provide possible answers to the following esl worksheet:

""He couldn’t have seen a ghost!
Copyrights by ESL Brains
1. Complete the dialogues with the words in the box.
a) A: Mike has just finished a meeting with his boss and he has a face like
thunder.
B: He might have been fired or something.
A: He can’t have been fired because he was promoted last week!
b) A: Why aren’t you walking on air? The exams are over!
B: Yeah, I know! But I might not have passed one of them.
c) A: She was dead on her feet and fell asleep right after she
came home.
B: She must have had a night shift this week. They’re very exhausting.
d) A: What’s wrong with him? He’s shaking like a leaf.
B: He may have seen a ghost.
A: Oh, come on. He couldn’t have seen a ghost! Ghosts don’t exist!
e) A: Alex broke off her engagement to Max six months ago.
B: Really? What happened?
A: I don’t know, but I think he could have cheated on her.
B: Oh, she must have felt down in the dumps. Poor thing!
f) A: Frank is going to the Royal Gala Night this year.
B: He must have been tickled pink to get the invitation! He loves posh
parties like that.
2. Look at the underlined idioms in ex. 1 and say what emotions they refer to.
3. Discuss the questions.
• When was the last time you, your friend or family member:
o were/was walking on air?
o felt down in the dumps?
o had a face like thunder?
o were/was shaking like a leaf?
o were/was dead on your/their feet?
o were/was tickled pink?
• What happened?
air dumps feet leaf pink thunder
He couldn’t have seen a ghost!
Copyrights by ESL Brains
4. Read the dialogues in ex. 1 again and answer the questions in the box.
5. React to the sentences using the verbs in brackets and your own ideas.
a) Julie spent the weekend hiking with her best friend. (must)
………………………………………………………………………………………
b) Your son is at the police station. (might)
………………………………………………………………………………………
c) She saw her driving to work yesterday. (can’t)
………………………………………………………………………………………
d) They booked a luxury trip to the Caribbean. (must)
………………………………………………………………………………………
e) He is ill, but he doesn’t seem to be at home. (can’t)
………………………………………………………………………………………
f) I invited my parents to my birthday party, but they didn’t come. (could)
………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Look at the pictures and say how these people feel. Then, make deductions
about the past. Try to use different past modals: must, can’t, couldn’t, might
(not), could, may.
EXAMPLE: She’s shaking like a leaf. She must have just watched a horror film.
We use past modals (modal verb + have + past participle) to make
deductions and guesses about the past.
a) Which past modals do we use when we are almost sure that
something isn’t true? can’t/couldn’t + have + past participle
b) Which past modal do we use when we are almost sure that
something is true? must + have + past participle
c) Which past modals do we use when we are less sure that
something is true or possible? might (not)/could/may + have +
past participle
He couldn’t have seen a ghost!
Copyrights by ESL Brains
7. Read each situation and result. Then, think about what might have
happened and speculate about each point.
EXAMPLE: Yesterday was Mary’s birthday. She is sad today.
A: Mary’s parents might have forgotten to call her.
B: No, I don’t think so. They couldn’t have forgotten about their daughter’s
birthday.
A: But, you know, there might have been an accident or something
unexpected could have happened.
• Mark was walking on air three months ago because he got his dream job.
Unfortunately, he was sacked after one month.
• Lucy has been on a long holiday. She’s just come back and she’s dead on her
feet.
• Rob and Patricia celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary yesterday. Today,
they are feeling down in the dumps.
• James went away for the weekend. He has a face like thunder now because
he has just come back and his house is a mess.
• Jen had a date yesterday. She’s tickled pink today.
• Tom and Richard went hiking in the woods. Now they are shaking like leaves.""