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Fandorin Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Could in the sentence

1b00"Looks like a question you could ask someone."02b02br
02br
00The verb "could" is in the Past Form because someone may have asked this question, isn't it? Or is there another way of using that verb? Help me to find the truth. 05002br
02br
00Thanks for advance010id1
  

Top answer

0It's also in the subjunctive. 0-

— Anonymous

  • 0It's also in the subjunctive.
  • 0-
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7 Answers
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0It's also in the subjunctive. 0-
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0 Hi,02br
00hmm, looks like you picked a sentence I just wrote in another thread... 05002br
00I think I used "could" to get a somewhat weaker alternative to "a question you 01i00can02i00 ask".02br
00I think you can think of it as "(It) looks like a question you could ask someone who's going deaf, if you wanted to". So that "could" is
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0Fandorin:02br
00 Nope, you're awfully wrong. This is present and/or future. 02br
02br
00Read what Mister Micawber writes here on may/might. Valid on can/could also. 02br
05002br
00Then come back:-) 040pid42001
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Fandorin12cite10 ... in the Past Form because someone may have asked this question ... 12blockquote
10 No. This is not the reason. We borrow past modals into present time to give them a conditional flavor (conditional, not subjunctive) -- to express something more tentative than the present forms suggest
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0According to all above I clearly understand that I haven't known anything about modals exactly. But I urgently want to.02br
02br
01b00 I'm very much obliged to your help02b00.02br
02br
00 I guees now that 01b00"could"02b00 was used because it implies possibility and it is used not only for past but also for presen
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0Yes, you're right. I borrowed it from your line. 050010id5
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0I have already solved that. Great thanks for your kindness.050010id1
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