Using “could” for future events.
We use could to prove that something is possible in the future, but not sure:
If we don’t hurry we could be late (i.e. what we were studying the past), no doubt. Why is it incorrect to say
‘I couldn’t be present tomorrow’?
(i.e., Perhaps I won’t be here tomorrow), I can’t remember the date. “Why will I not be here tomorrow”.
What are the advantages of being a girl?
Consider using using “might not”
: “I might not be present tomorrow” ”
“Could not” is rarely found in the past tense with a completely different meaning to the verb: “I could not
complete the task.” ”
as a substitute for:
I was not able to complete the task. ”
“Womans “?
In normal circumstances, people will say “I may not be able to present tomorrow”. Can’t
be present today? A: “I would posses “in the absence of “I couldn’t be present tomorrow” can only be interpreted as “I
wouldn’t be able to be present tomorrow(due to an implied condition).
I couldn’t be present tomorrow, but if the pragmatic context makes sense for the listener. Firstly, it’s correct to say that I couldn’t tomorrow. It will not fly as an example sentence in the English class because the tend to have out of the blue background information, and some modal expressions require background information to be felicitous.
When the modal verb is in its preterite form, it expresses distance rather than past time. I can’t be present tomorrow and I couldn’t be present tomorrow has a meaning of 2-1. I would explain the difference in means that I could not be present tomorrow. In the second case it could be that they are open to incentives, or that they are trying to dissuade the listener from formally asking them to be present.
