Tenses

Question

A )Are these sentences similar?1- you should have told me that Peter and Sandra had split up !/2- you might have told me that Peter and Sandra had split up !.B) Is this sentence correct ? I must have worked hard when I was at school.C) Which one is correct ? 1-If a student wrote a paragraph,and the teacher was expecting more what can he/she say you could do better or you could have done better .2- If a student wrote a paragraph,and the teacher wanted to encourage him/her to do better,what can she/he say you could do better or you could have done better .  Many thanks

Avangi · Accepted Answer

A) They both carry the same message,
but the version with "might" is arguably more polite - less condemning.

B) This is correct. Somewhere, we expect, there's a reason for this assumption - like Richard Rodgers' lyric, "I must have done something good."

C) 1- could have done
2- could do

English 1b3 · Answer

Avangi They both carry the same message,

but the version with "might" is arguably more polite - less condemning

Possible ambiguity using might? Meaning possibility: may have/might have

Avangi · Answer

If you mean perhaps you told me but I misunderstood you, or didn't hear you: my opinion is that the expression "you might have told me" is commonly understood to be a criticism of the person's [deliberate] neglect.

Voice inflection would make clear which meaning is intended.
Absent context, I think my interpretation is more likely.

Everlastinghope · Answer

In fact,for C this is what explained to my student but he wasn't convinced,so I wanted to confirm.

For A,this si what I understood but I didn't understand why do we use" might have and not shouldn't have".

Regarding B,does the sentence " I must have worked hard when I was at school" mean that I'm proud of myself because I worked hard ?.

Thanks a lot

Avangi · Answer

You didn't list "shouldn't have" as an option for A.

Regarding B, There's supposed to be a "because" clause!

Somebody must have drunk the last can of Pepsi, because there isn't any left!

It doesn't mean you're proud of working hard (but you may well be!)

You're simply calling attention to the result of your work.

I must have worked hard because just look at how much I've learned. (not a good sentence)

REgarding A, If you say, "You should have told me!" it's an indictment. You sound mad about it.

If you say, "You might have told me." it's a bit more gentle.

They both mean, "I wish you had told me."

It's possible that "You might have told me" means "It's possible that you told me," but 99 times out of 100, it would not mean that!

Everlastinghope · Answer

Sorry,I wanted to write " should have,not shouldn't have".

Thanks a million,it's clear now.

Everlastinghope · Answer

Just one more question.

Regarding the use of " could do" and "could have done",is it possible to say that could do well in exam means that someone did well but I'm just encouraging him/her to do better.(doing well=positive-encouraging=positive)

And could have done well in exam used to talk about someone who expected someone else to do well but didn't do it ?if it's the case,is it correct to say that for example his/her teacher isn't satisfied so for her it's negative.?(positive for the student because maybe he succeeded and negative for the teacher because she's not satisfied and she was expecting more),does it have any relation with satisfaction ?.

Thanks in advance

CalifJim · Answer

everlastinghopeYou should have told me that Peter and Sandra had split up!

I believe that it was your duty to tell me that ..., and you didn't.

everlastinghopeYou might have told me that Peter and Sandra had split up!

1. You could have taken the trouble to tell me that ..., but you didn't, and I am slightly angry that you didn't.
2. Maybe you told me that .... I don't remember clearly whether you did or not.

everlastinghopeI must have worked hard when I was at school.

The only logical conclusion is that I worked hard when I was at school. (You have some evidence or even proof that it's true.)

Note: This does NOT mean [I had to/It was my duty to] work hard when I was at school.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

everlastinghopeis it possible to say that could do well in exam means that someone did well

No. In the context you set up at the beginning of this thread could stresses the potential for future action. It says nothing about past actions.

Nevertheless, could do well can be used in a different context to say what was done habitually in the past:

As I recall, when you were in college, you were so smart that you could do well on an exam without even studying.

everlastinghopeAnd could have done well in exam used to talk about someone who expected someone else to do well but didn't do it ?

Yes, but not necessarily.
1. You had the potential to do well on the exam, but you didn't do well.
2. Maybe you did well on the exam. We won't know until we see the results.

everlastinghopepositive for the student because maybe he succeeded and negative for the teacher because she's not satisfied and she was expecting more

The statement may be considered slightly positive for the student only if the statment is taken in the second sense described above. If the teacher says this, it is from her point of view, so it does have to do with her satisfaction. The idea of satisfaction, however, does not necessarily apply every time you use "could have".

CJ

Everlastinghope · Answer

1- Can we say that " you could have killed yourself " means it was possible for you to kill yourself but fortunately you didn't ?.

2-Can we deduce that " you could have done well on the exam,positive for the student,negative for the teacher"," you could have killed yourself=negative,unfortunately you didn't= positive "?

3-Is it correct to explain the use of could do and could have done by simply referring to positive and negative?

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