Sign up for freeSign up

How did Houdini get out? Might, may and could for guesses about now

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches might vs may, with could, for guesses about now, built around the escapes of Harry Houdini, the Handcuff King.

Grammar
Might, may and could + base form for perhaps (It could be a trick lock.), might not and may not for perhaps not, set against must and can't.
Topic
Harry Houdini, from his childhood in Appleton, Wisconsin, to the Milk Can Escape, with words such as handcuffs, padlock and lockpick.
Activities
Episode notes to read, a studio escape room and a listener's message to hear, self-checking drills, a puzzle-building chat with steps to order and sort, and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: are you ready for a challenge?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: escapes and puzzlesVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the Handcuff King

    • Look at the picture: the Milk Can EscapePictureUnlock
    • Read the episode notesArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: get out of the studio!

    • Listen to Riley and DariusListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's Take: Peggy's messageListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: It might be a trick!

    • Study the scheme: might, may, couldGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: might, may or could + the verbFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: perhaps or perhaps notFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: same meaning or correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: make an escape room

    • Choose the right replies: make an escape-room puzzleChatTry it
    • Put the parts of Darius's puzzle in the correct orderDrag and dropUnlock
    • Sort the clues into the correct columns: must, might or can't?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: our team's puzzleChoose the optionUnlock
    • Open a box and solve the puzzle in teamsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: sure, perhaps or impossible?Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: what does it mean?QuizUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the hosts' answer to PeggyDrag and dropUnlock
    • Put the parts of Veronica's puzzle in the correct orderDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: solve Veronica's puzzleChoose the optionUnlock

34 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • handcuffs
  • chain
  • padlock
  • trick
  • magician
  • jail cell
  • code
  • lockpick
  • timer

Grammar: might, may and could for possibility

Learners know might for the future: It might rain tomorrow. Here might, may and could make guesses about now: The key might be in the box. In a studio escape room, students use all three to mean perhaps, say perhaps not with might not, and set these guesses against must and can't.

It might be a trick!

You know might for the future (It might rain tomorrow). Use might, may and could for guesses about now, too: perhaps it's true.

Perhaps true, perhaps not

In a guess about now, might, may and could all mean perhaps: He could be in the studio. May sounds a little more formal. The base form follows, with every person: he might know, never he might knows.

Perhaps true, perhaps not true

PersonPerhaps true: might / may / couldPerhaps not: might not / may not
II might know the code.I might not know the code.
youYou may be right.You may not be right.
heHe could be in the studio.He might not be in the studio.
sheShe might need a hint.She may not need a hint.
itIt could be a trick lock.It might not be a trick lock.
weWe may have enough time.We may not have enough time.
theyThey might be on the wall.They might not be on the wall.

might, may, could: the same meaning

In a guess about now, might, may and could all mean perhaps: The key might / may / could be in the box. May sounds a little more formal. After them, use the base form with every person: he might know (not: he mights know, he might knows, he might to know). No to, no -s.

Sure, perhaps or impossible?

Must is for sure guesses: I can hear it. The key must be in the box. Might, may and could are for perhaps. Can't and couldn't mean impossible: The mug is empty. The key can't be in it.

✅ sure: must

  • I can hear it. The key must be in the box.
  • Riley is opening the padlock. She must know the code.

🤔 perhaps: might / may / could

  • The key might be under Footnote.
  • It could be a trick lock.

❌ impossible: can't / couldn't

  • The mug is empty. The key can't be in it.
  • It's new, so it couldn't be Houdini's lock.

Perhaps not: might not or may not

For perhaps not, use might not or may not: It might not be a real lock. Could not is not the opposite of could here: like can't, it means impossible. So It couldn't be a real lock means you're sure it isn't.

Perhaps not = might not, not could not

For perhaps not, use might not or may not: I'm not sure. It might not be a real lock. Couldn't (could not) is like can't: it means impossible. It couldn't be a real lock = I'm sure it isn't a real lock.

Maybe, may be, and questions with could

Maybe, one word, goes with a normal verb: Maybe it is a trick. May be, two words, is the verb: It may be a trick. Ask questions with could: Where could the key be? Can is for things that are sometimes true: Escape rooms can be hard.

maybe or may be?

Maybe goes with a normal verb: Maybe it is a trick = It might be a trick. Maybe is one word (= perhaps). May be is two words, a verb: It may be a trick.

can or could?

Use can for things that are sometimes true in general: Escape rooms can be hard. For a guess about one thing now, use might, may or could: It could be a trick lock. Ask with could: Could it be a trick? Where could the key be?

Houdini and the studio escape room

  • How did Houdini get out? The answers might be in his books.
  • The code could be on the Wall of Weird.
  • Soft and orange? The key may be under Footnote!
  • It can't be in the mug: Riley is drinking from it.
  • Is that a real key? It might not be!
  • Could it be a trick lock?

Common mistakes

  • It might is a trick.

    It might be a trick.

    the base form after might / may / could

  • He mays know the code.

    He may know the code.

    no -s and no to (not: may to know)

  • I'm not sure. It could not be real.

    I'm not sure. It might not be real.

    perhaps not = might not / may not

  • It could to be in the box.

    It could be in the box.

    no to after might / may / could

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the might, may and could exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 21 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • guess about now with might, may or could: The code might be on the Wall of Weird. It could be a trick lock.
  • say perhaps not with might not or may not, never could not: I'm not sure. It might not be a real lock.
  • tell a possible guess from a sure or impossible one: The key must be in the box. It can't be in the mug.
  • ask with could and build an escape-room puzzle: Where could the key be? The code may be on a page, not in a drawer.

Lesson 31 is the third lesson of Adventure and challenge, unit 8 of English B1.2 · Changemakers. It builds on A2.1 lesson 31, where might looked at the future, and on lesson 30's must and can't for sure guesses. Lesson 32 closes the course with the meanings of get. Since the notes don't say how Houdini got out, his escapes leave plenty of room for guesses with might and could.

Students spin a wheel of questions about escape rooms, puzzles and magic, then learn twelve words, from lock and vanish to lockpick and timer, with pictures and audio. They read the episode notes on Houdini, then hear Riley get out of Darius's studio escape room and a message from Peggy in Wisconsin, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking drills, among them a table that turns each guess into perhaps not. The speaking chapter builds an escape-room puzzle: a chat with Darius, his puzzle in order, clues sorted by must, might or can't, a template with gaps, then puzzles to solve in teams.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram and a word gap-fill, then a choice of forms in new sentences, gaps for sure, perhaps or impossible, word order, a meaning quiz, the hosts' answer to Peggy, and Veronica's puzzle to put in order and then solve.

Grammar:
might, may, could for possibility · might not / may not · can't / couldn't for impossible · modals of deduction
Topic:
Harry Houdini · escape artists · Appleton, Wisconsin · magic · escape rooms · puzzles · the Library of Congress · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Start with a mystery bag: put an object in a bag, let students feel it without looking, and collect guesses: It might be a key. It could be a coin. It can't be a phone. It's too small.
  • Before the notes, ask where Houdini was born. Students guess, then read: he was born in Budapest, though he told people it was Appleton, where he lived for about four years as a child.
  • Pause the escape room before each clue is solved: students say where the code or the key might be, then listen on to hear Riley's own guesses with the same forms.
  • Let teams swap puzzles at the end: each team builds one with the speaking chapter's template, and another team solves it aloud with It might be…, It must be… and It can't be…

Liked it?

Teach the whole lesson in edio

34 exercises in 6 chapters, ready to teach. edio is an online platform for language schools and teachers: ready-made interactive lessons, live classes, homework and student progress in one place.

  1. Start a free trial

    7 days, no credit card.

  2. Open the lesson

    Find it in the library of 621 ready lessons. Teach it as it is, or copy any chapter into your own lessons.

