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Bikerdave Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

could not or can not

In the following sentence, which is correct, could not or can not?

If for any reason you could not get the above steps to work, you can view the delivered examples.
  

Top answer

Bikerdave In the following sentence, which is correct, could not or can not? If for any reason you could not get the above steps to work, you can view the delivered examples. "can" - present/future implied by use of "can" in the second clause.

— Philip

  • Bikerdave In the following sentence, which is correct, could not or can not?
  • If for any reason you could not get the above steps to work, you can view the delivered examples.
  • "can" - present/future implied by use of "can" in the second clause.
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11 Answers
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BikerdaveIn the following sentence, which is correct, could not or can not?

If for any reason you could not get the above steps to work, you can view the delivered examples.
"can" - present/future implied by use of "can" in the second clause.
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BikerdaveIn the following sentence, which is correct, could not or can not?

If for any reason you could not get the above steps to work, you can view the delivered examples.

Can not.

If you said "if you could not get it to work, you [may] want to review the inst
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Very confusing.
What is the difference between can and could. I mean where to use can and where to use could?
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If for any reason you [cannot / could not] get the above steps above to work, you can view the delivered(?) examples.
Either cannot (one word, by the way) or could not is possible. It's a matter of present vs. past. cannot seems all right because you are giving the instructions in the present, as broadly conceived -- during this presen
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Just food for thoughts…

I think referring to “could” as past tense may further the confusion. “Could you pass me the salt shaker?” is obviously a question I would ask if I am eating with someone at the dinner table. By context, it is a present setting. How can it be “past”. However, we can use “could” as a politely suggestive question for someone to pass me the salt, rather than using “c
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"Salty could" is a borrowing of a past tense form into the present for the sake of politeness. Compare: Did you want to pass the salt (now), please? Didn't you have to meet Susan today?

"Failure could not" is the use of a past tense form to describe an event that is truly past.
Although I tried several times, I could not lift the rock. = I
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i think we use can when accepting to do something,while could come when refusing,
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Hi,

Which is correct or possibly better?

If for any reason you skip breakfast, you can eat with us now.

If for any reason you skip breakfast, you would be able to (or could) eat with us now.

Thank you. I think the second one fits the normal conditional paradigms (is this word OK here?) better.
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CalifJim"Salty could" is a borrowing of a past tense form into the present for the sake of politeness
CJ, how about "I could be wrong" and "It could be anything"? There are not a form of past tense, right? It's about possibility.
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New2grammarCJ, how about "I could be wrong" and "It could be anything"? There are not a form of past tense, right? It's about possibility.
"a form of the past tense" doesn't make sense to me. There is only one form of the past tense. I think you mean "a past tense form".
Here are the forms of the modals. (Recall that this does not mean that they
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