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The joke that needed a smiley: must have been joking, might have been misread

This B2 ESL lesson plan teaches must have been + -ing and + past participle through Scott Fahlman's 1982 idea of typing :-) to mark jokes at Carnegie Mellon.

Grammar
Must, might or can't have been + -ing for an action in progress (She must have been joking.) and + past participle for the passive (It might have been misread.).
Topic
How a joke warning about mercury in an elevator led to the sideways smiley, with words such as sarcastic, blunt and formal.
Activities
An explainer, an office argument and a student's voice memo, self-checking drills, a workplace chat, messages to match to readers and a wheel of situations.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: read it sideways

    • PictureUnlock
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock
    • Study the words: messages and meaningsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the warning that wasn't

    • Look at the photo: where the joke beganPictureUnlock
    • Read Isaiah's explainer on The Why DeskArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: “Fine.” With a period.

    • Listen to Leona and Isaiah in the officeListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Reader's Rebuttal: Bethany's voice memoListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: She must have been joking

    • Study the scheme: must have been joking, might have been misreadGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: have been + -ing or have been + past participleFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: have been + -ing or have been + past participleFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: what does it mean, and which is correct?QuizUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: the right message for the right reader

    • Choose the right replies: a short message from a new managerChatTry it
    • Sort the words into the correct columns: formal or informal messagesSort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which version fits the reader?QuizUnlock
    • Put the parts of Leona's email in the correct orderDrag and dropUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answer: decode the messageSpin the wheelUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: words and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: have been + -ing or have been + past participleFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is correct?QuizUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct order: new sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Leona answers BethanyChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the team chatDrag and dropUnlock

35 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

  • sideways
  • body language
  • emoji
  • frown
  • wink
  • spill
  • backup
  • formal
  • blunt

Grammar: past modals in continuous and passive forms

The simple must have + past participle gets two longer forms here. A joke that some readers took as a real warning needs both: Some readers must have been taking it seriously. It can't have been meant seriously. Learners check whether the subject does the action, then choose have been + -ing or have been + past participle.

She must have been joking. It might have been misread.

To guess about the past, use must / might / can't + have been. Add -ing for an action in progress, or a past participle when something was done to the subject.

Two forms: been + -ing or been + past participle

Have been + -ing is for an action in progress at a past moment: She must have been joking. Have been + past participle is the passive, for something done to the subject: It might have been misread. The modal still shows how sure you are.

Two forms for guesses about the past

FormUse it forExample
must / might / can't have been + -ingan action in progress at a past momentShe must have been joking. He might have been reading it wrong.
must / might / can't have been + past participlethe passive: something was done to the subjectIt can't have been meant seriously. It might have been misread.
may / could / couldn't have been…the same forms with other modalsIt may have been misread. It couldn't have been meant badly.
How sure?must = almost sure it's true; might / may / could = maybe; can't / couldn't = almost sure it isn'tSome readers must have been taking it seriously.

In the office and on the old bboard

  • You must have been reading it wrong.
  • So it can't have been meant badly.
  • Some readers must have been taking it seriously.
  • His post must have been written quickly.
  • It might have been misread twice.
  • She must have been worrying all morning.

Every person: have never changes

I must have been dreaming, she must have been typing, they can't have been warned. After the modal, it's always have: he must have been, not he must has been. In speech, must have and might have often become must've and might've.

Personhave been + -inghave been + past participle
II must have been dreaming.I might have been misunderstood.
youYou must have been joking.You might have been told the wrong time.
heHe might have been reading it wrong.He can't have been invited.
sheShe must have been typing at the bus stop.She might have been misheard.
itIt must have been raining.It might have been misread.
weWe can't have been listening.We must have been seen.
theyThey must have been taking it seriously.They can't have been warned.

Active or passive? Look at the subject

If the subject does the action, use -ing: Isaiah might have been misreading the email. If the action is done to it, use the past participle: The email might have been misread. An email can't misread anything, so The email might have misread is wrong.

