We are not sure what the country could give John Keats

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

A sentence: We are not sure what the country could give/could have given John Keats.

Keats is dead, but COULD here, while meaning ability not possibility, should give COULD GIVE, but not COULD HAVE GIVEN; do you agree?

COULD is the past tense for CAN when meaning ability:

eg Her parents made sacrifices so that she could have a good education.

Am I correct?

2

I would use ‘could have given’.

3

Thanks. The first time I came across this sentence, my instinct told me I had to use COULD HAVE DONE STH, but I just could convince myself why this but not COULD DO STH.

Of course if it means POSSIBLE, then the tense to refer to a past thing is COULD HAVE DONE STH, but grammar depends on meaning; if I interpret COULD as ABLE; why is it not OK?

4

As well as being used as the past tense of “can”, the word “could” also serves as a more hypothetical or tentative version of present-tense “can”. In “We are not sure what the country could give John Keats”, the tense of “are” dominates, and “could” is interpreted as the latter.

5

Brilliant answer. It’s clinching.

Sorry for the typo: it should be COULDN’T CONVINCE

6

But for this:

I could read by the time I started school aged 4.

With BY THE TIME, can COULD READ change to COULD HAVE READ?

7

No. It indicates that something stopped you from doing so, which carries a different meaning to the original.

8

Oh…I didn’t realize that…

Thanks~ very helpful!

9

Oh…I didn’t realize that…

Thanks~ very helpful!