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Cookiemonster Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
It can be...
Hi,
It may be a mistake.
It might be a mistake.
It could be a mistake.
Perhaps it is a mistake.
After listing all these sentences, my book says " Do not say it can be mistake instead of these sentences."
I always thought that it is the same as the other sentences above. Is it really odd to say it can be a mistake?
By the way, the book says "You can't be hungry" is OK. I'm confused
It may be a mistake.
It might be a mistake.
It could be a mistake.
Perhaps it is a mistake.
After listing all these sentences, my book says " Do not say it can be mistake instead of these sentences."
I always thought that it is the same as the other sentences above. Is it really odd to say it can be a mistake?
By the way, the book says "You can't be hungry" is OK. I'm confused
Top answer
" (perhaps based on a technicality) The four versions you quote above seem to suggest that more research is needed to determine if it's a mistake. ) The moon is 35,000 miles from Earth. ) Mark Twain died and was born while the earth was visited by Haley's comet.
- " (perhaps based on a technicality) The four versions you quote above seem to suggest that more research is needed to determine if it's a mistake.
- ) The moon is 35,000 miles from Earth.
- ) Mark Twain died and was born while the earth was visited by Haley's comet.
- "can't be hungry" is an idiom meant to express an opinion - not a fact.
- - A.
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3 Answers
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I believe the expression, "It can be a mistake," would mean, "depending on how you look at it, with the information we have right now, it can be viewed as a mistake, and it can be viewed as correct." (perhaps based on a technicality)
The four versions you quote above seem to suggest that more research is needed to determine if it's a mistake. (True or False?) "Those car tracks couldn't
The four versions you quote above seem to suggest that more research is needed to determine if it's a mistake. (True or False?) "Those car tracks couldn't
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CookiemonsterBy the way, the book says "You can't be hungry" is OK. I'm confusedYou're supposed to be confused when you study English grammar!
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Thank you so much for your answers Cool Breeze and Avangi ! It's all clear now 
/C.M
/C.M
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