Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

1. Thanks for your wonderful gift. That's the best one I could have wished for.
2. Thanks for your wonderful gift. That's the best one I may have wished for.

I think both sentences are grammatically correct in terms of the underlined part. Am I right?

Thanks for your help again!

Jason

[IanT]

Sorry! Only "could" here.

As a very general rule, may might and could are more or less interchangeable when the meaning is present. "I may/might/could go to the cinema tomorrow"

But with past or theoretical meanings there are still some differences.

"The best I could have wished for" means there's no way I could have wished for anything better, because there is nothing better.

"I may have wished for" means maybe I did wish for it, maybe I didn't, I can't remember.

Tricky, past modals!

Hope helps,
Ian
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Please note: all my answers here refer to British English.

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