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Ann225 Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Couldn’t / couldn’t have

Hi,

“Why couldn’t my test have been in the first pile the teacher marked?”

“Why couldn’t my test be in the first pile the teacher marked?”

Can I use both? I know that there’s a slight difference, but I’m not sure what kind.

Thank you.

  

Top answer

Ann225 Can I use both? Yes. "couldn't have" is farther back in time than just "couldn't".

— CalifJim

  • Ann225 Can I use both?
  • Yes.
  • "couldn't have" is farther back in time than just "couldn't".
  • Or rather, it focuses more emphatically on the past.
  • I'd use this pair instead: Why can't my test be in the first pile the teacher marks?
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1 Answers
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Ann225Can I use both?

Yes. "couldn't have" is farther back in time than just "couldn't". Or rather, it focuses more emphatically on the past.

I'd use this pair instead:

Why can't my test be in the first pile the teacher marks?
(I see several piles, still unmarked, on the teacher's desk, and I can see that my test is not going to be

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