We couldn't have picked a worse day for the picnic--it rained nonstop.
有人认为We couldn't have picked a worse day的意思是It is the worst day we have picked.
但是,我觉得应该是It was the worst day we had picked 或者It wasn't the worst day we picked.
因为这是对具体过去时间上事件的推测,关注的是过去,而不是现在。
再者,这里could 能被can同义替换吗?也就是说could have done与can have done各种用法完全同义吗?
请专家老师为我解惑。
另,实事求是地讲,我资质愚鲁,但是我愿意坚持向老师们求教,虽然我进步不一定大,不一定快,只要我坚持,至少有进步。
其中不乏会提出重复性的疑惑,确实是因为自己学得不透,没有融会贯通,没能举一反三,但是我又不甘心放弃,或者“睁只眼,闭只眼”,总想彻底学明白,虽然能力终究不及几位专家老师的水平的十分之一,尤其是曹老师、刘老师、陈老师、好题老师等等的水平。
但是,我要学习你们严谨、求真的精神。感谢几年来您们的指导。
We couldn't have picked a worse day for the picnic--it rained nonstop.
1. 此句的含义相当于We picked the worst day that day. 指的是过去,所以后面用了rained nonstop. 这里涉及一个could not+比较级的用法,实际是一种肯定意思。例如:I couldn't find a better wife. 指我的太太最好了。如果说I can't find a better wife. 常指我怎么就找不到一个更好的老婆呢。因此在你的问题句中,could 是不能用can 替换的。
2. could have done与can have done 的用法二者不能对等, could have done 在不同语境会有不同含义,有时表示对过去发生的事的一种推测,如:She could have forgotten to tell him. 也可以指过去可能发生的事实际却没发生。如:You could have met him. 你本可以见到他的。You could have helped me. 这句话的意思是:你本可以帮我的,可实际没有帮。有时含指责的意味。如果改为You can have helped me. 就不是指责了,而是一种可能, 即你可能帮过我。can have done 虽然可以指过去发生的事,但是说话人是站在现在的时间点谈过去发生的事, 这里的have done起现在完成时的作用。could have done 则是站在过去的角度谈过去的事。这两个短语如果用于否定式,会有其他不同含义。
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在couldn't have picked a worse day结构中, couldn't have done sth表示过去不能做成某事。比如:
The man couldn't have died in 1997.I saw him on New year's Day,1998.那个人不可能是1997年去世的,我1998年元旦还见过他。(徐克荣主编《综合英语一上册》130页)结合问题We couldn't have picked a worse day,不难发现,意思是不可能有更坏天气了,言外之意,那天雨下个不停,无法野炊了,用
We couldn't have picked a worse day for the picnic强调天气糟糕。