1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:06,519 I could have passed that exam, but I didn't have enough time to study. 2 00:00:06,719 --> 00:00:11,919 Have you ever been in that situation before? Well, to be honest, 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:18,879 I couldn't have passed that exam even if I had time to study. 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:25,920 That's because I didn't even know we were having an exam. Let's study together. 5 00:00:29,039 --> 00:00:33,960 Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from New York City. 6 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:38,719 And here's your English teacher, Michael. Alright, thank you John, 7 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:45,520 and thanks everyone. It's Michael here from Happy English and I help people speak 8 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:53,159 English better. And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode six sixty nine. 9 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:59,960 Past modal could have. Today, I'm going to start a series of podcast 10 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,599 tests to help you with some of the tricky grammar points that come up on 11 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:10,760 the TOIC exam. I hope this will come in handy for you if you're 12 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:15,000 taking the exam, and even if not, I'm sure you can use this 13 00:01:15,159 --> 00:01:23,359 grammar in your everyday English conversations. In this lesson, let's look at the 14 00:01:23,439 --> 00:01:30,120 past modal verb could have. By the way, the basic grammar pattern goes 15 00:01:30,159 --> 00:01:38,079 like this, we use could have or could not have, followed by a 16 00:01:38,159 --> 00:01:45,359 past participle verb. You could say things like could have gone, could not 17 00:01:45,519 --> 00:01:51,760 have eaten, could have worked, could not have studied, and so on. 18 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:57,959 Could have and could not have are used in two different ways. Let's 19 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:04,799 check them out. First of all, we use could have to show that 20 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:10,599 something was possible in the past but it didn't happen. Could have highlights a 21 00:02:10,719 --> 00:02:19,360 missed opportunity or a different choice that was possible. For example, imagine that 22 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,199 you went to an Italian restaurant last night. It was possible to have pasta 23 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:30,960 or pizza, and you had pasta. In this situation, you could say 24 00:02:31,599 --> 00:02:38,319 I could have had pizza, but I ordered pasta. Could have shows us 25 00:02:38,439 --> 00:02:44,560 that pizza was an option, but it was not the choice I made. 26 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:51,319 Here are some other examples. After studying for weeks, I could have passed 27 00:02:51,319 --> 00:02:55,759 the exam, but I got nervous during the test and made some silly mistakes. 28 00:02:58,759 --> 00:03:02,800 Sarah could have been a doctor if she had pursued a career in medicine, 29 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,840 but she chose to become a lawyer instead. Katie could have won the 30 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:15,039 race, but she twisted her ankle during the final sprint. Next, we 31 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:22,599 use could not have. When we talk about something that was not possible in 32 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:30,599 the past. Could not have is used to express situations where something was beyond 33 00:03:30,879 --> 00:03:38,199 our capability or simply not feasible. Suppose someone helped you move a heavy desk, 34 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:45,000 and you're grateful for their assistance. You could say, thanks for your 35 00:03:45,039 --> 00:03:51,120 help, that desk is heavy and I couldn't have moved it without you. 36 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:59,919 In this example, using could not have emphasizes that without their help, move 37 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:05,479 the desk was impossible for me. Here are some other examples with could not 38 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:12,199 have. My flight was delayed, so I couldn't have made it to the 39 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,639 meeting on time. Even if I had left earlier. We couldn't have attended 40 00:04:17,639 --> 00:04:25,360 the concert because all of the tickets were sold out in minutes. The customer 41 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:31,199 complained that their order didn't arrive yesterday afternoon, but I explained to them that 42 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:39,759 the package couldn't have arrived yesterday because we shipped it yesterday morning. In summary, 43 00:04:40,399 --> 00:04:45,319 could have talks about what was possible in the past but didn't happen. 44 00:04:46,399 --> 00:04:53,079 Could not have talks about what wasn't possible in the past. Keep in mind 45 00:04:53,519 --> 00:04:58,480 the best way to remember this grammar is to take the phrase, write it 46 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,600 in a sentence that's true for you or true in your world, and then 47 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:10,839 memorize your sentences. Well, that's it for today's lesson. Speaking of took, 48 00:05:11,519 --> 00:05:17,600 keep a lookout from my Newtec Preparation course TOIIC Mastery coming next month. 49 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:25,120 By the way, why don't you join my podcast Learners study group There you 50 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:30,720 can make new friends, join me for live group coaching every week. Plus 51 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:36,560 get the pdf, transcript and audio download for every Happy English podcast in the 52 00:05:36,639 --> 00:05:45,519 past and in the future. And each episode now has exercises where you can 53 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:51,199 practice this English point with speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more 54 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:57,439 or to see some of the example sentences from this lesson, just visit my 55 00:05:57,639 --> 00:06:04,199 Happy English dot com and choose podcast lesson six sixty nine. Remember, learning 56 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:09,680 another language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here to 57 00:06:09,759 --> 00:06:15,399 help you on your journey. This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. 58 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:20,120 Please visit my Happy English dot com show your support for Happy English by 59 00:06:20,199 --> 00:06:38,319 leaving us a review. Get English, Get Happy, Happy English.