Post #1371

🔰Can have / Could have 🔻We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but didn't do. 🔹I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard. 🔹She could have married him but she didn't want to. 🔹They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to. 🔻Often, there is a sense of criticism. 🔹You could have phoned me to let me know. 🔹They could have helped me instead of just sitting there. 🔹I could have done more to help you. Sorry. 🔻We can use 'couldn't have' to talk about something we were not capable of doing. 🔹I couldn't have managed without you. 🔹I couldn't have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew. 🔹I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day. 🔻We can use 'could have' to speculate about what has happened. (We can also use'may have'or'might have'in these situations.) 🔹She could have taken the earlier train. 🔹Simon could have told her. 🔹They could have overheard what we said. 🔻We can also use 'can have' to speculate about what has happened but only in questions and negative sentences and with words such as'hardly', 'never' and 'only'. 🔹Can she have forgotten about our meeting? 🔹He can't have seen us. 🔹They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job. 🔻We can also use 'could have' to speculate about something that didn't happen. 🔹You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that. 🔹He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that. 🔹I could have done well in my exam if I'd worked harder. 🔻You can also use 'could have' to talk about possible present situations that have not happened. 🔹I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too boring. 🔹He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial scandal. 🔹They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice. @EnglishGrammarSecrets