| Element | USE: SPECULATION |
|---|---|
| SuperCat | MODALITY |
| SubCat | could |
| Lexical Range | N/A |
| Level | C2 |
| Cando | Can use 'couldn't have' + '-ed' to speculate about the past. |
| Corrected Learner Example | Imagine my dismay when I realised I hadn't brought back the notebook from the pub. Surely I couldn't have left it on my seat. (French, C2 MASTERY, Pass, 1993) [speculating about a lost diary] ...her mother couldn't have hidden it there just like that. It just wasn't like her. She must have put it away there and then forgotten about it. (Polish, C2 MASTERY, Pass, 1993) |
| Uncorrected Learner Example | |
| Comments | N/A |
