"Can't have gone" - past or present?

duc · Wed May 21, 2008 16:26 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Hello
Please look at the sentence below:
1.If you hurry,you will overtake him.He has only just left here and CAN'T HAVE GONE far.
I think the action ''can't have gone'' implies a past action just like the use of other modal verb ''must have gone'' or ''might have gone'' but in the context here it implies a present action.
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duc · Wed May 21, 2008 16:51 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Please explain it for me (I forget to type question Very Happy

)

Inga · Wed May 21, 2008 16:53 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Can't have gone means incredulity, improbability (It's hardly possible that, I refuse to believe that, etc.). It doesn't matter if you use can't or couldn't in this meaning. Perfect Infinitive is used to denote past, of course. And the context proves it. It shows what place the person reached/arrived at/got. - this is what I think about it Smile

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SkiIucK · Wed May 21, 2008 18:17 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Hi,

It doesn't matter whether it is in present or past - who actually cares? What is important is whether you understand it or not. Think about it. Smile

Regards

duc · Thu May 22, 2008 10:57 am *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

To SkiIucK ,If it is important whether you understand it or not , how about when you want to talk about the same action and context ? Very Happy

How can you do to make people understand you ?
And I want some more help ,please ?

Molly · Thu May 22, 2008 11:29 am *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

duc · Thu May 22, 2008 11:40 am *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

But as far as I know ,when perfect infinitive goes with modals, it indicates a past action.But is it true that it depends on the context to understand ?

Inga · Thu May 22, 2008 13:40 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

The action he has gone is in the past. (or he hasn't gone far, or he can't have gone far).
If it were in present you'd have He can't go far = he is not able, though it sounds awkward.
_________________
I am an incurable optimist.

Yankee · Thu May 22, 2008 14:21 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

.
I might interpret 'He can't have gone far' this way:
'It just isn't possible that he has gone far'.
.
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

Molly · Thu May 22, 2008 15:24 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Molly · Thu May 22, 2008 15:25 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Molly · Thu May 22, 2008 16:48 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Present perfect: Used to relate events or states taking place in the past to a present time orientation.

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The present perfect represents a secondary past in the present, and thus references both a primary present and a secondary past relative to it. The narrative time is present [the sentence is about the present], but the event time of the sentence is past.

From: A COURSE IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR by
Michael Noonan

Inga · Fri May 23, 2008 8:41 am *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Agree on all explanations. This one:

Molly · Fri May 23, 2008 8:43 am *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

duc · Fri May 23, 2008 16:50 pm *"Can't have gone" - past or present?*

Thank you very much!
After reading your ideas,I have made it out very clearly Very Happy

You are true Molly I have just read Modal+perfect infinitive in the Longman grammar and now I understand it.
Again thanks ,my teachers !

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