CAN HAVE / COULD HAVE

Can have / Could have
We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but
didn't do.
• I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
• She could have married him but she didn't want to.
• They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.
Often, there is a sense of criticism.
• You could have phoned me to let me know.
• They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
• I could have done more to help you. Sorry.
We can use 'couldn't have' to talk about something we were not capable of doing.
• I couldn't have managed without you.
• I couldn't have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew.
• I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day.
We can use 'could have' to speculate about what has happened. (We can also use 'may
have' or 'might have' in these situations.)
• She could have taken the earlier train.
• Simon could have told her.
• They could have overheard what we said.
We can also use 'can have' to speculate about what has happened but only in questions
and negative sentences and with words such as 'hardly', 'never' and 'only'.
• Can she have forgotten about our meeting?
• He can't have seen us.
• They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job.
We can also use 'could have' to speculate about something that didn't happen.
• You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that.
• He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that.
• I could have done well in my exam if I'd worked harder.
You can also use 'could have' to talk about possible present situations that have not
happened.
• I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too
boring.
• He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial
scandal.
• They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice.
Can have / Could have
We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but
didn't do.
• I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
• She could have married him but she didn't want to.
• They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.
Often, there is a sense of criticism.
• You could have phoned me to let me know.
• They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
• I could have done more to help you. Sorry.
We can use 'couldn't have' to talk about something we were not capable of doing.
• I couldn't have managed without you.
• I couldn't have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew.
• I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day.
We can use 'could have' to speculate about what has happened. (We can also use 'may
have' or 'might have' in these situations.)
• She could have taken the earlier train.
• Simon could have told her.
• They could have overheard what we said.
We can also use 'can have' to speculate about what has happened but only in questions
and negative sentences and with words such as 'hardly', 'never' and 'only'.
• Can she have forgotten about our meeting?
• He can't have seen us.
• They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job.
We can also use 'could have' to speculate about something that didn't happen.
• You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that.
• He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that.
• I could have done well in my exam if I'd worked harder.
Copyright Pearson Brown and Caroline Brown 2010 You may give copies of this ebook to your friends, colleagues and students
www.englishgrammarsecrets.com page 64 of 66
You can also use 'could have' to talk about possible present situations that have not
happened.
• I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too
boring.
• He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial
scandal.
• They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice.
exercise 1
exercise 2
exercise 3
exercise 4
exercise 5
exercise 6
Copyright Pearson
Can have / Could have
We can use 'could have' to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but
didn't do.
• I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
• She could have married him but she didn't want to.
• They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.
Often, there is a sense of criticism.
• You could have phoned me to let me know.
• They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
• I could have done more to help you. Sorry.
We can use 'couldn't have' to talk about something we were not capable of doing.
• I couldn't have managed without you.
• I couldn't have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew.
• I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day.
We can use 'could have' to speculate about what has happened. (We can also use 'may
have' or 'might have' in these situations.)
• She could have taken the earlier train.
• Simon could have told her.
• They could have overheard what we said.
We can also use 'can have' to speculate about what has happened but only in questions
and negative sentences and with words such as 'hardly', 'never' and 'only'.
• Can she have forgotten about our meeting?
• He can't have seen us.
• They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job.
We can also use 'could have' to speculate about something that didn't happen.
• You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that.
• He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that.
• I could have done well in my exam if I'd worked harder.
You can also use 'could have' to talk about possible present situations that have not
happened.
• I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too
boring.
• He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial
scandal.
• They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice.