Should Have, Could Have, Would Have: The Grammar of Hindsight

In this upper intermediate ESL lesson, students will practice modal perfect forms: expressing regret, criticism, and unrealized possibilities. They will also learn vocabulary related to regret and decision-making.

Warm-up:

The lesson starts with students reading a short email and identifying modal perfect forms.

Video:

Students watch a video titled “Captain Hindsight.” After watching the video, they answer a question about it.

Grammar:

This section introduces the proper uses of should have, could have, and would have.

Exercises:

In the first exercise, the students circle the correct option in each sentence. In the second exercise, they fill gaps in sentences using provided verbs. Next, the learners rewrite sentences using the correct modal perfect form. In the fourth exercise, identify and correct errors in the sentences. Next, they match a number of situations with the correct responses. Finally, they complete a word family table.

Discussion:

Learners discuss several questions using should have, could have, or would have.