Active or passive? Look at the subject

Does the subject do the action? Use have been + -ing: Isaiah might have been misreading the email. Is the action done to the subject? Use have been + past participle: The email might have been misread. An email can't misread anything, so not: The email might have misread.

Now or then? must be joking, must have been joking

She must be joking is a guess about now. For yesterday, add have been: She was laughing yesterday. She must have been joking. The common mistakes also show must have been joke, with no -ing, and might have being misread instead of been.

Now or then?

must be + -ing is a guess about now: She's laughing. She must be joking. must have been + -ing is a guess about the past: She was laughing yesterday. She must have been joking (not: must be joking). After the modal, it's always have: He must have been (not: must has been). In speech, people often say must've and might've.

Common mistakes

  • He must have been joke.

    He must have been joking.

    have been + -ing

  • The warning can't have meant seriously.

    The warning can't have been meant seriously.

    the passive: have been + past participle

  • It might have being misread.

    It might have been misread.

    been, not being, after have

  • Yesterday she must be joking.

    Yesterday she must have been joking.

    about the past: must have been

Formal or informal messages?

Messages to a professor, an expert or a reader you've never met use Dear…, full sentences, Best regards and no emoji. Friends and teammates get Hi!, contractions and an emoji for tone. A one-word “Fine.” can sound blunt at work, so add a sentence.

Formal or informal?

Formal messages (a professor, an expert, a reader you've never met): Dear…, full sentences, please and thank you, Best regards, and no emoji. Informal messages (a friend, your team): Hi!, contractions, Thanks!, and an emoji to show your tone. A one-word reply like “Fine.” can sound blunt at work, so add a full sentence.

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

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What's in the lesson

  • 20 auto-checked exercises
  • 6 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 what someone was doing at a past moment: She must have been typing at the bus stop. He might have been reading it wrong.
  • guess what was done to something with the passive: It can't have been meant seriously. His post must have been written quickly.
  • choose the form by asking who did the action: Isaiah might have been misreading the email, but The email might have been misread
  • keep the past apart from now: She was laughing yesterday. She must have been joking, not She must be joking
  • write the right version of a message for a professor, a teammate or a reader: Dear Professor… or Running late, sorry!

Lesson 27 is the third lesson of Language and communication, unit 7 of English B2.1 · How the World Works. It adds been to lesson 25's must have, might have and can't have, and it reuses the passive forms of lessons 6 and 10. Lesson 28 closes the unit with agreement after quantities. A joke that some readers took for a real warning calls for both forms: what the readers were doing, and how the post was read.

Students open boxes of questions about emoji and misread texts, then learn twelve words, from misread and sarcastic to backup and blunt, with pictures and audio. They read Isaiah's explainer on the 1982 message-board thread, then hear Leona and Isaiah argue about a one-word “Fine.” and emoji at work, and Bethany, a Carnegie Mellon grad student, defend them; both are AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, among them a table of guesses for every person. The speaking task comes in steps: a chat, messages sorted into formal and informal, the right version for each reader, Leona's email to order and a wheel of situations.

Ten homework tasks follow, and every one checks itself: a word match, an anagram, word gaps and a memory game, then forms to choose, gaps with have been + -ing or + past participle, a quiz on correct sentences, sentences to order, Leona's answer to Bethany with forms to choose and a team chat with words to drag in.

Grammar:
past modals of deduction · must have been + -ing · might have been + past participle · modal perfect continuous and passive · formal and informal register
Topic:
the smiley · Scott Fahlman · Carnegie Mellon University · Pittsburgh · emoticons and emoji · formal and informal messages · The Why Desk

Teaching tips

  • Read Leona's “Fine.” aloud in three moods: happy, tired and angry. Students guess each one, then explain what a screen takes away: body language and tone of voice.
  • Ask who did the action before every gap. If the subject did it, the verb takes -ing: Some readers must have been taking… If something was done to it, use the past participle: The post must have been written…
  • Play the office dialogue twice: first for the deal Leona and Isaiah make about emoji, then for every guess with have been. Students sort the guesses into -ing and past participle.
  • Collect real short messages students have received, with names removed. Pairs decide what the writer must have been thinking, then rewrite each message once for a professor and once for a friend.

