Three guesses about what's true right now:

• "That can't be Tom's car — his is red, not blue."
• "She must be back from holiday — I saw the lights on last night."
• "He might just be joking; you never know with him."

Before you check: "can't" and "must" don't really mean "impossible" and "obliged" here — so what ARE they doing?

1. Marco grew up by the coast and swam every morning for years.

Reasoned guess about him now: "So he be a strong swimmer."

2. The lights are on, the car's in the drive, and you can hear music playing.

Near-certain deduction: "Someone be home."

3. "I haven't checked, so I could be wrong, but the office ___ be closed already — it's gone six."

Three guesses about something that already happened:

• "She must have missed the train — she's never usually this late."
• "He can't have read my message; he'd have replied by now."
• "You should have told me you were coming — I'd have cooked more!"

What changes in the grammar when you're guessing about the past instead of now?

1. Jake's desk is empty and his coat's gone.

Deduction: "He left early."

2. The photo shows snow on the ground, but it never snows here in July.

Logical impossibility: "So it been taken this summer."

3. "We waited for an hour and Diego never showed up. Looking back, I think he ___ told us he wasn't coming."

• "You'd better leave now, or you'll be stuck in rush hour."
• "He's bound to be late — he always is."
• "She will leave her keys in the door; it drives me mad."

None of these use a single modal word like "must" or "will" for the future — so why do they feel like modals?

1. The milk smells strange.

Warning with a consequence: "You drink it, or you'll be ill."

2. Everyone's saying it's the best film of the year.

Prediction based on evidence: "Given the reviews, the film win an award."

3. Every time — no exceptions. Which sentence best shows this is a typical, mildly annoying habit, not just a neutral fact?

Think of someone you know well. Something recently didn't go to plan for them — they missed something, forgot something, or didn't show up when expected. (If nothing comes to mind, invent one.)

Tell the story out loud for one minute. Try to cover:

• What do you think happened, and why? (a past guess)
• What are they probably doing right now? (a present guess)
• Is this the kind of thing they always do? (a habit)

Write a short account (3–5 sentences) of the same situation. Try to include at least one form for a present guess, one for a past guess, and one for an expectation or habit — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.

1. "She would rather to walk than take the bus."

2. "He must have went home early."

3. "The train is supposed arrive at nine."

4. "You had better calling the doctor if it gets worse."

5. The pavement's bone dry and there's no sign of rain anywhere. "It ___ rained here last night."

6. "I texted her twice and called once, but no answer at all — she ___ have her phone on silent, or she's just really busy."

1. Basic guess, nothing fancy: "I don't know exactly where she is, but she be at the gym — she usually goes on Tuesdays."

2. Say it out loud first: what's the real difference between "I don't know where he went" and "He must have gone home"?

3. Every window in the house is dark and there are two days of post piled up by the door.

Near-certain deduction: "The family away."

4. Grandma's plant is completely dead, and she's normally so careful with it.

Past deduction: "She forgotten to water it while she was in hospital."

5. It's happened every single year for as long as you can remember.

A typical habit: "Dad burn the sausages at the barbecue."

Which of today's three areas — reading someone's present situation, guessing about the past, or naming a habit — did you find easiest? Say why you think that one worked for you.