understanding perfect modals improves your English

Hello Everyone

Today's Yellow Level lesson is on perfect modal verbs. By adding what looks like the present perfect tense to the verbs would, could, might, should, or must, you can talk about situations that did or didn't happen in the past.

For example:  I should have called you earlier. Did I call you? No, I didn't, but it would have been a good thing if I had. Or.... We would have stayed at the party longer if we had more time. Did we stay
at the party, or did we leave early? We left early.

Learn more about these kinds of verb phrases in Yellow Level Lesson Twelve.

Would you like to try an exercise? This is for email subscribers only.

Directions: Read each situation and then complete the sentence that follows. Use "should" as the modal verb for each sentence.

Example:  I didn't leave early this morning. I _______ ________ _________ early this morning.

  I should have left early this morning.

1. Bill didn't eat breakfast. He ______ ______ _______ breakfast.

2. You didn't finish your homework. You ______ ______ ______ it.

3. The man ran through a red light. He _______ _______ _______ through the light.

4. The kids stayed up late. They _______ ________ ________ up late.

5. Sheila didn't put gas in the car. She _______ _______ ________ gas in the car.

6.  I didn't shut down my computer. I _______ _______ _______ it down.

7. Tom forgot his wife's birthday. He ________ ________ _________ it was her birthday.

8. The people at that table didn't leave a very big tip. They _______ _______ _______ a bigger tip.

9. My counselor didn't give me good advice. He ________ ________ ________ given me better advice.

10. They arrived really early at the party.  They ________ _______ ________ so early.

How did you do? The answers are below.

The word of the day is "advise."

Have a nice day!  

 PEACE!

Answers: 1. should have eaten; 2. should have finished; 3.  shouldn't have run; 4. shouldn't have stayed; 5. should have put; 6. should have shut; 7. shouldn't have forgotten; 8. should have left; 9. should have given; 10. shouldn't have arrived