Modal Perfects Grammar Quiz

In the sentence "You needn’t have worried about the weather. It turned out to be a sunny day," the modal perfect "needn’t have worried" is used to:

• A) Speculate about a past event

• B) Indicate a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talk about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Say that something happened but wasn’t necessary

What is the function of the modal perfect "could have come" in the sentence "His interest in foreign languages could have come from his grandmother who was an expert in European literature"?

• A) Speculating about a past event

• B) Indicating a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talking about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Saying that something happened but wasn’t necessary

In the sentence "They might have arrived by now," the modal perfect "might have arrived" is used to:

• A) Speculate about a past event

• B) Indicate a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talk about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Say that something happened but wasn’t necessary

What is the purpose of the modal perfect "needn’t have bought" in the sentence "Thanks, but you needn’t have bought me present. At my age, I don’t really need anything new"?

• A) Speculating about a past event

• B) Indicating a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talking about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Saying that something happened but wasn’t necessary

In the sentence "She needn’t have worried about the presentation. It went perfectly," the modal perfect "needn’t have worried" is used to:

• A) Speculate about a past event

• B) Indicate a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talk about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Say that something happened but wasn’t necessary

In the sentence "He should / ought to have asked for permission before he used the phone," the modal perfect "should / ought to have asked" is used to:

• A) Speculate about a past event

• B) Indicate a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talk about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Say that something happened but wasn’t necessary

Which of the following sentences correctly uses a modal perfect to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past?

• A) "He might have bought a new car if he had enough money."

• B) "She needn’t have worried about the deadline. It was extended."

• C) "I should have brought an umbrella. Now I'm stuck in the rain."

• D) "They could have left earlier, but they decided to stay."

What is the purpose of the modal perfect "ought to have asked" in the sentence "He ought to have asked for directions before getting lost"?

• A) Speculating about a past event

• B) Indicating a mistake or bad decision

• C) Talking about hypothetical situations in the past

• D) Saying that something happened but wasn’t necessary

Which of the following sentences correctly uses a modal perfect to speculate about a past event?

• A) "He should have studied harder for the exam."

• B) "She might have won the race if she hadn’t tripped."

• C) "I could have gone to the store, but I didn’t want to."

• D) "They needn’t have left so early."

Which modal perfect is used to express disapproval of a past action in the sentence "I should have listened to your advice"?

• A) might have called

• B) shouldn’t have told

• C) could have given

• D) should have listened