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- modal verbs - cant versus couldnt, what is the difference . . .
That can't be Obama at the door, it's too early That couldn't be Obama at the door, it's too early What is the difference between them? Are they almost the same?
- couldnt vs wouldnt - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Let see this example: I hid the presents so that she wouldn't find them I hid the presents so that she couldn't find them The dictionary said: so that in order that somebody something would:
- idioms - English Language Usage Stack Exchange
Are there any phrases like "Couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery" or "Couldn't organise a root in a brothel" that are reasonably common, indicate organisational incompetence, have a degree of i
- word usage - couldnt help vs. couldnt help but: do they have same . . .
She could not help laughing She could not help but laugh I read somewhere that can't help means "cannot stop" and can't help but means "do only the activity, nothing else"
- tense - Couldnt have done VS couldnt do - English Language . . .
In this case, both "couldn't have done" and "couldn't do" would be acceptable in the sentence Their meanings, however, are slightly different "Couldn't have done" is in the past tense; "couldn't do" is in the present or future tense The distinction becomes significant if we consider the context of the statement; Charlie Weasley was Gryfindor's star seeker some years before; we are even told
- Usage of the phrase couldnt help myself [closed]
Neither is correct I couldn't help myself is used as an excuse or a reason, so for your soccer example it would be: "I played soccer in the evening because I couldn't help myself" Even that is a bit odd, as I couldn't help myself is usually used to explain why we did do something, rather than why we didn't A better phrase for this would be I couldn't stop myself "I couldn't stop myself from
- Microsoft Community
Microsoft Community
- meaning - Difference between cant and couldnt - English Language . . .
In these cases, "can't have" is being used to denote disbelief or incredulity, while "couldn't have" is being used to denote an impossibility Can and could are modal verbs, and represent present and preterite forms respectively The preterite is not necessarily used to refer to past time, such as in this case, where it's being used in the subjunctive mood, expressing the possibility of
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