问英语
原书主词条 · 2 个连续词条

could have done

原书 PDF 第 375—376 页

could have done1

问

（a）I could have lent you the money.

(b) She could not have been more than sixteen.

请问这两个句子中的 could + 动词不定式完成式具有什么含义？

答

在陈述语气里，could + 动词不定式完成式常常用来表达下面两种含义：

A. 表示某事在过去本有可能发生,但事实上并未发生。在这一基本含义下,可用于表示埋怨或训斥:

  1. Then perhaps we could have smoothed things down in a reasonable fashion. (Snow) 那时也许我们能用合理的方式把事情处理好。

  2. You needn't have cooked it. We could have eaten it raw. (PEG) 你本不必去煮熟它,我们原可以生吃的。

  3. You could have helped me! 你本来能够帮帮我的嘛!

  4. You could have warned me she was coming. 你本应该告诉我她要来的。

  5. I hate to say this about a Republican, but Nixon could have been a wonderful President. (B. Clinton, My Life) 我不愿意这样评论一位共和党人，但尼克松本来可以做一个很棒的总统。（《我的生活》）

B. 表示对过去可能发生的事件的一种推测：

  1. She could have gone off with some friends. (PEU) 她可能跟几个朋友出去了。

  2. This glass is cracked. Someone could have dropped it. 这个玻璃杯破了。可能是谁把它掉在地上了。

  3. "The money has disappeared! Who could have taken it?"

"Tom could have(taken it); he was here alone yesterday." (PEG)

“钱不见了！能是谁拿走了呢？”

“可能是汤姆拿走了,昨天只有他一个人在这里。”

  1. The letter could have got lost in the post. (OGEG) 那封信可能在邮递中丢失了。

  2. You easily could have left your hotel room unseen. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 你可能在别人看不到的情况下轻易地离开了酒店。(《达·芬奇密码》)

C. 表示过去实际上的可能性：

That I had friends and acquaintances from such a diverse group of people when I was young may seem normal today, but in 1950s Arkansas, it could have happened only in Hot Springs. (B. Clinton, My Life) 小时候，在如此形形色色的人群中，我都拥有朋友和熟人。现在看来没什么，可在20世纪50年代的阿肯色州，只有温泉城才有这样的可能。（《我的生活》）

练习

  1. —I stayed at a hotel while in New York.

    —Oh, did you? You ____ with Barbara.

    1. A

      could have stayed

    2. B

      could stay

    3. C

      would stay

    4. D

      must have stayed(全国高考,98-19)

  2. —We could have walked to the station; it was so near.

    ——Yes. A taxi ____ at all necessary.

    1. A

      wasn't

    2. B

      hadn't been

    3. C

      wouldn't

    4. D

      won't be(全国高考,92-26)

  3. My English-Chinese dictionary has disappeared. Who ____ have taken it?

    1. A

      should

    2. B

      must

    3. C

      could

    4. D

      would(上海高考,03春-24)

      could + have done 在虚拟语气中的用法，见 subjunctive mood 6^{6} 。

Markdown：英语常见问题解答大词典-2.md · 11930—11991 行PDF：第 375 页 · could have done 1

could have done2

问

——I stayed at a hotel while in New York. ——Oh, did you? You ____ with Barbara. A. could have stayed B. could stay C. would stay D. must have stayed(全国高考,98-19) 答案为 A。但全句是什么意思呢？

答

我们在上条中已经讲过,could have done 可能表示两种不同的意思:A. 某事在过去有可能发生,但说话人确切知道该事并未发生;B. 说话人推测某事在过去有可能发生,至于该事是否真的发生,说话人并不确切知道——说话人仅是对过去事件的一种推测,一种估计。请对比下列实例:

  1. I could have lent you the money. Why didn't you ask me? 我本来可以把钱借给你的。你为什么没有向我借呢？（说话人确切知道 you 并没有向他借钱）

  2. The letter could have got lost in the post. 这封信可能是在邮递中丢失了。(说话人并不确切知道那封信是否在邮递中丢失)

由于这个结构能表示两种不同的含义,所以有些句子,脱离上下文,可能会产生歧义:

He could have sent a message. a) 他可能送了个信儿来。(说话人并不知道他事实上是否送来了信儿)

b)他本可以送个信儿来的。（说话人确切知道他并没有送信儿来）

同样,上面的试题可能含有两种不同的含义:

a)……你本来可以同巴巴拉住在一起的。(暗含的意思是:你本不必住旅馆的)

b)……你可能同巴巴拉住在一起了。(说话人的一种推测)请做下面的英语试题:

  1. He learned to speak the language so quickly and well that he ____ for a native speaker. A. must have been taken B. should have been taken C. could have been taken D. need have been taken

  2. We ____ you a ride this morning, but the car was full. A. will give B. could have given C. must have given D. should have given

  3. Some women ____ a good salary in a job instead of staying home, but they decided not to work for the sake of the family. A. must make B. should have made C. would make D. could have made(全国四级,00.1-70)

Markdown：英语常见问题解答大词典-2.md · 11992—12028 行PDF：第 376 页 · could have done 2