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kikitranslation · Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 1

Hello anybody,

Could somebody help me with the following sentence?

" I suggested we take a walk down to the front desk and see if someone there couldn't make an appointment for her."

Why do they use "couldn't" in this sentence instead of "could"?
Any difference? I know the meaning is "could" but what kind of effect does it do?

Kiki

LucentShade · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 542 Location: Nebraska, USA

Using "couldn't" like this softens the sentence and makes it more polite. I think it's a tendency in British English to do this.

KazAV · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:05 am Post subject:

As a Brit, I`ve never said that. I always thought it was more of an American thing Laughing

Nancy119 · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Posts: 4

Hello Kiki,

I'm an American and I don't use "couldn't" in this manner. Did you find this sentence in written form (e.g., a book, magazine, etc.) or was it spoken by someone? I think it is an older usage and out of fashion now. I agree that it would be very confusing for any English learner.

Nancy

Hello anybody,

Could somebody help me with the following sentence?

" I suggested we take a walk down to the front desk and see if someone there couldn't make an appointment for her."

Why do they use "couldn't" in this sentence instead of "could"?
Any difference? I know the meaning is "could" but what kind of effect does it do?

Kiki[/quote]

Teo · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 193 Location: Taiwan

1. The president wants me to talk to you about this and see if we can't reach a common ground.
2. The president wants me to talk to you about this and see if we can reach a common ground.

Logically, there's really no difference. However, in terms of how these expressions are commonly used, #1 suggests to me that there is an expectation on the part of the President that we will probably be able to reach a common ground.

Best wishes, Clive
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Teo · Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 193 Location: Taiwan

The first gives the impression that the issue has already been discussed before and met with resistance. The use of "can't" (when it means "can") in the if-clause suggests a sort of plea to make an extra effort to overcome this resistance and agree.

The second is quite neutral in comparison. The issue may have recently come up, but there is no feeling that has been thoroughly discussed yet or that it will necessarily be difficult to come to an agreement about it.

Cf. Can you agree to this? (Neutral. No particular expectation about the answer 'yes' or 'no'.)
Can't you agree to this? (Expects an answer, 'Yes, I can agree'.)

CJ
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Thank you very much for your reply.