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el7jake
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 24
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 Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:49 am Post subject: can't have gone vs. couldn't have gone |
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In this sentence,
She can't have gone to England, she telephoned from California this morning.
Is this correct? Or should the word can't be couldn't. Please explain your response.
Thank you!
Jake L. |
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MauraS
Joined: 11 Feb 2008
Posts: 97
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:12 am Post subject: |
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Technically, it should be "couldn't" because it was the past: She went to England.
Native English speakers make mistakes too, so you may hear sentences like this with "can" as well.
Hope this helps! |
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Lorikeet
Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 1877
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| I think either one is possible, depending on the speaker. They both sound okay to me. |
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