This article has some Past Modal Verbs Exercises that you can try to improve your understanding of the past modal verbs.
Past Modal Verbs are used to express degrees of certainty, possibility, or obligation about events and actions that have already taken place. They help convey speculation or judgement about past situations.
Past Modal Verbs Exercises with Answers
( should have, could have, would have, might have, may have, must have, needn’t have, can’t have and ought to have)
Complete the following past modal verbs exercises and check the answers to find out if you know them well.
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct past modal verbs
1. We ————— (leave) earlier.
2. She —————- (leave) already.
3. I ————— (park) it in this street.
4. You ————— (be) more careful.
5. He ————— (sleep) at the office.
6. You —————- (tell) me the truth.
7. I ————— (help) you if I had known.
8. He ————— (take) the bus to get home.
9. I ————— (apologize) to her.
10. She ————— (ask) for some help.
Answers:
1. We should have left earlier.
2. She might have left already.
3. I can’t have parked it in this street.
4. You ought to have been more careful.
5. He must have slept at the office.
6. You could have told me the truth.
7. I would have helped you if I had known.
8. He may have taken the bus to get home.
9. I should have apologized to her.
10. She ought to have asked for some help.
Exercise 2
Complete the sentences by choosing the correct past modal
1. She ————— (pass) the test if she had studied.
2. The van is out of gas. I ————— (buy) gas yesterday.
3. I can’t find my glasses. I ————— (leave) them in the car.
4. Are you out of your mind? You ————— (crash) into that wall!
5. Rohan ————— (go) on holiday. I saw him this morning.
6. Reena looked upset this morning. She ————— (fail) the exam.
7. My suitcase is too heavy. I ————— (pack) so many things.
8. You ————— (cook). There’s plenty of food for everyone.
9. I ————— (see) her at the party, but I’m not 100% sure.
10. They ————— (be) more careful when they were driving.
11. Rakesh has been here many times. He ————— (get) lost.
12. Nobody answered the phone at the clinic. It ————— (close) early.
13. She ————— (come) to the restaurant if she had left work earlier.
14. My wife doesn’t answer the phone. She ————— (go) shopping.
15. Anand ————— (finish) the work, but he felt ill and had to go home.
Answers-
1. She would have passed the test if she had studied.
2. The van is out of gas. I should have bought gas yesterday.
3. I can’t find my glasses. I might have left them in the car.
4. Are you out of your mind? You could have crashed into that wall!
5. Rohan can’t have gone on holiday. I saw him this morning.
6. Reena looked upset this morning. She might have failed the exam.
7. My suitcase is too heavy. I shouldn’t have packed so many things.
8. You needn’t have cooked. There’s plenty of food for everyone.
9. I may have seen her at the party, but I’m not 100% sure.
10. They ought to have been more careful when they were driving.
11. Rakesh has been here many times. He can’t have got lost.
12. Nobody answered the phone at the clinic. It must have closed early.
13. She could have come to the restaurant if she had left work earlier.
14. My wife doesn’t answer the phone. She may have gone shopping.
15. Anand would have finished the work, but he felt ill and had to go home.
Exercises 3
Complete the sentences with could have, would have, should have, may have, might have, must have, needn’t have, can’t have and ought to have and the verb in brackets.
1. He knows the answer. He ————— (read) the chapter.
2. You ————— (worry) about the exam; it was really easy.
3. If you had joined us earlier, you ————— (understand) the concept.
4. You ————— (take) this job. I can see you are not enjoying it.
5. I ————— (buy) bread but I didn’t know we needed it.
6. You ————— (tell) Dinesh the news. I told him already.
7. If Peter was at work until six, he ————— (do) the murder.
8. ‘Keep your eyes on the road! You ————— (kill) me!’
9. He ————— (become) a doctor, but he chose engineering.
10. Rohit ————— (call) Anjali, but he didn’t have her number.
11. The students did well on the test. They ————— (study) hard.
12. Aakash missed the bus. He ————— (leave) his house a few minutes earlier.
13. My sister’s eyes are red. She ————— (has) an argument with her boyfriend.
14. You ————— (buy) some milk at the shops. We don’t have any milk.
15. I ————— (be) here when I was a child but I can’t really remember.
16. The prisoner ————— (escape) through that window because it is too small.
Answers-
1. He knows the answer. He must have read the chapter.
2. You needn’t have worried about the exam; it was really easy.
3. If you had joined us earlier, you would have understood the concept.
4. You shouldn’t have taken this job. I can see you are not enjoying it.
5. I could have bought bread but I didn’t know we needed it.
6. You needn’t have told Dinesh the news. I told him already.
7. If Peter was at work until six, he can’t have done the murder.
8. ‘Keep your eyes on the road! You may have killed me!’
9. He could have become a doctor, but he chose engineering.
10. Rohit would have called Anjali, but he didn’t have her number.
11. The students did well on the test. They must have studied hard.
12. Aakash missed the bus. He ought to have left his house a few minutes earlier.
13. My sister’s eyes are red. She might have had an argument with her boyfriend.
14. You should have bought some milk at the shops. We don’t have any milk.
15. I might have been here when I was a child but I can’t really remember.
16. The prisoner can’t have escaped through that window because it is too small.
Exercises 4
Complete the sentences with past modal verbs. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
1. It ————— (be) easy.
2. I ————— (love) to join you.
3. I ————— (ask) her to dance.
4. He ————— (take) a different train.
5. She ————— (become) a famous musician.
6. You ————— (borrow) money.
7. My mother ————— (prepare) the food.
8. You ————— (keep) your health healthy.
9. They ————— (eat) pizza during their trip.
10. You ————— (cross) the road carefully.
11. I ————— (go) to the Halloween party.
12. She ————— (forget) our meeting time.
13. I ————— (leave) my mobile on the bus.
14. You ————— (inform) me yesterday.
15. He ————— (accept) the job offer.
16. They ————— (finish) the project by now.
17. You ————— (go) to school on Sunday.
18. She ————— (work) hard to get the promotion.
Answers-
1. It cannot have been easy.
2. I would have loved to join you.
3. I should have asked her to dance.
4. He might have taken a different train.
5. She could have become a famous musician.
6. You needn’t have borrowed money.
7. My mother may have prepared the food.
8. You ought to have kept your health healthy.
9. They must have eaten pizza during their trip.
10. You ought to have crossed the road carefully.
11. I could have gone to the Halloween party.
12. She may have forgotten our meeting time.
13. I cannot have left my mobile on the bus.
14. You should have informed me yesterday.
15. He would have accepted the job offer.
16. They might have finished the project by now.
17. You needn’t have gone to school on Sunday.
18. She must have worked hard to get the promotion.
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