I’ve rung the bell but there’s no answer. He ____ in bed. a. Can be b. Will be c. Must be d. Needs to be

Answer 1

Hi Aimal. Modals can be confusing. Sometimes they imply ability and sometimes they imply a guess on the part of the writer. In your example, the writer is trying to state why the person is in bed. The only way to do that is to guess. "Can" isn't a good choice because "can" is used for either permissions (you can have a cookie) or ability (she can play the piano). "Will" is also not a good option. "Will" is used for either future tense (she will be here tomorrow) or helpfulness (I'll get that for you). "Needs to" isn't really a good choice unless we know more about the person in bed. It means that they are required to be in bed. We don't really know that. The best choice is "must" because it can be used when taking a guess. For example: She's late. She must be stuck in traffic. In your examaple, other acceptable modals would be: He might be or He could be.

I hope this helps!