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The whole course: English B2.1 · How the World Works

32 lessons for adults at B2 in American English, each answering one question about how the world works. The team of The Why Desk, a small online magazine in Pittsburgh, takes on one question a week, from the day a computer beat the world chess champion to eight people sealed inside Biosphere 2. Learners tell stories with narrative tenses, speculate about the past and the future, and report what experts claim. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 AI and the future of work

    narrative tenses, by and until, be bound to and be likely to, the future perfect

    1. Lesson 1Checkmate: the day a computer beat the championNarrative tenses: past simple, past continuous and past perfect
    2. Lesson 2The robot car that crossed the desertTime prepositions: by, until, within, throughout, in time and on time
    3. Lesson 3Can a chatbot fool you?Probability about the future: be bound to, be likely to, the chances are
    4. Lesson 4By 2035, what will AI have designed?The future perfect simple: will have + past participle

  2. Unit 2 Health breakthroughs

    the third conditional, the past perfect and past continuous passive, have something done, the passive with two objects

    1. Lesson 5The moldy melon that changed medicineThe third conditional: if + had done, would have done
    2. Lesson 61.8 million Polio PioneersThe past perfect passive and the past continuous passive
    3. Lesson 7One clinic, many doctorsHave / get something done
    4. Lesson 8A kidney from a twinThe passive with two objects

  3. Unit 3 Moving people

    the past perfect continuous, the passive infinitive and -ing form, it's worth and there's no point, the future in the past

    1. Lesson 9Six years to the golden spikeThe past perfect continuous vs the past perfect simple
    2. Lesson 10Riding a pod with no driverThe passive infinitive and the passive -ing form
    3. Lesson 11The town that painted bike lanes firstIt's worth, there's no point and it's no use + -ing
    4. Lesson 12The highways that were supposed to take 13 yearsThe future in the past

  4. Unit 4 Wildlife comebacks

    reporting verbs with a that clause, with an object and infinitive and with -ing, verbs of perception

    1. Lesson 13Did wolves really change Yellowstone's rivers?Reporting verbs + that clause
    2. Lesson 14Bringing a parrot back from the edgeReporting verbs + object + (not) to + base form
    3. Lesson 15The beavers that came by parachuteReporting verbs + -ing and verb + preposition + -ing
    4. Lesson 16Fifteen bison take the trainVerbs of perception + object + base form or -ing

  5. Unit 5 Pop culture goes global

    comment adverbs, wish and if only for the present and the past, have someone do and get someone to do

    1. Lesson 17The party that started hip hopComment adverbs: apparently, supposedly, undoubtedly
    2. Lesson 18Slide to the left!Wish and if only for wishes about now
    3. Lesson 19If only they'd kept SupermanWish and if only + past perfect for regrets
    4. Lesson 20The hit factory on West Grand BoulevardCausative have and get: have someone do, get someone to do

  6. Unit 6 Money and smart choices

    -ever words and no matter, should have and could have, prepositions for numbers and change, it's time and would rather

    1. Lesson 21The bank that never closed-ever words and no matter
    2. Lesson 22One marshmallow now or two later?Should have, shouldn't have and could have
    3. Lesson 23Benjamin Franklin's 200-year giftPrepositions for numbers and change
    4. Lesson 24Why buy a drill you'll use once?It's (high) time and would rather + past simple

  7. Unit 7 Language and communication

    must have, might have and can't have, verb prefixes and suffixes, past modals in continuous and passive forms, agreement with quantities

    1. Lesson 25How did one man write down a language?Past modals of deduction: must have, might have, can't have
    2. Lesson 26Why do Americans write “color”?Verb prefixes and suffixes: misspell, rewrite, simplify, shorten
    3. Lesson 27 · you're hereThe joke that needed a smileyPast modals in continuous and passive forms
    4. Lesson 28Can preschoolers save a language?Subject-verb agreement with quantities and collective nouns

