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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Could have done?
Hi teachers,
Is it natural to use "could have done" in the sentence below?
NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence of an ancient Martian Iake which existed about 3.7 billion years ago and which could have supported Iife for millions of years.
What does "could have done" mean here and what else can I use instead of "could have done" in this context? Thank you.
Is it natural to use "could have done" in the sentence below?
NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence of an ancient Martian Iake which existed about 3.7 billion years ago and which could have supported Iife for millions of years.
What does "could have done" mean here and what else can I use instead of "could have done" in this context? Thank you.
Top answer
Anonymous and which could have supported life for millions of years. The lake could have supported life ~ It is possible that the lake supported life. Anonymous what else can I use instead of "could have done" "may have done"; "might have done" CJ
- Anonymous and which could have supported life for millions of years.
- The lake could have supported life ~ It is possible that the lake supported life.
- Anonymous what else can I use instead of "could have done" "may have done"; "might have done" CJ
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4 Answers
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Anonymousand which could have supported life for millions of years.The lake could have supported life ~ It is possible that the lake supported life.
Anonymouswhat else can I use instead of "could have done""may have done"; "might have done"
CJ
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Thank you CalifJim.
I knew the rule below.
We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but didn't do.
I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
She could have married him but she didn't want to.
They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.
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In this context
I knew the rule below.
We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but didn't do.
I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
She could have married him but she didn't want to.
They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.
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In this context
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AnonymousWe can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but didn't do.Yes, we can use it like that, but could has many uses, and that's not how it's used in your original quote. In your quote, could = may or might.
AnonymousIn this context I think this rule is valid here. ...
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