Could have should have would have Past Tense Modals Negative

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hi everybody my name is Alisha in this

lesson I’m going to talk about could

have should have and would have what

they mean how to use them in the

negative and the differences between

them so let’s get started first I want

to begin with could have let’s look at

the positive and the negative meanings

of could have first positive we use

could have positive for something that

was possible in the past so to give kind

of an image of this if our conversation

is happening now when we use could have

we’re talking about something that had

possibility in the past something we

were able to do for example in example

sentence ah if I had known you were

throwing a surprise party I could have

helped I could have helped so here could

have shows us that this action helping

was possible in the past in this case

the speaker did not know some

information and as a result this action

did not happen but it was possible at a

point in the past the speaker could have

helped helping was a possibility in the

past so we use could have to express

that possibility the negative form

however expresses the opposite so in the

negative could not have expresses

something that was impossible impossible

so not possible in the past so here if

we want to give an image it’s something

that was not possible something we were

not able to do let’s look at an example

of this no that couldn’t have been Sarah

in the cafe just now

she’s at the office so here I’m using

couldn’t have could not have contracted

reduced becomes couldn’t so that

couldn’t have been Sarah in the cafe

just now in other words it’s impossible

that just now we saw Sarah in the cafe

why she’s at the office so in this case

maybe Sarah is the speakers colleague

coworker so we know Sarah is at the

office so we saw someone maybe who looks

like Sarah at the cafe just now but it’s

not possible it was Sarah because

Sarah’s at the office so we can say that

couldn’t have been so it’s impossible

that that was Sarah so couldn’t have

been sounds much more natural than it’s

impossible that that was Sarah so we use

couldn’t have been or could not have

been so positive form something that was

possible in the past so be careful in

Mitte contrast a key difference here is

this is only about possibility we’re not

talking about like a plan to do

something or regret necessarily we’re

only talking about possibility when we

use could or could not hear so with this

let’s move along to the next part the

next part I want to focus on should have

so let’s look at the positive form

should have in the positive expresses

regret for something we did not do in

the past so an image of this here if our

conversation is happening now we want to

talk about something we did not do in

the past and that now maybe we think oh

it’s a good idea like I should have done

this thing I did not do this thing

the past that’s why I marked it with an

X here so I did not do this thing but I

feel bad now I feel regret like I should

have done that thing in the past so an

example sentence of this I should have

studied more when I was in school here

is the should have I should have and

this action studied more so in other

words the speaker did not study enough

in the past the speaker feels he or she

did not study enough in the past regrets

that and wants to express the change

like I wish I had done this thing I

should have studied more when I was in

school so here we have more this is a

common pattern which should have or

should not have when we use more it

means I should have studied more than I

did when I was in school so here the

speaker is regret expressing regret

sadness about something they did not do

therefore when we use the negative form

the speaker again expressed his regret

yes but they’re expressing regret for

something that happened in the past

something they did in the past so I’ve

marked it here with a check this action

did happen and we feel regret about that

action we feel bad about something we

did in the past an example I shouldn’t

have spent so much time playing video

games when I was a kid so here I’ve used

shouldn’t have so should not have is how

we make the negative form I’ve reduced

it shouldn’t have shouldn’t have in

rapid speech shouldn’t have I shouldn’t

have spent so much time playing video

games so what’s the action here the

speaker played video games when he or

she was a child the speaker now regrets

that the speaker says I shouldn’t have

spent so much time I should have spent

less time playing video games

so I could use positive should have I

shouldn’t have to spend less time

playing video games when I was a kid

here I shouldn’t have spent so much time

so here a key point which should have is

that we’re expressing regret

remember what could have we’re talking

just about possibility with have

we’re expressing a regret for something

that did or did not happen in the past

so with this in mind let’s go on to the

last point for this lesson the last

point the last point rather is would

have would have so when we say would

have we often say would have would have

I mentioned it here what should have

which they should have or shouldn’t have

same thing with could have like could’ve

or couldn’t’ve is the correct

pronunciation in fast speech so when we

talk about would have or when we look at

would have and we look at the positive

form we use it to express a plan for

something that did not happen so we’re

talking about something in the past so

from a point in the past something in

the future at that time we had a plan

for that thing or we thought something

was going to happen but in the positive

form it did not happen this is kind of

tricky let’s look at an example

situation here I would have arrived on

time today but there was terrible

traffic so I did not arrive on time so

first here’s my action I would have

arrived on time so I had a plan or I had

a desire I was thinking I was going to

arrive on time so at this point in time

I would have arrived on time today maybe

we’re thinking when I left the house

maybe this is where the action starts my

plan was to arrive on time so again this

is all happening in the past my

conversation is here I was planning to

arrive on time but there was terrible

traffic terrible traffic means lots and

lots of

it was difficult to drive or difficult

to get to work so I did not arrive on

time I would have arrived on time but I

didn’t because of terrible traffic so

this shows us this would have shows us

all of this information everything here

happened in the past on like a timeline

so I thought I was going to arrive on

time something happened and I didn’t so

we can use would have to show like our

thinking in this point would have in the

past about a future action that is also

in the past so a couple of past points

there at the same time okay

so let’s compare this then to the

negative form the negative form then

expresses the opposite so we have a lack

of plan or a lack of a desire so lack of

something needs no plan or no desire so

lack of plan for something that happened

in the past

it did happen yes so we commonly use

both of these to talk about other

people’s choices like when we’re giving

advice this example sentence is a very

common way that we use would not have or

wouldn’t’ve let’s look if I were you I

wouldn’t have quit my job before I found

a new position so here is my would not

have I’ve reduced it to wouldn’t’ve I

would not have quit my job before I

found a new position so that means if I

were you this is how we’re beginning

this this is a very common way that this

would have or would not have is used so

if I were you

I’m not you but if I were at this point

in time in the past my decision would

not have been to quit my job

however your decision was to quit your

job this

haven’t you quit your job in my case I

would not have done that so here an

opposite to the positive form I’m

talking about a point in the past like

if I were you just in general and I’m

talking about a future decision I might

make in this case the person listening

did choose to quit his or her job I’m

saying I would not have quit my job that

would not have been my decision for the

future so again there’s kind of this

idea of two points in the past like a

kind of a general I guess a starting

point in the past if I were you in this

case and some decision some plan some

like desire or lack of desire in this

case in the negative form so we use

these like I said to talk about like

other people’s choices when we’re giving

advice like oh if I were you I would

have done this in the past so we use

would have to talk about past decisions

and maybe to talk about things like if

you if you were the speaker like things

you might change what would you do

differently so we use this to talk about

these sorts of past past decisions and

give advice and talk about how we might

make different decisions in the future

so this kind of expresses a desire or

lack of desire this one should have

expresses regret in the past could have

expresses possibility so this is just a

quick introduction to the differences

between these three expressions and

their negative forms I didn’t write them

not here so would not have but if you

have any other questions about this

please let us know in the comments they

are very similar I know they sound very

similar and it can be hard to understand

how to use them but try to keep these

three kind of themes in

possibility and regret and then kind of

desire or advice here so I hope that

this helps you understand the

differences between these three if you

have questions or comments or if you

want to practice making an example

sentence please feel free to do so in

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