASH English and here
is everything you need to know about past modals of deduction for the B2 First Cambridge exam.
We use past modals of deduction to talk about what we think happened in the past but we do not
know for sure. Maybe we think we know. Maybe we feel like we are sure.
But we don't know and we are not sure. So first we need to prepare our modal verbs.
I love modal verbs! They are my favorite verbs. We have MUST, MAY, MIGHT, COULD, CAN'T, and
COULDN'T. Remember MUSTN'T is not here. We mustn't use MUSTN'T with past modals of deduction.
Mustn't use mustn't. Mustn't, mustn't, mustn't. But no! You mustn't use MUSTN'T with past
modals of deduction. But how do we turn these exciting, fun, magnificent, marvelous modal verbs
into past modal verbs of deduction? I don't know but I am sure that you are going to tell us, Toby.
We add the auxiliary verb HAVE. HAVE always stays the same. We never say has because MUST, MIGHT,
MAY, COULD, CAN'T and COULDN'T are modal verbs and after modal verbs we always use... the infinitive!
The infinitive! Yes, the infinitive. And then finally we add the past participle. So that's
modal verb plus have plus past participle. Isn't that simple? Yes! Very simple! Oh wow,
Toby! That's so interesting but like, why do we use them? That's a great question, Monica.
So how do we use my favorite grammar, past modals of deduction? MUST HAVE for positive certainty.
We use MUST HAVE plus PAST PARTICIPLE when we feel certain that something happened in the
past. Remember we don't know for sure because we were not there but we feel certain, we think there
is no other possibility possible. So then in the context of part two of the B2 First speaking exam!
I would like you to say why you think these people have decided to lie down. This person
is lying on the floor during a football match. I think he must have injured himself.
Wow! That was brilliant! I was really good in that speaking exam, wasn't I? Yes!
"I think he must have injured himself" is so much better than saying "I think he injured himself".
"I think he injured himself" is fine if you are trying to get the B1 certification... B1...
Idiots... We're B2 so we use past modals of deduction. Yes! This person must have
decided to lie down beside a lake to relax. Again fantastic, Toby! This is much better than saying
"this person decided to lie down beside a lake to relax". It's much better! Much much better! So
make sure you do it in the exam, if you need to. Here we have said MUST have because, well, apart
from relaxing can you think of any other reason to lie down beside a lake in this way? I can't.
I can think of no other reason and because this seems to be the only reason for this past action
I use MUST HAVE. Um Toby actually you're wrong. I can think of another reason. Um when I lie by the
lake it's not so I can relax. It's so I can show all the boys my hot body, glistening in the sun,
covered in sweat... So this man must have decided to lie by the lake
to see me lying by the lake it's obvious. Monica, when was the last time that Johnny called you?
Um that's none of your business, Bruce. You're so jealous of him. God! Oh shut up, Monica! He
never loved you! Shut up he MUST HAVE LOVED me! He kissed me so passionately and we... Here Monica is
saying that she is sure that Johnny loved her in in the past. Yeah, yeah. I feel sure. I'm sure he
loved me. He must have loved me. He loved me. Past modals of deduction! So useful! Such great grammar
that you can watch right here on SMASH English! I love watching grammar videos! Subscribe... bye.
MAY, MIGHT, or COULD HAVE for possibility. We use MAY or MIGHT or COULD plus HAVE plus the PAST
PARTICIPLE to talk about a past possibility. We are not sure. In this instance MUST HAVE means I
feel sure. MIGHT, COULD, MAY = I'm not sure. So in the context of part two of the B2 First speaking
exam! I would like you to say why you think these people are doing these activities.
This person is fishing alone. He might have chosen fishing because it is a peaceful sport.
Oh my god! A brilliant, brilliant answer, Toby! Well done! These people are climbing a mountain.
They may have taken on this challenge together to strengthen their friendship and try something new.
Inspirational, Toby! Are these people in this picture friends? I don't know! I don't know!
So here I could use MAY HAVE, MIGHT HAVE, or COULD HAVE to demonstrate that I don't know if
this was the reason because I don't even know if they are friends but if I must guess then this is
a possibility. This is a possible explanation for why they did this past action. But I don't know!
I don't know, all right!? God I don't know everything! Seriously using this grammar is
the difference between a three and a five when the examiners assess your grammar and vocabulary
during the B2 First speaking exam. And if you want to learn more about how the examiners assess you
when you do your speaking exam watch this video here. I talk about the marking scheme and tell you
everything you need to know about how the examiners mark your speaking. Brilliant! Because
how can you give the examiners what they want if you don't know what they want? You can't! You just
can't! You can't! And trust me! I am a Cambridge speaking examiner! If you use this grammar at
any point in your speaking exam your mark in grammar and vocabulary will be at least
a four. Trust me it will be. It just will be. Isn't that great? This is the only video you need!
But also watch my video here about part two of the Cambridge speaking exam because that
will give you more information about part two. I also have a whole playlist about speaking for
the B2 First Cambridge exam! Isn't that great? I'm so generous. Great! I'm great! Alright so
if Johnny loved you, why hasn't he called you? Why hasn't he messaged you? He hasn't done anything!
If I had loved someone I would want to know what they were doing now. Do you know what I mean? I
don't know there are loads of possibilities! Um he could have died. He might have been in a car crash
or a plane crash or an animal may have eaten him. Or he may have found someone else. No okay! That's
impossible! Johnny! If you're watching this right now then please leave a comment down below and
and tell me why you haven't messaged me or spoken to me in in years and I thought you loved me and
I'm sure you do love me and I love you too I'm not angry I love you. Bye! CAN'T or COULDN'T HAVE for
negative certainty. We use CAN'T HAVE or COULDN'T HAVE to talk about what we are sure did not happen
in the past. For us this is not a possibility we are sure that this definitely, definitely did not
happen. I mean we don't know 100% but we are sure. We know. We just know! We've got brains!
Monica! He has not called you in months, he CAN'T HAVE ever LOVED ya! And even if he did,
he doesn't now! I'm sorry. Bruce my fingers are in my ears and if my fingers are in my ears
then it means I can't hear you and if I can't hear you it means you don't exist so shut up
yeah! Yo! I just passed my B2 First exam! All of these fans... Uh I'm recording a video now,
go away i'm busy, yeah! A video for what? A video for what...? SMASH English! It's a really famous
Youtube channel now. Huh? SMASH English? I've never heard of it. Well you CAN'T HAVE PASSED
the B2 First exam then, can you? Because without SMASH English it's impossible! No seriously... I
passed. I did great! I got top marks! Shut up you idiot! That's not possible! You need SMASH English
to pass! Without SMASH English you will fail! That is the rule of life! Everybody knows it!
Idiot! And with that we are finished. Now you know everything you need to know about using
past modals of deduction for the B2 First Cambridge exam.
If you liked the video don't forget to SMASH that like button, subscribe if you haven't alreadyM
leave a comment down below. My name is Toby and this was SMASH English...