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Ask for help > Could! why not Can
Could! why not Can
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ayda louhichi
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Could! why not Can
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Hi dear members of Eslprintables,
I �m confused with this title of a text: "A Friend I could never forget".
Why could and not can
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31 Jan 2010
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ebrahmi
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"A friend I could never forget" could mean:
* a friend I was not able to forget (i.e. the context is the past & could expresses inability in the past)
or
* a friend I won �t forget (i.e. the context is the future & could expresses impossibility)
as for can, we can �t use it coz it can �t express any of the aforementioned functions.
Anyway, this is what I think. |
31 Jan 2010
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sa3ida
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HI AYDA
I think that till the moment of saying these words, the speaker was not able to forget his friend that �s why the use of the simple past is accurate.
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31 Jan 2010
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baiba
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Ayda, in my opinion it is the 2nd conditional and could never forget means "it would not be possible to forget". It is a hypothetical action, not the real past.
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31 Jan 2010
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tahriali
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Hi Ayda
I think this is the title of a lesson in book 1 secondary. It tells the story of two friends who lost touch for years and eventually reunited. So, �to forget � is restricted to the past time as they are united now. It can be paraphrased as follows: A friend I could never forget during those years.
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31 Jan 2010
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yanogator
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tahriali �s explanation sounds good. The others are definitely correct gramatically, although "can" is also correct (but not as good), with a future meaning. If you use "can", it can mean "A friend I will never be able to forget."
Bruce |
31 Jan 2010
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ayda louhichi
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Thank you all for your replies, thanks a lot
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1 Feb 2010
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