Modal Verbs of Deduction and Speculation ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets

In this productive modal verbs of speculation and deduction worksheet, students make deductions and speculate on what is happening in mysterious situations using must, can't, may, might, could and should (be). Students begin by matching each modal verb of deduction or speculation with its function. Next, students read three situations, make deductions and speculate on what they think is happening in each situation by completing modal verb prompts. Working together, students then brainstorm and write down the names of two people, a location and six random objects. After that, students complete a gap-fill text with the information. The text is about a missing person's case. Students then take on the role of a detective and use modal verbs of deduction and speculation to write a theory about how all the information could be connected to the missing person's case. Finally, students read their theories to the class and then discuss which theory the students think is most plausible.

Here is a fun modal verbs of deduction and speculation board game for intermediate students. In groups, students take turns reading out a situation on a card to the other students. The other students then speculate on the situation and race to make an appropriate sentence that explains the situation using a modal verb of deduction or speculation. The first student to give a grammatically correct explanation that is the same or similar to the answer on the card, rolls the dice and moves their counter along the board. If a student is certain their explanation is correct, they make a sentence with must. If they are not sure about their explanation, they use could, may, or might. The first student to reach the 'finish' square wins. As a variation, students can play in turn rather than racing to answer.

In this useful past modal verbs of deduction game, students speculate on situations using past modal verbs of deduction and try to match sentences and situations together. In groups, students take it in turns to turn over and read a sentence card, e.g. 'Oh no! Where's my car?' The student then speculates on the situation using a past modal verb of deduction (must, could, might, can't + perfect infinitive), e.g. 'It might have been towed away'. The student then turns over a speculation card. If the two cards match (e.g. 'Someone must have stolen it.'), the student keeps the two cards and has another turn. The student with the most pairs of matching cards at the end of the game is the winner.

In this imaginative modal verbs of speculation game, students speculate the truth behind various situations. Students take it in turns to pick up a situation card. The other students in the group then take a speculate card each. The student reads the situation on the card to the group, e.g. 'Your friend, Noah is always late to class'. The other students then begin a conversation where they speculate the truth behind the situation. The aim of the game is for the students to try to guess the truth about the person in the situation using the modal verb of speculation on their card. The student with the situation card listens to the conversation. When someone guesses the truth written on the card, the student stops the conversation and gives the person who guessed correctly the card. The student with the most situation cards at the end of the game wins.

This free modal verbs of deductions speaking activity helps students to practice past and present modal verbs of deduction. In groups, students read each question on the worksheet, e.g. 'You hear a student telling a joke. Who is it?' Students then use past and present modal verbs of deduction to discuss and answer the question. Students base their answer on what they know about their classmates, e.g. 'It could be Jin as he is good at telling jokes'. 'It can't be me because I can't remember jokes', etc. Each group then comes to a consensus and writes down the name of one student. When everyone has finished, the groups give their answers. The named people are asked if they agree that it could be or could have been them and if the justifications are valid. If they say yes, the groups that named the person score one point. The group with the most points at the end is the winner.