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He left home more than an hour ago. He ____ be at work by now. A. can B. shall C. must D. would Note: They all look pretty good to me. What do you think is answer and why, thanks. If I have to choose, I guess D is the answer because D looks like past tense (I am not sure about it).
6 de jul. de 2013 6:46
Respuestas · 12
1
D - yes. Actually I find no problem with C either, but it is a less common thing to say. A & B are wrong, as you guessed: The tense is wrong.
6 de julio de 2013
C is correct because the speaker expresses the most probability of the person's being at home.The speaker knows the regular habbit of the person.
19 de junio de 2020
Thanks Mark, neither can I think of an example that uses "should." Now I know what Christopher and you are trying to tell me. "would" here is not to be interpreted as past tense, it only conveys a less definite mood for the present. But I find it hard to distinguish between "less definite (would)" and "speculative (can)" conceptually. They are so similar in meaning that I can't put my words to pen to tell them apart. Can I say "can" speculates more than does "would"?
7 de julio de 2013
"Can" could work in this sentence as the answer to a question. For example: Could he be a work already? He left home more than an hour ago. He can be at work by now. In this case "must" in definite; "would" is less definite; and, "can" is speculative. I don't know of a case where "shall" would fit; but, "should" or "could" are also possible answers.
6 de julio de 2013
Thanks Christopher, I guess most grammar questions for exams have an intended answer. It seems that English is a very flexible language and I heard most great writers take advantage of such flexibility. Thanks for providing special cases where other choices might work. :)
6 de julio de 2013
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