Must и can’t: как не ошибиться с выбором

Сегодня тема урока — английские модальные глаголы Must и can’t. Наша задача рассмотреть правила их использования в предложении. уточнить грамматические ограничения, с ними связанные,

А также мы на примерах разберем и постараемся понять, как  надо переводить предложения с глаголами must и can’t. Вы правы, мало кто путает эти два модальных глагола. Но корректный перевод текстов с глаголами must и can’t требует определенных знаний, иногда выходящих за пределы курса иностранных языков высшей школы.

A. Study this example:

• A: My house is very near the motorway.
• B: It must be very noisy.

We use must to say that we feel sure something is true:

• You’ve been travelling all day. You must be tired. (Travelling is tiring and you’ve been travelling all day, so you must be tired.)
• ‘Jim is a hard worker.’ ‘Jim? A hard worker? You must be joking. He’s very lazy.’
• Carol must get very bored in her job. She does the same thing every day.

We use can’t to say that we feel sure something is not possible:

• You’ve just had lunch. You can’t be hungry already. (People are not normally hungry just after eating a meal. You’ve just eaten, so you can’t be hungry.)
• Brian said he would definitely be here before 9.30. It’s 10 o’clock now and he’s never late. He can’t be coming.
• They haven’t lived here for very long. They can’t know many people.

Study the structure:

I/you/he (etc.)	must can’t	be (tired / hungry / at work etc.)
		be (doing / coming / joking etc.)
		do / go / know / have etc.

B. For the past we use must have (done) and can’t have (done).

Study this example:
George is outside his friends’ house. He has rung the doorbell three times but nobody has answered.
They must have gone out. (otherwise they would have answered)

• The phone rang but I didn’t hear it. I must have been asleep.
• I’ve lost one of my gloves. I must have dropped it somewhere.
• Jane walked past me without speaking. She can’t have seen me.
• Tom walked straight into a wall. He can’t have been looking where he was going.

Study the structure:

I/you/he (etc.)	must can’t	have	been (asleep / at work etc.)
			been (doing / working etc.)
			done / gone / known / had

Couldn’t have… is possible instead of can’t have:

• She couldn’t have seen me.
• Tom couldn’t have been looking where he was going.

Еще статьи про правила использования глагола must

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EXERCISES

1 Put in must or can’t.

1. You’ve been travelling all day. You   must be very tired.
2. That restaurant________________ be very good. It’s always full of people.
3. That restaurant________________ be very good. It’s always empty.
4. You’re going on holiday next week. You ________________ be looking forward to it.
5. It rained every day during their holiday, so they ______________ have had a very nice time.
6. Congratulations on passing your exam. You ________________ be very pleased.
7. You got here very quickly. You ________________ have walked very fast.
8. Bill and Sue go away on holiday very often, so they ________________ be short of money.

2 Complete the sentences with a verb in the correct form.

1. I’ve lost one of my gloves. I must have  dropped  it somewhere.
2. They haven’t lived here for long. They can’t _know_ many people.
3. Ted isn’t at work today. He must___________________ ill.
4. Ted wasn’t at work last week. He must___________________ ill.
5. (The doorbell rings) I wonder who that is. It can’t________________ Mary. She’s still at work at this time.
6. Carol knows a lot about films. She must___________________ to the cinema a lot.
7. Look. Jack is putting on his hat and coat. He must___________________ out.
8. I left my bike outside the house last night and this morning it isn’t there any more. Somebody must _______________ it.
9. 9 Ann was in a very difficult situation. It can’t___________________ easy for her.
10. 10 There is a man walking behind us. He has been walking behind us for the last 20 minutes. He must ___________________ us.

3 Read the situations and use the words in brackets to write sentences with must have and can’t have.

1. The phone rang but I didn’t hear it. (I / asleep) I must have been asleep.
2. Jane walked past me without speaking, (she / see / me) _She can’t have seen me_
3. The jacket you bought is very good quality, (it / very expensive)_____________________________
4. I haven’t seen the people next door for ages. (they / go away)______________________________
5. I can’t find my umbrella. (I / leave / it in the restaurant last night)__________________________
6. Don passed the exam without studying for it. (the exam / very difficult)______________________
7. She knew everything about our plans, (she / listen / to our conversation)_____________________
8. Fiona did the opposite of what I asked her to do. (she / understand / what I said)_______________ ______________________________________________________________________
9. When I woke up this morning, the light was on. (I / forget / to turn it off)______________________
10. The lights were red but the car didn’t stop. (the driver / see / the red light)____________________
11. I was woken up in the middle of the night by the noise next door. (the neighbours / have / a party)

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