  8. Unit 8 Exploring the extremes

    dimension nouns, the future continuous and future perfect continuous, compound adjectives, only, even and just

    1. Lesson 29A walk on the ocean floorDimension nouns and phrases: depth, width, height
    2. Lesson 30Six months of night at the South PoleThe future continuous and the future perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 31Flying on pedal powerCompound adjectives with numbers and participles
    4. Lesson 32Two years under glassFocus adverbs: only, even, just and at all

Questions about this lesson

What does “must have been” mean?
Must have been is a confident guess about the past. With an adjective or a noun, it's the past of must be: It must have been hard. With -ing, it guesses an action in progress: She must have been joking. With a past participle, it's passive: His post must have been written quickly. The B2 lesson The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai teaches the last two forms.
How do you form past modals in the continuous and passive?
Use a modal, then have been, then either the -ing form or the past participle. -ing for what the subject was doing: Some readers must have been taking it seriously. A past participle for what was done to the subject: It can't have been meant seriously. The modal can be must, might, may, could, can't or couldn't, and have never changes. The scheme in The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai shows both forms for every person.
What's the difference between “must have done” and “must have been doing”?
Must have done guesses a finished action: He must have read the email. Must have been doing guesses an action that was going on at a past moment: He must have been reading it when I called. Use the second for the background to something else, or for a longer activity: She must have been worrying all morning. The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai builds on lesson 25's must have + past participle.
Is it “she must have been joking” or “she must be joking”?
It depends on the time. She must be joking is a guess about now: she's laughing right now. For a past moment, use must have been joking: She was laughing when she wrote “I quit!” yesterday, so she must have been joking. Yesterday she must be joking is a mistake. The joke that needed a smiley, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, tests this in its drills and its homework.
Who is Scott Fahlman?
Scott Fahlman is a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. On Sunday, September 19, 1982, he suggested on the department's online message board that people type :-) to mark a joke, read sideways, and :-( for posts that were not jokes. He calls himself one of the inventors of the sideways smiley. Isaiah's explainer in The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai tells the story.
What was the first emoticon?
Nobody can prove who typed one first. The best-known start is Scott Fahlman's :-), proposed at Carnegie Mellon on September 19, 1982, after a joke about mercury in an elevator was taken seriously; the university calls itself the emoticon's birthplace. Others in the thread suggested a star or a percent sign. Fahlman says people have told him of earlier uses, but he has seen no hard evidence. Emoji came later, on Japanese phones in 1999.
How do I teach past modals in continuous and passive forms to B2 students?
Start from a real misunderstanding, such as a text that sounded angry, and ask two questions: what was the writer doing, and how was the message read? The answers bring both forms. The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai goes from Isaiah's explainer and the office argument to the scheme, a choice between -ing and the past participle, and a table of guesses for every person.
What's a good game for practicing must have been?
Play “What were they doing?”: show a photo of a scene just after something happened, such as an empty classroom with chairs in a circle, and teams guess with must have been, might have been and can't have been + -ing. The wheel in The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai gives message situations instead: A friend texts “We need to talk.” What might have happened?
What's good homework for must have been + -ing and the passive?
Good homework gives the evidence and the modal, then asks students to build the form: The meeting room smells of popcorn. Someone ___ (must / make) a snack. Mix active and passive items so students have to decide. All ten homework tasks in The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai check themselves, ending with Leona's answer to a reader and a team chat with the lesson's words.
How do you practice must have been one-to-one?
Swap puzzling messages: the teacher shows a short text, such as My office. 3 p.m., and the student guesses what the writer must have been doing and how it might have been read, then shows one for the teacher. The chat in The joke that needed a smiley on edio.ai works without a partner: Candice's new manager has sent her that very message, and the student calms her down.
Are there interactive exercises for must have been?
Yes. Without an account, this page plays three parts of The joke that needed a smiley, a B2 lesson on edio.ai: Leona and Isaiah's office argument about emoji; a gap-fill where students write each guess in full; and Candice's chat about a short message from her new manager. Everything else needs an account.
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