0
Tara2 Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Could

Are these "could" the same and past tense of "can"?

"Dr. Hardy was confident he could endure the hardships of space travel."

"He had become accustomed to receiving the blame for his colleagues mistakes. He could remain complacent when less deserving workers were promoted ahead of him. He could even maintain an air of indifference when the young man he had trained now snubbed him."

  

Top answer

Tara2 Are these "could" s the same No. The first is ... confident he [ would be able to / was going to be able to ] ]endure ...

— CalifJim

  • Tara2 Are these "could" s the same No.
  • The first is ...
  • confident he [ would be able to / was going to be able to ] ]endure ...
  • {future of the past} The second is He was able to remain ....
  • He was even able to maintain ....
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
Tara2Are these "could"s the same

No.

The first is ... confident he [would be able to / was going to be able to] ]endure ... {future of the past}

The second is He was able to remain .... He was even able to maintain .... {past}

CJ

0
0
Tara2and past tense of "can"?
I'd say "Yes", but the meanings are different.
0

Related Questions