MODAL OF DEDUCTION: MUST CAN´T , MIGHT/ MAY / COULD

We use modal verbs to say how sure we are about something.

1 must

we use must when we feel sure that something is true because there’s very strong evidence.

·         He must live near here because he comes to work on foot. We don’t know where he lives but we’re sure it’s not far away.

·         Come inside and get warm – you must be freezing out there.

·         You’re a zookeeper? That must be very interesting.

Notice that must is followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

2 might, may, could

We use might, may or could to say that we think something is possible but we’re not sure.

·         Did you hear that? I think there might be a burglar downstairs. She’s not sure there’s a burglar but she thinks it’s possible.

·         We’ll try to get there early but we may arrive late if there’s a lot of traffic.

·         Don’t put it up there. It could fall off and hit someone.

Might, may and could are also followed by an infinitive without ‘to’.

3 can’t

We use can’t when we feel sure something is not true.

·         It can’t be a burglar. All the doors and windows are locked. He doesn’t know it’s not a burglar but he feels sure it’s not.

·         It can’t be far away now. We’ve been driving for hours. Where’s the map?

·         Really? He has to work on Christmas Day? He can’t feel very happy about that.

Like the other verbs, can’t is followed by an infinitive without ‘t

TAG QUESTIONS

Los tag questions son pequeñas frases o preguntas (mini-questions) que se colocan al final de una oración afirmativa o negativa y que generalmente tienen como objetivo confirmar o negar el contenido de la frase misma. Es el equivalente al ¿verdad? español o al ¿no? más utilizado en países de América.

ORACIONES  AFIRMATIVAS  CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PRESENT SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

·         It's a beautiful day, isn't it? (Es un día hermoso, ¿no?)

·         Martha is angry, isn't she? (Marta está enojada, ¿verdad?)

·         You are really tired, aren't you? (Estás muy cansado, ¿no?)

·         They're very nice people, aren't they? (Son personas muy agradables, ¿no?)

·         You are coming tomorrow, aren't you? (Vas a venir mañana, ¿verdad?)

·         Pedro's flying now, isn't he? (Pedro está volando en estos momentos, ¿no?)

ORACIONES  NEGATIVAS  CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PRESENT SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

·         I'm not late, am I? (No llego tarde, ¿no?)

·         It isn't a beautiful day, is it? (No es un día hermoso, ¿verdad?)

·         Martha isn't angry, is she? (Marta no está enojada, ¿no?)

·         You aren't really tired, are you? (No estás muy cansado, ¿verdad?)

·         They aren't very nice people, are they? (No son personas muy agradables, ¿no?)

·         You aren't coming tomorrow, are you? (No vas a venir mañana, ¿no?)

·         Pedro isn't flying now, is he? (Pedro no está volando en estos momentos, ¿no?)

ORACIONES  AFIRMATIVAS  CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PAST SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

·         It was a beautiful day, wasn't it? (Fue un día hermoso, ¿verdad?)

·         Martha was angry, wasn't she? (Marta estaba enojada, ¿no?)

·         You were really tired, weren't you? (Estabas muy cansado, ¿verdad?)

·         You were studying at 6, weren't you? (Estuviste estudiando a las 6, ¿no?)

·         He was flying when I phoned, wasn't he? (Estaba volando cuando llamé, ¿no?)

ORACIONES AFIRMATIVAS CON OTROS VERBOS COMUNES O DEFECTIVOS.

·         You went to Costa Rica in 1990, didn't you? (Fuiste a Costa Rica en 1990, ¿no?)

·         Elena has traveled a lot, hasn't she? (Elena ha viajado mucho, ¿no?)

·         Ann will be here soon, won't she? (Ana estará pronto aquí, ¿verdad?)

·         Tom should pass his exam, shouldn't he? (Tom debería aprobar su examen, ¿no?)

·         You can play the violin, can't you? (Sabes tocar el violín, ¿no?)

·         He could find a job, couldn't he? (Pudo encontrar trabajo, ¿verdad?)

·         There are twelve animals in the Chinese horoscope, aren't there?

·         (Hay doce animales en el zodíaco chino, ¿verdad?)

REGLAS

1.Los tag questions utilizan siempre los verbos auxiliares.

2.Con oraciones afirmativas utilizamos un tag question en NEGATIVO.

3. Con oraciones negativas utilizamos un tag question en AFIRMATIVO o POSITIVO.