  3. Teach it live or as homework

    Students work in their own accounts, in sync with you during the lesson, and the practice exercises check themselves.

Teach it free for 7 days

The whole course: English B1.2 · Changemakers

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, about people and ideas that changed things: start-ups, future cities, food, memory, customs, art, volunteers and adventure. The podcast team of English B1.1 is back for a season called Changemakers. Learners use the second conditional, the passive, reported speech, the past perfect, relative clauses and verb patterns, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Start-up stories

    the second conditional, If I were you, the first vs the second conditional, also, too, as well and besides

    1. Lesson 1The garage where Silicon Valley beganThe second conditional for imagined situations
    2. Lesson 2Would you sell lemonade to save bees?Second conditional questions and If I were you
    3. Lesson 3Pitch it to the Sharks!First vs second conditional: a real plan or a dream?
    4. Lesson 4A bakery that hires anyone?Adding ideas: also, too, as well, either and besides

  2. Unit 2 Cities of tomorrow

    the passive in the present simple and the past simple, with modals, and in the present perfect and present continuous

    1. Lesson 5Can you cross a city without going outside?The present simple passive
    2. Lesson 6A park on top of a freeway?The past simple passive
    3. Lesson 7Can a desert city catch the rain?The passive with modals
    4. Lesson 8Can an old railroad become a park?The present perfect and present continuous passive

  3. Unit 3 Food for the future

    comparative and superlative adverbs, the future passive, verbs with prepositions, phrasal verbs with up, away and out

    1. Lesson 9Why did Carver tell farmers to plant peanuts?Comparative and superlative adverbs
    2. Lesson 10Lettuce from space?The future passive with will be
    3. Lesson 11Why do corn, beans and squash grow together?Verbs with dependent prepositions
    4. Lesson 12What happens to dining-hall leftovers?Phrasal verbs with up, away and out

  4. Unit 4 Memory and learning

    reported statements with say and tell, tense changes, time and place words, reported questions, requests and commands

    1. Lesson 13Can you train your memory?Reported statements with say and tell
    2. Lesson 14He got better but never rememberedReported statements about the past
    3. Lesson 15Can a TV show teach the alphabet?Reported questions
    4. Lesson 16Can you learn a new skill at 70?Reported requests and commands

  5. Unit 5 Customs and manners

    degree adverbs such as quite and pretty, the past perfect, the past perfect vs the past simple, make vs do

    1. Lesson 17To tip or not to tip?Adverbs of degree before adjectives and adverbs
    2. Lesson 18They'd already started without me!The past perfect: had + past participle
    3. Lesson 19What should you do at a powwow?Past perfect vs past simple
    4. Lesson 20How do you accept a lei?Make vs do: collocations to learn

  6. Unit 6 Art and design

    relative clauses with whose, non-defining relative clauses, relative clauses without a pronoun, when and why

    1. Lesson 21Art that moves in the airRelative clauses with whose
    2. Lesson 22A heart that sells a stateNon-defining relative clauses
    3. Lesson 23What would you paint on a city wall?Relative clauses without who, which or that
    4. Lesson 24Why does the sign say Hollywood?Relative adverbs: when, why and where

  7. Unit 7 Volunteers and changemakers

    verb + -ing or to, -ing as a subject and after prepositions, stop, remember, try and forget, prefer and would rather

    1. Lesson 25A day on, not a day off?Verb + -ing or verb + to
    2. Lesson 26The house that welcomed a neighborhoodGerunds as subjects and after prepositions
    3. Lesson 27A walk that lasted 24 hoursStop, remember, forget and try + to or -ing
    4. Lesson 28Head, heart, hands and healthPrefer, would rather and would prefer

  8. Unit 8 Adventure and challenge

    possessive 's vs of, must and can't for deduction, might, may and could for possibility, the meanings of get

    1. Lesson 29Could you climb a fourteener?Possessive 's, s' or of
    2. Lesson 30It must be here somewhere!Must and can't for deduction
    3. Lesson 31 · you're hereHow did Houdini get out?Might, may and could for possibility
    4. Lesson 32A capital with no road inThe meanings of get

