Lesson 30 could not speak / could not have spoken
Choose the correct answers:
- When Diana arrived in the United States six months ago, she __________ (could not speak, could not have spoken) English well, so her friends helped her register for an English as a Second Language class.
- She __________ (could not have written, could not write) that long essay last semester because it was an assignment from an English 101 course.
- She __________ (could not know, could not have known) how to write this essay without taking the course. It must have been written by another student with the same name.
Explain:
could not + base verb:
unable to do something in the past (inability) or not allowed to do something in the past (without permission)
could not + have + past participle:
impossible that something happened in past (impossibility)
- In Sentence #1, past inability: Diana was not able to speak English well.
- In Sentence #2, past impossibility: It was impossible that she was the author because the essay assignment was from another class.
- In Sentence #3: past impossibility: It was impossible for her to know how to write this essay.
Review:
- When my daughter Jenny was five years old, I hired my neighbor Magdalena as a babysitter because Jenny __________ (could not stay, could not have stayed) home alone.
- Magdalena was a great babysitter. She not only kept Jenny entertained but also taught me how to cook Polish meals. I __________ (could not hire, could not have hired) a better helper.
- Jenny was able to speak a few sentences in Polish. She __________ (could not learn, could not have learned) it from anyone else but Magdalena.
Answers:
could not speak; could not have written; could not have known
could not stay; could not have hired; could not have learned
