Modals expressing past possibility
Compare these two sentences:
We haven't heard from him for 10 years. He may/might/could have died.
He was very careless when crossing the road. He might/could have died.
The first sentence expresses uncertainty. We don't know what happened to him; maybe he died. The second sentence involves possibility; it was possible for him to die but he didn't. Note that in this meaning we cannot use may + perfectThe aspect expressing completion. E.g.: He’s finished university. infinitive.
As we see could and might + perfect infinitive can express past certainty or past possibility depending on the contextThe situation within which something exists or happens, or an utterance is made.. Yet, in the sentences below, for example, only one meaning is possible (possibility).
I could have caught the bus if I had hurried.
If he hadn't been drunk, he might not have died in the accident.
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Comments and questions
Possibility?
Is might/may stronger than could in possibility in the past?
To my knowledge
To my knowledge, there's not much difference between may, might and could. However, could + perfectThe aspect expressing completion. E.g.: He’s finished university. infinitive (He could have died in that accident.) used for past actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does somethings can have a different meaning, which is discussed here:
http://www.grammaring.com/modals-expressing-past-possibility
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