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Tom11 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Could be/were/exclaimed
He could well be right, since German newspapers were full of praise for the $15m musical. The tabloid Bild exclaimed, "Rocky knocks Hamburg out", while headlines in the local press dubbed the musical "a triumph" and declared: "Big emotions; big theatre"
Can someone tell me which tenses are used and why?
Thx.
Can someone tell me which tenses are used and why?
Thx.
Top answer
could be = present simple. This is a modal of possibilty or probability. knocks = present "quoted direct speech" or newspaper titles are put into present simple as a style.
- could be = present simple.
- This is a modal of possibilty or probability.
- knocks = present "quoted direct speech" or newspaper titles are put into present simple as a style.
- The rest is past because it was in the past.
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3 Answers
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could be = present simple. This is a modal of possibilty or probability.
knocks = present "quoted direct speech" or newspaper titles are put into present simple as a style.
The rest is past because it was in the past.
knocks = present "quoted direct speech" or newspaper titles are put into present simple as a style.
The rest is past because it was in the past.
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Past tense = could have been
We use could when we guess the probability of something.
Who was knocking at the door last night?
I am not sure. It could have been John. It might have been George. It was a ghost.
Who is knocking at the door now?
I am not sure. It could be John. It is a ghost.
NOT = It can be John.
We use could when we guess the probability of something.
Who was knocking at the door last night?
I am not sure. It could have been John. It might have been George. It was a ghost.
Who is knocking at the door now?
I am not sure. It could be John. It is a ghost.
NOT = It can be John.
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