grammar question
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grammar question
Hello. could you please help me out with this question ? if there was a party yesterday and my friends attended it but i didn't , and the next day when i meet them they tell me all about how fun it was and i say: HOW COULD I MISS IT or HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED IT which one is correct and why? much obliged
- Tukanja
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Re: grammar question
I see it as below
1) I wasn't present at the party.
I regret for it so I say,
"How could I miss it!"
2) I was present at the party
My friend criticises me for being present so I say,
"How could I have missed it!"
1) I wasn't present at the party.
I regret for it so I say,
"How could I miss it!"
2) I was present at the party
My friend criticises me for being present so I say,
"How could I have missed it!"
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Re: grammar question
Hi, Tukanja. Thanks for replying. i just didn't get what you meant in the second explanation , you say you were present at the party and at the same time say How could i have missed it?
- Tukanja
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Re: grammar question
Again, my friend criticised me for being at the party.
I agreed with my interlocutor I shouldn't be there but couldn''t avoid going to the party.
"How could I have missed it!"
It means,
"There was no way for me to avoid the party."
So I was present at the party.
I have used the present perfect conditional for a hypothetical event in the past.
That's what I mean; of course this can be a wrong use.
What is interesting, if my friend praised my being at the party, I would use the same form
"How could I have missed it!"
May be, the NES wouldn't use it this way; let's wait what the others say.
I agreed with my interlocutor I shouldn't be there but couldn''t avoid going to the party.
"How could I have missed it!"
It means,
"There was no way for me to avoid the party."
So I was present at the party.
I have used the present perfect conditional for a hypothetical event in the past.
That's what I mean; of course this can be a wrong use.
What is interesting, if my friend praised my being at the party, I would use the same form
"How could I have missed it!"
May be, the NES wouldn't use it this way; let's wait what the others say.