Grammar - Third Graders - Modal Verbs "Might Have" and "May Not"

 

🎓 Might Have / May Not – Expressing Possibility in the Past

Welcome to today’s grammar focus! 🌟
We’re going to learn how to use "might have" and "may not" to talk about past possibilities.

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🔍 When do we use "might have" and "may not"?

We use "might have" to express a possibility about something that could have happened in the past, but we’re not sure.

We use "may not have" to talk about something that possibly did not happen in the past.

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✅ Affirmative Sentences: Might Have

Structure:
Subject + might have + past participle

🔸 She might have forgotten her homework.
🔸 They might have gone to the wrong place.
🔸 I might have left my keys at home.
🔸 He might have taken your umbrella.
🔸 We might have missed the last bus.

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❌ Negative Sentences: May Not Have

Structure:
Subject + may not have + past participle

🔸 She may not have heard the phone ring.
🔸 They may not have understood the question.
🔸 I may not have locked the door.
🔸 He may not have seen the message.
🔸 We may not have finished the project on time.

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❓ Interrogative Sentences

Structure:
(Wh-) + might + subject + have + past participle?

🔸 What might she have done yesterday?
🔸 Might he have missed the bus?
🔸 Might they have forgotten the meeting?
🔸 Might you have made a mistake?
🔸 Where might we have gone wrong?

⚠️ We don’t usually use “may not have” in questions. Instead, we use “might not have.”

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🧠 Useful Phrasal Verbs with “Might Have” or “May Not Have”

Phrasal Verb	Example Sentence	Meaning (ES)
give up	She might have given up too soon.	rendirse
show up	He may not have shown up for the interview.	presentarse / aparecer
run out (of)	They might have run out of time.	quedarse sin algo
figure out	We may not have figured out the answer.	descifrar / entender
take off	The plane might have taken off early.	despegar
turn in	I might have turned in the report late.	entregar algo (como tarea)

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💬 Useful Expressions (English - Spanish)

English Expression	Spanish Translation
I’m not sure, but…	No estoy seguro(a), pero…
It could have been…	Pudo haber sido…
There’s a chance that…	Hay una posibilidad de que…
Maybe I made a mistake.	Tal vez cometí un error.
I might have misunderstood.	Pude haber malentendido.
She may not have realized it.	Puede que ella no lo haya notado.
We might have been wrong.	Puede que hayamos estado equivocados.

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🗣️ Common Sentences (English – Spanish)

English	Spanish
I might have lost my notebook.	Puede que haya perdido mi cuaderno.
She may not have seen your message.	Puede que ella no haya visto tu mensaje.
They might have taken the wrong bus.	Puede que hayan tomado el autobús equivocado.
We may not have studied enough.	Puede que no hayamos estudiado lo suficiente.
You might have misunderstood the instructions.	Puede que hayas malinterpretado las instrucciones.
He may not have known it was due today.	Puede que él no haya sabido que era para hoy.
I might have forgotten my homework.	Puede que se me haya olvidado la tarea.
She may not have had time.	Puede que no haya tenido tiempo.
We might have made a mistake.	Puede que hayamos cometido un error.
They may not have had internet.	Puede que no hayan tenido internet.

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📝 Practice Time!

Write 5 sentences using "might have" and 5 using "may not have."

Try to use some phrasal verbs or useful expressions from the list above.

You can post them in the comments or share them in class! 💬🖊️

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Let’s keep learning together! 🌱

Understanding modal verbs helps you express yourself with more nuance and confidence.

Don’t forget: Practice makes progress! 💪

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