MODALS OF BELIEF (beliefs about past time)
The choice of modal depends partly on what the speaker or writer believes.
Someone was knocking at the door.
That could have been Fred.
That might have been Fred.
= It’s possible.
I’m less than 50% sure.
That...
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MODALS OF BELIEF (beliefs about past time)
The choice of modal depends partly on what the speaker or writer believes.
Someone was knocking at the door.
That could have been Fred.
That might have been Fred.
= It’s possible.
I’m less than 50% sure.
That may have been Fred.
= It’s possible.
I’m less than 60% sure.
That must have been Fred.
That has to have been Fred.
That has got to have been Fred.
Less