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Mister Micawber
Language Coach
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 7445
Location: Yokohama, Japan
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 #3 (permalink) Sat Sep 19, 2009 14:22 pm 'Can have been.' |
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"Can have been" is mostly used in questions or with negations, but often "could have been" sounds slightly better.
When you want to express a plain possibility, it sounds a bit odd to me; "may have been" often sounds more natural.
"Can have been" is also used to echo an earlier use of a similar phrase, which is fine.
A: - During our phone calls, Peter assured me he fed my cat every week, but now she is dead!
B: - Can he have been lying? [Question: possible, though I'd say "could he have been" is better here.]
A: - No, he can't have been lying, he has been my best friend for years. [Negation: quite alright, although "couldn't have been" is very well possible.]
B: - He can have eaten her when he was very hungry. [Plain possibility: this is sometimes done, but I find it ugly: "may have eaten" is much better.] |
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 Cerberus™
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 775
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| #4 (permalink) Sat Sep 19, 2009 14:40 pm 'Can have been.' |
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| Cerberus™ wrote: |
"Can have been" is mostly used in questions or with negations, but often "could have been" sounds slightly better.
When you want to express a plain possibility, it sounds a bit odd to me; "may have been" often sounds more natural.
"Can have been" is also used to echo an earlier use of a similar phrase, which is fine.
A: - During our phone calls, Peter assured me he fed my cat every week, but now she is dead!
B: - Can he have been lying? [Question: possible, though I'd say "could he have been" is better here.]
A: - No, he can't have been lying, he has been my best friend for years. [Negation: quite alright, although "couldn't have been" is very well possible.]
B: - He can have eaten her when he was very hungry. [Plain possibility: this is sometimes done, but I find it ugly: "may have eaten" is much better.] |
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Fimbriae
I'm here quite often ;-)
Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Posts: 150
Location: Ceres
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| Difference between sun's rays and sun ray? | Would have been |