Questions about this lesson

What's the difference between might and may?
In a guess about now, might and may mean the same: perhaps. The key might be in the box and The key may be in the box say the same thing; may just sounds a little more formal. May can also ask for permission (May I come in?), a use this lesson leaves out. The B1 lesson How did Houdini get out? on edio.ai teaches both for guesses.
How do you use might, may and could for possibility?
Put the base form after the modal, for every person: She might need a hint. We may have enough time. It could be a trick lock. Use no to and no -s: He may know the code, not He mays know or may to know. For questions, use could: Could it be a trick? Where could the key be?
Is it "It could not be" or "It might not be"?
If you mean perhaps not, it's It might not be or It may not be. Could not means impossible, like can't: It's new, so it couldn't be Houdini's lock. So I'm not sure. It might not be real is right, and I'm not sure. It could not be real is wrong. How did Houdini get out? drills this pair in several tasks.
Is it "maybe" or "may be"?
Both are right, but maybe is one word meaning perhaps, and it goes with a normal verb: Maybe it is a trick. May be is two words, the modal may + be: It may be a trick. The two sentences mean the same. A tip in the scheme of How did Houdini get out?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, shows them side by side.
What's the difference between could, can and must in guesses?
Could is for one possible guess now: It could be a trick lock. Can is for things that are sometimes true in general: Escape rooms can be hard. Must is for a sure guess (I can hear it. The key must be in the box.), and can't for an impossible one. How did Houdini get out? sorts clues into must, might and can't.
Who was Harry Houdini?
Harry Houdini was an escape artist called the “Handcuff King”. He was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874, and came to the United States at four. He escaped from handcuffs and chains, and in 1906 from a jail cell in Washington, D.C. In 1908, he began the Milk Can Escape, shut inside a giant milk can full of water, and around 1912 an upside-down escape from a tank of water.
Was Houdini born in Appleton, Wisconsin?
No. Houdini often told people he was born in Appleton, but he was born in Budapest. His family settled in Appleton in 1878 and lived there about four years before moving to Milwaukee. The museum in Appleton says he always thought of it as his hometown. Today that museum, the History Museum at the Castle, has a Houdini exhibit with handcuffs, lockpicks and keys he used.
How do I teach might, may and could to B1 students?
Start from a real puzzle with no clear answer, like an object in a bag, and collect guesses with all three modals. Then add must and can't as the sure ends of the scale, and might not for perhaps not. How did Houdini get out? on edio.ai goes from episode notes and a studio escape room to the scheme, four drills and a puzzle-building chat.
What's a good game for practicing modals of possibility?
An escape-room puzzle made by the students works well: one team hides a code and a key, writes a hint, and the other team guesses aloud with It might be… and It can't be… The open boxes in How did Houdini get out? add short puzzles to solve in teams, such as three clocks on the wall and a padlock that needs three numbers.
What's good homework for might and may?
Mix meaning checks with a short story to complete: students decide whether Perhaps she's at the library means She might be, must be or can't be at the library, then fill in a text. In How did Houdini get out? on edio.ai, all ten homework tasks check themselves, ending with Veronica's puzzle to order and solve.
How do you practice might, may and could one-to-one?
Look at a mystery photo together, such as a messy room or a locked door, and take turns guessing: Someone might live here. The key could be under the mat. The chat in How did Houdini get out? on edio.ai needs no partner: Darius helps the student make an escape-room puzzle, and each wrong reply has a form mistake.
Are there interactive exercises for might and may?
Yes: gap-fills and a puzzle chat that check every answer. Without an account, this page plays three parts of How did Houdini get out?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai: Riley's escape from Darius's studio escape room, a gap-fill of might, may or could + the verb, and Darius's chat about making a puzzle. Other tasks open after sign-up.
Unlock full lesson

Teach this lesson with your students

Book a demoStart free trial

No credit card required