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Mag Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

About Tenses

Hello, everybody!

Here is the sentence:

Where could I have dropped those things?

I want to know what kind of tense in this sentence? Is it in present perfect tense? But why could is in past tense?

Can any of you help me and give me explanation? Thanks a lot!

Mag
  

Top answer

It is modal perfect tense

— Inchoateknowledge

  • It is modal perfect tense
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5 Answers
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The context is important:

I wonder where I could have dropped those things. Close to present perfect.

I wondered where I could have dropped those things. Close to a past perfect. Completed before some time in the past.
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Hi,

Then what modal perfect tense is? Can you explain it more?

Actually the whole sentence is in a conversation,

"The Duchess! The Duchess!" he muttered, "oh! my dear paws! Oh, my fur and whiskers! She's going to get me executed! Where could I have dropped these things?"

Thanks.

Mag
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Modal verbs don't have a strict assignation of time.
You need to detect that from the context.
Close to present perfect in your latest example.
(I have dropped them/these things).

Their modality is more important.
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Hi,

According to the function of a sentence, can i say that 'could' is the verb compliment in this sentence. If not, what is its function?

Mag
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