Modals of Certainty & Deduction

Form

Subject + must + Verb

The lights are on. He must be home.

You haven’t eaten all day. You must be hungry.


Meanings

Positive Deduction (~95% certain)

We use must when we are almost certain that something is true because we have strong evidence or reasons.

Evidence: All the lights in his house are on.
Deduction: He must be home.


Important: This is different from must for obligation. Here, must is for a logical conclusion.

Deduction: You must be tired after your long journey.
Obligation: You must finish your homework.


Practice exercises