Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
Sometimes we know a fact for certain: "It is raining." But very often in real life we are not sure, and we need to say how likely something is. Is it certain? Is it just possible? Is it impossible? English uses a small group of modal verbs to show exactly how confident we are.
In this unit you will learn the modals of possibility and deduction: may, might and could (possible), must (I'm almost sure it is true), and can't (I'm almost sure it is impossible). Choosing the right one is one of the most useful speaking skills at B1.
Modals are easy to build. After the modal, we always use the base verb (the infinitive without to). The modal never changes for the subject — there is no -s in the third person, and we never add do / does.
| Subject | Modal | Base verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | may / might / could | be, rain, know | They might know the answer. |
| he / she / it | may / might / could | be, rain, know | She could be right. |
| it (deduction) | must / can't | be, mean | It must be a mistake. |
To say that something is possible now or possible in the future, we use may, might or could. In most everyday sentences the three are almost the same in meaning — each one means "perhaps".
| Modal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| may | perhaps (a little more formal) | It may rain this afternoon. |
| might | perhaps (very common in speech) | She might be at home now. |
| could | perhaps (one of several options) | He could be right — I'm not sure. |
This is the heart of the unit. Think of a "certainty line". At one end you are sure something IS true; at the other end you are sure it is NOT true. The modal you choose shows exactly where you are on that line.
| How sure? | Modal | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 100% sure it is true | must | She must be exhausted. |
| Maybe true (about 50%) | may / might / could | She might be exhausted. |
| Maybe not true | may not / might not | She might not be exhausted. |
| 100% sure it is impossible | can't | She can't be exhausted — she slept all day! |
Be careful: there are two ways to be negative, and they mean very different things. May not / might not means "perhaps not". Can't (or couldn't) means "impossible" — much stronger.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| may not / might not | it is possible that it is NOT true | He might not come to the party. (Maybe he won't.) |
| can't / couldn't | it is impossible / I'm sure it is not true | He can't be at the party — he is in Paris! (Impossible.) |
When we look at the evidence and reach a confident conclusion, we use must (I'm sure it is true) or can't (I'm sure it is not true). This is called deduction. Notice: can't is the negative of must here — not "mustn't".
| Evidence | Conclusion | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The lights are on and I can hear music. | must (positive) | Someone must be at home. |
| It's midnight and every window is dark. | can't (negative) | They can't be awake now. |
| He hasn't eaten since morning. | must (positive) | He must be really hungry. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with modals of possibility. Check your own sentences against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| It can rain later, take a coat. | It might rain later, take a coat. | for possibility in a statement we use may/might/could, not "can". |
| She mights be at school. | She might be at school. | no -s and no "to" after a modal. |
| He must to be tired. | He must be tired. | modal + base verb, never "to". |
| That mustn't be true. | That can't be true. | negative deduction uses can't, not mustn't. |
| They can be Turkish, I'm not sure. | They could be Turkish, I'm not sure. | uncertain guess → may/might/could. |
Two friends at the school fair see a boy they do not know and try to work out who he is. Read it twice and notice how they move along the "certainty line" — from a wild guess, to a possibility, to a confident conclusion.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them to speculate about the world around you.
Write 8 sentences in which you speculate about people or situations. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): possible · possibility · perhaps · certain · clue · evidence · obvious · probably · likely
On Monday morning, our class had a big problem. When Mr Kaya opened the door, the cage of our class hamster, Fındık, was empty. The little door was open, and Fındık was gone. Everybody started talking at once, but Mr Kaya asked us to stay calm and think like scientists.
"A hamster can't disappear into thin air," he said. "He must be somewhere in this room. Let's look at the clues." I loved this idea, because I read a lot of mystery stories, and now I could be a real detective.
First, we looked at the cage. The door was not broken, so someone might have forgotten to close it properly on Friday. There were tiny footprints in the sawdust near the door. "He could have climbed out during the weekend," said my friend Ela. "That means he might be anywhere in the classroom."
We began to think about all the possibilities. Fındık might be hiding behind the bookshelf, or he could be under the radiator, where it is warm. He may be inside a school bag, looking for food. "He can't be outside," I said, "because the windows and the door were shut all weekend." Everyone agreed that this was good thinking.
Mr Kaya wrote our ideas on the board. Hamsters love warm, dark places, so the radiator was the most likely spot. They also love food, so the lunch corner was another strong possibility. "Where would you go if you were a small, hungry hamster?" Mr Kaya asked. That question really helped us.
We searched carefully. Behind the bookshelf we found only dust and an old pencil. Under the radiator there was nothing but a lost sock. However, near the lunch corner we found something exciting: a chewed corner of a biscuit packet and a few sunflower seeds. "This is real evidence!" Ela whispered. "He must have been here."
Just then, we heard a tiny sound from the cupboard where we keep the art materials. It was a soft scratching noise. "That could be Fındık," I said, "or it might just be the pipes." We opened the cupboard very slowly, so that we would not frighten him. At first we saw nothing, but then, behind a box of paints, two bright little eyes were shining in the dark.
There he was! Fındık was sitting happily on a pile of coloured paper, with his cheeks full of seeds. He had made himself a cosy nest. Everyone wanted to grab him at once, but Mr Kaya told us not to rush. "If we all shout, he will run again," he warned. "Move slowly and stay quiet."
Ela reached in gently and lifted him out. Fındık did not seem worried at all; in fact, he looked very pleased with his little adventure. We put him back in his cage, and this time we checked the door twice.
Mr Kaya smiled at us. "Well done, detectives," he said. "You did not panic. You looked at the evidence and thought about what was likely and what was impossible. That is exactly how a good scientist solves a problem." I felt very proud, because our careful thinking had worked. A missing hamster had turned an ordinary Monday into the best mystery of the whole year. Now, whenever something is lost, my friends grin and ask me the same question: "Where could it be?" And I always answer, "Let's look at the clues."
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why did the class decide that Fındık "must have been" near the lunch corner?
2. What possibilities did the class think of before they found Fındık?
3. What did Mr Kaya say the children had done well?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, however, or, then. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd and Sarah talk about how they react in different everyday situations.
You will hear two friends, Todd and Sarah, talking about what they do when they feel stressed, tired, bored or angry. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These let you show contrast, background and extra information like a confident writer — and they work perfectly when you speculate about a mystery.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | The door was open, and the lights were on. |
| but | show a small contrast | He might be here, but I can't see him. |
| so | show a result | The seeds were still fresh, so he must be close. |
| because | give a reason | It can't be outside because the door was shut. |
| also | add an extra point | He may be by the food. He could also be under the radiator. |
| when | say at what time | When I arrived, the cage was empty. |
| while | two things at the same time | While I was thinking, the phone rang. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although it looked strange, nothing was wrong. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | It might be serious. However, it was just a note. |
A "mystery" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | Describe the lost thing and the strange situation | Last week I lost my house key, and I felt really worried. |
| 2. Body | Speculate: list possible places with may/might/could, then reach conclusions with must / can't. Link with connectors. | It might be in my bag, but it can't be at school, because I had it after class. It must be at home. |
| 3. Closing | Say where you found it, or what you still wonder | In the end, I found it next to my shoes by the door. |
Think of something important that you lost, or imagine losing it (a key, a phone, a pet, a ring). Write about where it could be. Speculate with modals of possibility and then reach a conclusion.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...