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Russian80 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

"She could come yesterday" vs. "She could have come yesterday"

Emotion: wink
- Jane was free yesterday, wasn't she?
- Yes, she could come at 5. She didn't because she was not sure if she was actually supposed to.

How different is the above from

- Jane was free yesterday, wasn't she?
- Yes, she could have come at 5. She didn't because she was not sure if she was actually supposed to.
  

Top answer

russian80 How is the above different is the above from the following? If (as in the above) you're talking about a single incident in the past, the second structure is more appropriate. Otherwise if you're talking about a general/habitual ability, you can use could.

— Teechr

  • russian80 How is the above different is the above from the following?
  • If (as in the above) you're talking about a single incident in the past, the second structure is more appropriate.
  • Otherwise if you're talking about a general/habitual ability, you can use could.
  • For example, When I was a young man, I could run a mile in about 5 minutes.
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1 Answers
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russian80How is the above different is the above from the following?

If (as in the above) you're talking about a single incident in the past, the second structure is more appropriate.

Otherwise if you're talking about a general/habitual ability, you can us

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