Choose the sentences in which the modals are used correctly:
(A) The rice has stuck to the bottom of the pan. You should have stirred it more often.
(B) Ritu can’t have went to the cinema. She was at her tuition class all evening.
(C) The water bill can be paid online or at the ward office.
(D) If the electrician would have checked the wiring, the fuse would not have blown.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A) and (C) only
(A) The rice has stuck to the bottom of the pan. You should have stirred it more often. — Correct.
- Should have + past participle (V3) shows that the right thing was not done in the past.
(B) Ritu can’t have went to the cinema. She was at her tuition class all evening. — Incorrect.
- The given sentence says “can’t have went”.
- After can’t have, the verb must be in its V3 form.
- “Went” is the simple past of “go”, and its V3 is “gone”.
- Correct form: Ritu can’t have gone to the cinema. She was at her tuition class all evening.
(C) The water bill can be paid online or at the ward office. — Correct.
- Can be + V3 is the passive form after a modal.
- Someone pays the bill, so the passive form is right.
(D) If the electrician would have checked the wiring, the fuse would not have blown. — Incorrect.
- The given sentence says “If the electrician would have checked”.
- For a past that did not happen, the if-part takes had + V3.
- “Would have” comes only in the other part of the sentence.
- Correct form: If the electrician had checked the wiring, the fuse would not have blown.