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5. He walks fast and even runs at 80. He thinks he is very young.
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B. Could have / Should have / Would have

‘
• Could have’ means that something was possible in the past. ‘Could not have' means that
something was impossible in the past. Could have and could not have are used with the past
participle form of verb.

♦ I could have become a doctor if I had studied hard. (I didn't become a doctor)

♦ They could have won the match, but they didn't try hard enough.
♦ He could not have passed the exam even if he had studied harder. It's a really difficult

exam. (It wasn't possible for him he had wanted to pass though.)
'
• Should have’ is used to say that a different action in the past would have been better. It is
also used to regret something you did.
♦ I should have started earlier. (I am late)

♦ I shouldn't have behaved so badly. (I regret my behaviour)
♦ You should have studied hard.

♦ You shouldn't have wasted your time. (A different action would have been better)

• We use ‘would have’ to imagine a result that didn’t happen due to a reason. The result is
exactly the opposite of what should have happened.

♦ If we had started earlier, we would have caught the bus. (But we didn’t, so we were late.)
♦ If I had brought my umbrella, I would not have got wet in the rain. (But I didn’t bring my
umbrella, so I got wet.)

Complete the sentences with would have, could have or should have. You can also use
negative forms would not have, could not have and should not have.

1. I am sorry. I _________________ yelled at you.

2. I _________________ bought bread. But the bakery was closed.
3. We _________________ saved money. Now we have no savings at all.

4. If you had worked harder, you _________________ topped the exam.

5. I wasted all my time. I _________________ finished the work yesterday.

6. You _________________ asked the teacher for permission before leaving.

7. She _________________ crossed the road carefully. She has injured herself badly!

8. You _________________ gone to the doctor yesterday. You look so sick!
9. If I had known about him, I _________________ talked to him.

10. If he had attended the interview, he _________________ got the job.

141 Arrow - English Plus-8