The Butterfly Effect: Past Modals for Speculation - Might/ Must/ Could + Have + Past Part.

This is a very popular movie with a creative story. The main character, Evan, has occasional blackouts that prevent him from knowing exactly what happened at certain moments of his life. This is a scene of vandalism. Because Evan had a blackout, he doesn't know what took place during the elapsed 10 minutes of that day. We, spectators, dont know either. This is perfect for the students to practice past modals for speculation in order to guess what really happened.



A. Talk to a partner:


1. Should underaged individuals be legally responsible for their acts? Justify your answer.

2. Should teeangers go to jail like adults do when they are held responsible for a serious crime? Explain it.

3. What should the legal age be for an individual to be criminally responsible for their acts?

4. Does your city suffer with the acts of vandals? What are the most common ones?

5. What should be done about these cases?

B. Watch the segment and check the alternatives that you believe are possible explanations for the 10 minutes Evan blacked out, based on the evidence you have of their reactions and dialogs:

( ) 1. The bomb did not explode.

( ) 2. The owners of the house got seriously hurt.

( ) 3. A few people died because of the explosion.

( ) 4. A police officer saw what thet were trying to do and prevented a serious accident.

( ) 5. The bomb burned the house down.

( ) 6. Evan forgot what had happened to protect himself and his friends.





C. Now rewrite the sentences above using past modals (might/could/must/can't + have + past participle).

1 - ..................................................................

2 - ..................................................................

3 - .................................................................

4 - ................................................................

5 - ................................................................

6 - .................................................................

Answer Key:
All the items can be checked.


1. The bomb might not have exploded.
2. The owners might have got...
3. A few people might have died.
4. A police officer might have seen...
5. The bomb might have burned...
6. Evan might have forgotten...


WORKSHEET

How to prepare your own video segment:

• Select a segment in which the viewer cannot predict what happened before the scene actually takes place.
• Prepare an exercise with several possible (or impossible) explanations for the puzzle.
• Ask students to rewrite the same sentences, using the grammar point – Might/ Could/ Can’t/ Must + have + past participle.