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
the comment section of this video of
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again soon bye
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