📝 Daily Practice
🎯 Lesson Goal
Understand how to use modal verbs of deduction to discuss evidence and assumptions, especially when identifying fake news. Learn to express certainty, possibility, and doubt when talking about information sources.
🧠 Grammar Focus
Modal verbs of deduction are used to make guesses based on evidence or assumptions. We use them to express how sure we are about a situation in the present or past. Common modals include must (certainty), might/may/could (possibility), and can’t (impossibility). For past situations, they combine with have + past participle (e.g., must have been). Use them to analyze news or stories when you are not completely sure. Examples: She must be the author of this article. They might have changed the facts to attract readers. He can’t have known the truth if he shared that post. Structure: subject + modal verb + base verb (or have + past participle for past).
📖 Short Reading
Anna read an article online about a new health study. She thought, "This must be true because it includes official data." However, her friend said the story might be fake news because the source isn’t well known. Anna said, "It could be that the writer changed some facts to get more readers." They checked the website and found some sentences that can’t be correct. Anna said the author must have misunderstood the research. They agreed that we should always check facts carefully. Sometimes, news stories might be true, but other times they may be false. You can’t trust everything you read without proof. It’s better to guess carefully and ask questions when you see surprising information.
✏️ Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks
1. The reporter ____ have made a mistake in the interview. (must / might / can’t)
2. This information ____ be false because it comes from a reliable source. (might / must / can’t)
3. He ____ have seen the video before sharing it because it was uploaded later. (can’t / must / may)
4. The article ____ contain some false facts to attract attention. (might / must / will)
5. Anna said the website ____ have updated the story last week. (must / could / can’t)
6. The journalist ____ have misunderstood the study results. (might / should / must)
7. She ____ be completely sure about the news without checking all the details. (can’t / must / may)
8. We ____ have found the truth after reading more reports. (may / must / need)
🔗 Exercise 2 – Matching
1. must have
2. might
3. can’t
4. source
5. evidence
6. fake news
7. deduction
8. assumption
✅ Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice
1. Which modal verb shows a strong guess about the present?
2. Choose the correct sentence about past events:
3. If we say ‘She can’t know the facts,’ what do we mean?
4. Which sentence shows a possible reason for fake news?
5. To express uncertainty about the present, use:
6. The phrase ‘It must be true’ shows:
7. Which modals combine with ‘have + past participle’?
8. What does ‘You can’t trust all online news’ mean?
📝 Writing Practice
1. Write 3–5 sentences explaining how you can use modal verbs of deduction when reading news or information online.
📚 Key Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| deduction | a guess based on information |
| evidence | proof or facts |
| assumption | an idea accepted without proof |
| certainty | being sure about something |
| possibility | something that might happen or be true |
| impossibility | something that cannot happen or be true |
| source | where information comes from |
| fake news | false or misleading information |
| misunderstood | wrongly understood |
| prove | show that something is true |
| trust | believe someone or something |
| surprising | something that is unexpected |
| check | look at something carefully |
| carefully | with attention and thought |
🔎 Answer Key
- exercise_1_fill_blanks: 1.must 2.can’t 3.can’t 4.might 5.must 6.might 7.can’t 8.may
- exercise_2_matching: 1.must have – expresses certainty about the past 2.might – shows possibility now or in the future 3.can’t – expresses impossibility or strong doubt 4.source – where information or news comes from 5.evidence – facts that support an idea 6.fake news – false or misleading information 7.deduction – guess based on available information 8.assumption – idea accepted without full proof
- exercise_3_multiple_choice: 1.must 2.He might have been wrong yesterday. 3.It’s impossible she knows. 4.They might have changed the story. 5.might 6.certainty 7.must, might, can’t 8.You shouldn’t believe everything online.
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