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Past modals with deduction
You can use past modals to express your degree of certainty about a past event.
The following examples show how should, can, must, may, etc. are used in the past:
- I am not sure that my phone was stolen. I might just have forgotten it somewhere.
- Why does his hairstyle look so ugly? He must have cut his hair by himself with ordinary scissors.
- Your wife was killed in an accident the day after your marriage? That must have been a shock for you.
- must have
When we are sure about a past event, or make a strong deduction based on evidence. We use "must have" to express a strong probability based on logical evidence.
Example:
Where is my EC-card? I must have forgotten it in the ATM.
Another example: It's raining. It must have rained all night. (The rain is the evidence that it probably rained).
- may/might have
When we consider it possible that something happened in the past. We use "may/might have" to express a possibility. "Might" is often used when the possibility is weaker than "may".
Example:
The judge is not sure that Brian is the murderer. The accusing witness might have lied.
Another example: I heard a noise. There may/might have been someone downstairs.
- can't/couldn't have
When we consider it impossible that something happened in the past. We use "can't have" to express a logical impossibility based on facts. "Couldn't have" can also express impossibility, but it is sometimes used to express a past ability that was not realized.
Example:
Brian can't have gone to the expensive but very good hairdresser I recommended to him, because his hairstyle is still ugly.

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