Choose the sentences in which the modals are used correctly:
(A) Kabir can’t have cooked this biryani. He does not even know how to boil rice.
(B) My grandmother cans recite the whole Hanuman Chalisa from memory.
(C) Did you used to live in Ooty before your father’s transfer?
(D) Shall we pack some sandwiches for the long bus ride to Mussoorie?
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (D) only
(A) Kabir can’t have cooked this biryani. He does not even know how to boil rice. — Correct.
- Can’t have + past participle (V3) shows that we are sure something did not happen in the past.
(B) My grandmother cans recite the whole Hanuman Chalisa from memory. — Incorrect.
- The given sentence says “cans recite”.
- A modal never takes -s, even with he, she or a singular noun.
- Correct form: My grandmother can recite the whole Hanuman Chalisa from memory.
(C) Did you used to live in Ooty before your father’s transfer? — Incorrect.
- The given sentence says “Did you used to”.
- After did, the verb takes its simple form, so “used to” becomes “use to”.
- Correct form: Did you use to live in Ooty before your father’s transfer?
(D) Shall we pack some sandwiches for the long bus ride to Mussoorie? — Correct.
- Shall we + base verb is used to make a suggestion.