Must (have) and Can't (have)

UNIT 27 Must (have) and can't (have)

A.   Study this example situation:

Liz is a very good player, and not many players beat her. But yesterday she played against Bill and Bill won. So:

Bill must be a very good player (otherwise he wouldn't have won)


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

• You've been traveling all day. You must be tired. (= I sure that you are am tired.)

• I hear that your exams are next week. You must be studying very hard right now. (= I am sure that you are studying.)

• Carol knows a lot about films. She must like to go to the movies. (= I am sure she likes to go to the movies.)

We use can't to say that think something is impossible:

• You just had dinner. You can't be hungry already. (= It is impossible that you are hungry.)

• Tom said that he would be here ten minutes ago, and he is never late. He can't be coming.                        

Study the structure:

                                                be tired/hungry, etc.                                                                              I/you/he (etc.) {must}       be studying/ waiting/coming, etc.
                            {can't}       know/like, etc.    
                                              
 
B.   For the past we use must have (done) and can't have (done). Study this example:
We went to Roy's house last night and rang the doorbell. There was no answer.
He must have gone out (otherwise he would have answered).

• The phone rang, but I didn't hear it. I must have been asleep

• I made a lot of noise when I came home. You must have heard me.

• She passed me on the street without speaking. She can't have seen me.

• Tom walked into the wall. He can't have been looking where he was going.

Study the structure:

                            {must}               {been asleep/tired, etc.
I/you/he (etc.) {         }    have   {been looking/waiting, etc
                            {can't}                {gone/done/seen/heard, etc.


"couldn't have (done)" is possible instead of "can't have (done)":

• She couldn't have seen me.

• He couldn't have been looking where he was going.

Could( do ) and Could have ( done )

UNIT 26   Could (do) and could have (done)

A.   Study this example:

Dan: What do you want to do this evening?
Sue: We could go to the movies.

We use could (do) in a number of ways. Sometimes it is the past of can (do), but sometimes it has a present or future meaning. For example, we sometimes use could to talk about possible future actions, especially when we make suggestions:

"When you go to New York, you could stay with Linda.''

Can is also possible in these sentences. ("We can go to the movies.'')
Could is more unsure than can.                        


We also use could to talk about possible future happenings:

• There could be another rise in the price of gas soon. (= It is possible that there will be)

Sometimes could means would be able to:

• Why doesn't Tom apply for the job? He could get it.

• I don't know how she works 14 hours a day. I couldn't do it.

B.   The past of could (do) is could have (done). We use could have (done) to say that we had the ability or the opportunity to do something but did not do it:

• We didn't go out last night. We could have gone to the movies, but we decided to stay home. (we had the opportunity to go out, but we didn't.)

• Why did you stay at a hotel in New York? You could have stayed with Linda. (You had the opportunity to stay with her but you didn't.)

• Why didn't Tom apply for the job? He could have gotten it. (He had the ability to get it.)

We also use could have (done) to say something was a possibility but didn't happen:

• He was lucky when he fell off the ladder. He could have hurt himself.

C.   Here are some examples of couldn't have (done). "I couldn't have done something" = I wouldn't have been able to do it if I had wanted or tried to do it:

• When I went to New York last year, I decided not to stay with Linda. Later I found out that she was away while I was there, so I couldn't have stayed with her anyway.

• The hockey game was canceled last week. Tom couldn't have played anyway because he was sick.

Have and Have got Exercises

UNIT 23 Exercises

23.1   Make negative sentences with have. Some sentences are present (can't) and some past (couldn't)

Examples: I can't make a phone call. (any change) I don't have any change (or: I haven't got any change.)I couldn't read the notice. (my glasses) I didn't have my glasses
l.   I can't climb up onto the roof. (a ladder) I____________________________________________________________

2.   We couldn't visit the museum (enough time) We____________________________________________________

3.   He couldn't find his way to our house. (map)_________________________________________________________

4.   She can't pay her bills. (any money)___________________________________________________________________

5.   I couldn't make an omelette. (any eggs)______________________________________________________________

6.   I can't get into the house (my key)___________________________________________________________________

7.   They couldn't take any photographs. (a camera)____________________________________________________

8.   We couldn't go out in the rain. (an umbrella)_________________________________________________________

23.2   Complete these questions with have. Some are present and some are past.
Examples: Excuse me do you have a light, please?
Did you have a lot of friends when you lived in Greece?

1.   Why are you holding your mouth like that?_______________________________________a toothache?

2.   _____________________________ enough time to answer all the questions when you took your
exam last week?

3.   I need a stamp for this letter.____________________________any?

4.   "It started to rain when I was walking home.  Did it? an umbrella?"

5.    _____________________the time, please?   "Yes, it's ten after seven.''

6.   ______________________your own room when you were a child?                        

23.3   Complete these sentences using the expressions below. Put the verb into the correct form where necessary.

have a baby                                    have a good time                                        have a party

have a look                                     have a good flight                                      have a nice day

have a cigarette                              have a nice lunch                                have something to drink

1.   Tom has just come back from a restaurant. You say: Hi, Tom. Did you have a nice lunch?
2.   We________________________________last week. It was great-we invited lots of people.

3.   Thank you for shopping here, and____________________________!

4.   Suzanne took six months off her job when she_________________________________

5.   Excuse me, can I______________________________ at your newspaper, please?

6.   You meet Ann at the airport. She has just arrived. You say: Hello, Ann.__________________________________?

7.   I don't usually smoke, but I was feeling nervous, so I__________________________________.

8.   If you're thirsty, why don't you_______________________________________?

9.   I haven't seen you since you came back from vacation.________________________________?

Have and Have got

UNIT 23 Have and have got

A.   Have/has/had = possess, but we also use have for other things (for example, family
relationships):

• We have a new car.

• I have a brother and two sisters.

• Tom has a headache/a cold/the flu/etc.

• When she was a child, she had long blonde hair.

In questions use do/does/ did:

• How many brothers and sisters do you have?

• Does Ann have a car?

• Did you have a car when you lived in California? (not had you a car)

In negative sentences use don't/doesn't/didn't:

• I don't have any money.

• Ann doesn't have any brothers or sisters.

• I wanted to call you, but I didn't have your number. (not I hadn't your number)

• He didn't have a watch, so he didn't know what time it was.                        

B.   Have got/has got
You can use have got/has got rather than have/has alone:

• We've got a new car. (= We have a new car.)

• Tom has got a headache (= Tom has a headache)

The question and negative forms are:

• Have you got a headache? (= do you have)

• Has she got any brothers or sisters (= does she have)

• I haven't got any money. (= I don't have)

• Ann hasn't got a car. (= Ann doesn't have)

But don't use got for the past:

• When she was a child, she had long blonde hair (not she had got)

C.   Have for actions.
We also use have for a number of actions (especially eating and drinking):

have breakfast/ lunch/ dinner/ a meal/ a cup of coffee/ a cigarette/ etc

have a good time/ a nice day/ etc.                                              have a party (= give a party)

have a look (at something)                                                           have a baby (=give birth to a baby)

(You cannot use have got in these expressions.)

• I always have a big breakfast in the morning. (not have got)

• Did you have a good time last night?

• We're having a party on Saturday. Would you like to come?

• What time does Ann usually have lunch?