It's the only way we could have handled...

Question

1) Onaran himself is a self-taught computer whiz and numbers man who monitors everything on a state-of-the-art computer system that would make the Pentagon proud. "It's the only way we could have handled 100,000 transactions a day," he says of the IBM System 3090 mainframe and the AS/400 minicomputer system.

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/03/29/for-the-video-king-all-the-right-movies/c0a6131e-136d-4923-8ffe-097d9d203b0c/)

2) I would just either ignore it (if they are saying it during a big tantrum etc and are emotional) or just reply with “okay, that’s fine, we love you very much” My daughter would sometimes get angry that we said we loved her because she was looking for us to say that we didn’t, which of course would never happen, but the phase soon passed and I think looking back, it was the only way we could have handled it.

(https://www.channelmum.com/chat/t/lo-saying-she-doesnt-like-love-family-members/47665)

3) The only way you could have finished it was to start from scratch.

Q: All three above use the phrase "the only way you/we could have done something". What does it imply/mean? Does it mean "you/we" did do "something", or does it mean "you/we" did not do "something"?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Rizan MalikAll three above use the phrase "the only way you/we could have done something". What does it imply/mean?

It means

there was no other way by which you/we would have been able to (do something).

Rizan MalikDoes it mean "you/we" did do "something", or does it mean "you/we" did not do "something"?

It doesn't say either way. You pick that up from the context.

Usually it's that you/we did do something, but there's no guarantee.

Rizan Malik1) ... "It's the only way we could have handled 100,000 transactions a day," he says of the IBM System 3090 mainframe and the AS/400 minicomputer system.

Here it did happen. They had the computers to do the required work, so they had a way to do it, and they did it.

Your second example works the same way.

Rizan Malik3) The only way you could have finished it was to start from scratch.

Here there is not enough context to say whether the you finished or not.

Either you did start from scratch, and you did finish it, or you did not start from scratch (even though you could have), and you did not finish it.

Test cases:

1) The only way she could have known all this was either through my phone or email.

Do you think she knew all this or not?

2) The only way Mr. Cutler could have left with dignity was on a stretcher.

Do you think Mr. Cutler left with dignity or not?
That is,
Was he carried out on a stretcher (with dignity intact) or did he walk out (humiliated)?

CJ

It's the only way we could have handled...

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