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Eipjoo Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

What’s the semantic difference between can and could?

Macmillan says can and could show 'you are annoyed.' Then in the next two cases: what are the difference in their meaning - or in nuance -, when we assume that both imply the narrator's annoyance?

What can you be thinking of?
What could you be thinking of?
  

Top answer

What can you be thinking of? What could you be thinking of? I can think of none, really.

— Mister Micawber

  • What can you be thinking of?
  • What could you be thinking of?
  • I can think of none, really.
  • I suppose the 2nd has less faith in the listener's thinking anything at all, but that is too subtle for any native speaker, including me.
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1 Answers
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eipjoowhat are the difference in their meaning - or in nuance -, when we assume that both imply the narrator's annoyance?What can you be thinking of? What could you be thinking of?
I can think of none, really. I suppose the 2nd has less faith in the listener's thinking anything at all, but that is too subtle for any native speaker, including me.
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