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Norwolf Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Can have done / have been able to do

Hello, teachers.

I'd like to ask a question:

Here is a sentence from Corpus------

Thanks to modern medicine, there are a lot of things they can have done.

I don't think it is good English.

I would say:

Thanks to modern medicine, there are a lot of things they have been able to do.

Am I right?

If only you are kind enough to tell me more about them.
  

Top answer

There are a lot of things they can have done. = There are a lot of things they are able to arrange (for somebody else) to do. = There are a lot of things they can arrange to be done (by somebody else).

— CalifJim

  • There are a lot of things they can have done.
  • = There are a lot of things they are able to arrange (for somebody else) to do.
  • = There are a lot of things they can arrange to be done (by somebody else).
  • Although I don't have the full context, I'm guessing that this is a case of "causative have ".
  • CJ
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3 Answers
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There are a lot of things they can have done.
=
There are a lot of things they are able to arrange (for somebody else) to do.
=
There are a lot of things they can arrange to be done (by somebody else).

Although I don't have the full context, I'm guessing that this is a case of "causative have".

CJ
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The "...things they have been able to do." is correct, but it depends on what you want to say. Usually people say things like, "Thanks to modern medicine there are a lot more things they can do."

Depends...

John
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Oh, yes. They are different.

Thank you both for the help.
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