0
Zany banana 409 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Couldn't vs haven't been

I couldn't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened.

Is this above sentence correct ? Here, I actually mean to say ' I've not been able to get a bit of sleep since I was threatened'. Is it okay with 'could' instead of 'have been' ?However, I guess it'd be awkward to use!

Please help.

  

Top answer

zany banana 409 I couldn't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened. It's clumsy. You could replace the yellow part with any .

— Anonymous

  • zany banana 409 I couldn't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened.
  • It's clumsy.
  • You could replace the yellow part with any .
  • zany banana 409 ' I've not been able to get a bit of sleep since I was threatened'.
  • You could do the same with this or, rewrite it as ' I've not been able to sleep since I was threatened'.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
zany banana 409I couldn't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened.

It's clumsy. You could replace the yellow part with any.

zany banana 409' I've not been able to get a bit of sleep since I was threatened'.

You c

0
0

I couldn't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened. Sounds like you are just talking about the past, ie you are now able to sleep again.

I can't get a bit of sleep since I was threatened. Sounds like you are talking about the past up to and including now.

I've not been able to get a bit of sleep since I was threatened. Sounds like you are talking about the past

0

Related Questions