Modals of Possibility, Certainty

This video explains the use of may, might, could, must, and should to show degrees of possibility or certainty in English.

[@teacherney]

The best explanation ever! Thank you so much indeed.🙏🏾

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

You are so welcome.

[@wahidullahparwanayuqob3910]

I really enjoyed watching the great teacher tutor, and we must follow the instruction in order to learn the model.

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thank you, Wahid!

[@Leo007619]

I'll try to explain it as best as I can. This lesson is great. It's far better that any other lessons on this topic. Especially the diagram!

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

I'm so glad you find it helpful!

[@irademohsunova447]

Oh my god you are so amazing. Thanks.👏 .your explanation is brilliant

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thank you! I'm so glad you are benefiting from it.

[@shawnferi2233]

its well good I do understand your teaching👍

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

I am glad you understand!

[@valery_valderrama]

Wow! thanks for this lesson (:

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Glad it was helpful!

[@armandogomez5511]

Great grammar explanation coming for a beautiful female teacher

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thank you!

[@carmencuellar6095]

I really like how you explaining this class

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

I'm glad to hear it!

[@mariaadelheid6363]

It's really helping me in doing mt research. Thanks a lot

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Glad to hear that!

[@mariaadelheid6363]

@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher yah, thanks so much, Jeanie. Cause I have finished my thesis examination last friday.

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

@@mariaadelheid6363 Congratulations!

[@fabianaguilar4402]

great explanation!

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thanks -- I'm glad you liked it!

[@user-qi3ty2zs4q]

thank you merry christmas

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@I-say-hola]

Hi. I like the way you teach. I have a question. Why did you put couldn't in the 90% possibility and could in the 50% possibility? Does it mean, when 'could' is positive only is used to be 50% sure, and when it is negative, it is used to be 90% sure?

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

That is correct. The meanings in the positive and negative are used quite differently. "Could" is used to mean there is a possibility either way. "Couldn't" is used to express disbelief, to conclude that something is not possible.

[@I-say-hola]

@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher thank you for your answer. Please, keep posting your videos. They are great!

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

@@I-say-hola Thank you so much! I'll try!

[@sonofabrham6915]

wow😊😊😊

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Glad you like it!

[@sonofabrham6915]

@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher lm kurdish suteden thisk sister😊

[@amitgupta696]

Hello My Dear Ma'mm, Greetings of the day ! Amit Gupta here from Hyderabad,India , Your regular student. I am looking knowledge on Determiner (Article, PA,DP, Cardinal and ordinal numbers, multipliers,fractions,intensifiers,other words,and Numerals adjectives .. @t may be called Pre,Central and Post determiner ,and what is their order in the sentence. 2. Why we use "The , PA, DP " determiner after All,and "Whole "after "The,PA,DA" . (All My,Our,These The & The,My,Our,These Whole) Please help me to understand the same. Regards,

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

I am afraid I don't have this information to give to you. I hope you are able to benefit from the information I do have on my videos!

[@consuelovargasgonzalez1073]

Congratulations you are the best¡ but im sad about almost all teachers say different modals.. Ive seen WILL WITH MUST... BEING 90% DE SAME ... COULD U PLEASE BE SO KIND TO TELL ME... IM GETTING CRAZY.

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Yes, it is not easy to explain how modals are used. They don't translate well across languages, either, so I understand your frustration. I don't know how must could be 90% the same as will, though. Can you give me an example?

[@marcorey3382]

Thanks a lot, please, try to fix the audio, it sounds bad.... But thanks so much again

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

Thanks for your comment; I am looking into better sound options.

[@Leo007619]

Can we use 'should' for a degree of certainty in the past?

[@Leo007619]

If the flight had been on time [it wasn't], he should have arrived in Jakarta early this morning [he didn't]. If the flight was on time [we don't know], he should have arrived in Jakarta early this morning[we don't know].

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

@@Leo007619 Yes, this is possible, as you have already figured out from your examples! Well done! 'Should' in this sense is really used as expectation, and you can indeed talk about an expectation in the past, especially if it didn't happen, or if you don't know what happened.

[@Leo007619]

@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher Excuse me, I'd like to ask a question to clarify. Can we use 'should *not* have' to make guesses about the past as we do it with 'should have'? Example with should: "If the flight was on time, he should have arrived there yesterday morning." Example with should not: "If the flight was late, he shouldn't have arrived there yesterday morning."

[@JeanietheEnglishTeacher]

@@Leo007619 Yes, it is possible to use "should have" to make guesses about the past; we would generally use that for situations that DID exist (not hypothetical situations), but for which you don't know the outcome. For example: "The flight was on time, so he should have gotten home before noon."

[@rabergeo4602]

Excuse me, could we use (must + base) instead of must + be) to express certainty?

[@jeanlundbom8615]

Hi - 'base' means the base form of a verb, and 'be' is a base form. So yes, since 'be' is a base form, you can use it after 'must' to express a high degree of certainty.

[@rabergeo4602]

@@jeanlundbom8615 Thank you very much. So this sentence ((Suzan takes her cat everywhere, she must love her a lot)) So this sentence shows necessity or certainty or obligation?

[@jeanlundbom8615]

@@rabergeo4602 That sentence shows a high degree of certainty, an evidence-based assumption -- what we also call an "educated guess." It is not the 'must' of necessity or obligation.

[@rabergeo4602]

@@jeanlundbom8615 Thank you very very much. Appropriate your awesome explanation. It was really helpful.

[@mirrorhiddenman]

I found it past modals