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Past modals: could vs. could have

 
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🤔
When is it correct to say ‘I could go’ vs. ‘I could have gone’? Let’s find out!
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Warm-up

Read the sentences below and match them with the correct pictures and rules.
  1. I could swim when I was 12.
  1. I could have swum, but I forgot about the race.
a) past possibility
b) past ability
picture A I swam.
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timeline B
I didn’t swim.
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Theory part 1

Can you think of a few similar sentences that would be true about you?
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Exercise 1

Choose the correct option.
  1. When I was a child, I could ride a bike. a) I did ride a bike b) I didn't ride a bike
  1. She could have gone to the party, but she decided to stay home. a) She did go to the party b) She didn't go to the party
  1. He could read before he started school. a) He did read before school b) He didn't read before school
  1. They could have won the game if they had practiced more. a) They did win the game b) They didn't win the game
  1. We could have visited the museum, but we chose to go to the park instead. a) We did visit the museum b) We didn't visit the museum
  1. She could speak French fluently in her teens. a) She did speak French fluently b) She didn't speak French fluently
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Answer key
1a 2b 3a 4b 5b 6a
 

Exercise 2

Fill in the gaps with the correct phrase.
  1. When I was 10, I ____ (play) the piano very well.
  1. He ____ (solve) the problem, but he didn't have the right tools.
  1. She ____ (dance) very well when she was in high school.
  1. They ____ (visit) us last weekend, but they decided to stay home.
  1. We ____ (go) to the beach, but it started to rain.
  1. I ____ (understand) French when I was younger.
  1. You ____ (join) the team, but you didn't apply.
  1. My brother ____ (climb) trees easily when he was little.
Answer key
1 could play 2 could have solved 3 could dance 4 could have visited 5 could have gone 6 could understand 7 could have joined 8 could climb
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Exercise 3

Correct the mistakes
  1. When I was younger, I could have sing very well.
  1. She could has gone to the university, but she decided to travel instead.
  1. They could of built the house themselves if they had the time.
  1. He could have played the piano when he was a child.
  1. I could wrote stories when I was in primary school.
  1. We could have visit the museum last weekend, but we went to the cinema instead.
  1. She could has spoken three languages by the time she was ten.
  1. They could has run the marathon if they had trained harder.
Answer key
1 could sing 2 could have gone 3 could have built 4 could play 5 could write 6 could have visited 7 could speak 8 could have run
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Exercise 4

Tell me about….
  1. Tell me about a dish you could have cooked last week but decided to get a takeaway instead.
  1. Tell me about a time you could have gone to the cinema with your friends but chose to do something else.
  1. Tell me about something you could stay up late doing when you were a teenager.
  1. Tell me about a time you could have studied for a test but decided to do something else instead.
  1. Tell me about a musical instrument you could play when you were a kid.
  1. Tell me about a museum you could have visited on your last vacation but decided not to.
  1. Tell me about a meal you could cook by yourself when you were a teenager.
  1. Tell me about a time last week when you could have cleaned your flat but chose to do something else.
  1. Tell me about a place you could have visited recently but decided not to go.
  1. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t go to parties on school days because my parents didn’t allow me. What about you?