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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Are these sentences correct?
A: if I could have done it for you, I would have.
B: if I could do it for you, I would.
C: I wish I could have been there for you when you needed help.
Also, please check this conversation,
Jack: why didn't you meet Alex while you were in New York?
Rock: I couldn't have met him cause when I got there, he had already left. Or. I could meet him cause when I got there, he had already left. Which one is correct, if both are correct, which one is more common and what's the difference in meaning? Please help.
B: if I could do it for you, I would.
C: I wish I could have been there for you when you needed help.
Also, please check this conversation,
Jack: why didn't you meet Alex while you were in New York?
Rock: I couldn't have met him cause when I got there, he had already left. Or. I could meet him cause when I got there, he had already left. Which one is correct, if both are correct, which one is more common and what's the difference in meaning? Please help.
Top answer
Anonymous Are these sentences correct? C: I wish I could have been there for you when you needed help. Yes.
- Anonymous Are these sentences correct?
- C: I wish I could have been there for you when you needed help.
- Yes.
- Anonymous Which one is correct Jack: Why didn't you meet Alex while you were in New York?
- Rock: I couldn't meet him, because when I got there, he had already left .
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6 Answers
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AnonymousAre these sentences correct? (Original post)Quote A: if I could have done it for you, I would have.B: if I could do it for you, I would.C: I wish I could have been there for you when you needed help.Yes.
AnonymousWhich one is correctJack: Why didn't you meet Alex while you were in New York?
Rock: I
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Quote
Why can we use 'couldn't have' in the sentence? What's the reason?
Why can we use 'couldn't have' in the sentence? What's the reason?
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AnonymousQuoteWhy can we use 'couldn't have' in the sentence? What's the reason?Jack: Why didn't you meet Alex while you were in New York?
Answer:
Rock: I didn't meet him because he was not in New York.
Native speakers usually phrase an answer so that the verb in the answer matches the verb in the question.
Another c
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Can I also say,''I couldn't meet Alex in New York because I was in Washington DC''? If yes, whats the differe in meaning between couldn't and couldn't have?
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Couldn't have refers to an action in the past which was impossible. Often it is said in protest, disbelief or as an objection.
Police investigator: We found evidence that you were at the murder scene at the time of the murder.
Suspect: I couldn't have been there. I was in the hospital having heart surgery. Just call Dr. Nelson.
Teacher: Johnny hit little Mar
Police investigator: We found evidence that you were at the murder scene at the time of the murder.
Suspect: I couldn't have been there. I was in the hospital having heart surgery. Just call Dr. Nelson.
Teacher: Johnny hit little Mar
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As Alphecca points out in her examples, couldn't have is useful as a response to an accusation.
So in your case, it doesn't work because Jack is just asking why, and Rock is explaining the reason. There is no sense of accusation (by Jack) or defense (by Rock).
CJ
So in your case, it doesn't work because Jack is just asking why, and Rock is explaining the reason. There is no sense of accusation (by Jack) or defense (by Rock).
CJ
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