Re: could have/could

FB <fam.balducciNOSPAM@xxxxxx> wrote:

> On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 16:19:46 +0100, Donna Richoux wrote:
>
> [...]
> > If only I could have Xed (I wish I had done it at some time in the
> > past)
>
> Compare with "If only I'd been able to X". Are they equivalent? Which is
> commoner?
>
I can't see any obvious difference in meaning or tone between "could
have Xed" and "had been able to X". Maybe some example could be
constructed where one would work and the other wouldn't, but it's not
obvious to me.

--
Best -- Donna Richoux
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: yearbook staff?
    ... >Donna Richoux wrote: ... >>> could not figure out its meaning. ... remove the first two letters after the @ ... Prev by Date: ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: fabulous
    ... >> meanings about relating to fables, ... >> So, a handful of pre-20th century uses, and a handful of ... > "marvellous" meaning is as late as 1959. ... Best -- Donna Richoux ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Tonal language and western music expression
    ... Westerners imbue words with tone to modify the ... emotional context of words - not to change the meaning. ... change the meaning of the word in some Asian countries. ... Five tonal accents include cute accent, grave accent, tidle accent, ...
    (rec.music.classical.guitar)
  • Re: Factoid- Does anybody care?
    ... To replace the older meaning of "That's begging the question," what's ... In defense of names -- Donna Richoux ... I wonder if the popular usage of "to beg the question" has actually had ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Neil Cavuto say let single mothers eat cake
    ... >> spent on essentials to be value X, then X really shouldn't change too ... be able to present his meaning more clearly via tone and inflection. ...
    (rec.sport.football.college)
Loading