You'd best listen to what he has to say. I would have called, but there was no phone service. Listen to this song by 1980s teen pop star Tiffany. I couldn't have been better (even if I practiced daily). Here are some examples with explanations: I have been a designer since 1994. Raincheck: A raincheck is offered in times where the supply is temporarily diminished (ex. This can possibly be changed through context: Joe was good at chess. We use should have to talk about past mistakes. Defense lawyers often use could not have to argue for a client’s innocence. How would Muslims adapt to follow their prayer rituals in the loss of Earth? And that someone else turned out to be his true love. have been better definition, meaning, English dictionary, synonym, see also 'have at',have a bash',have a canary',have a cow', Reverso dictionary, English definition, English vocabulary Information and translations of could have been in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. In Reply to: I've been better posted by Hong WK on July 17, 2005: What is the meaning of "I've been better"? If someone had said that about you, then it simply means that this person has never met anyone more "nationalistic" than you. You mean "Never been better," or maybe "it couldn't have been better," rather than "I couldn't have been better," perhaps? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Here are some examples (the main verb is bold): - If they had left earlier, they would have been here already. Could have been +verb ing----meaning this action would have been going on possibly eg:i could have been studying at this time if u had not come come to see me Share Improve this answer I should have died out there with my men. Can I bring a single shot of live ammo onto the plane from US to UK as a souvenir? It’s all part of a plan. (See also modals of ability.) What does could have been mean? (Meaning: They didn't leave earlier, so they are not here now.) “I couldn't have been better” means you are at your best or in other words, you (feel) better than ever before. Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange! No person could have been more nationalistic. Well, there could be multiple meanings depending upon the context at hand. These past tense modals are useful for expressing your present feelings about a past decision (or other action). So if you don't know who painted it, but it looks like other da Vinci paintings, you might suppose that he could have … For example: If I had known they were vegetarians, I would have made a salad. In the movie, Dan loses both of his legs in the Vietnam War. What is the meaning of this “could have been more?”. A popular compliment in English is, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” You can say this when you like the way somebody said something. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Use this structure to show that you wanted to do something in the past, but you could not. By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. To mark the fact that this condition was contrary to the reality, the tense is shifted towards the past relative to the point-in-time in question. I couldn't have been better than I was [at that moment]. The first is with but. What is the rationale behind Angela Merkel's criticism of Donald Trump's ban on Twitter? Meaning: I started my design career at 1994, and it continued up until now. It is a way to show strong agreement. A response of “I’ve been better” can mean the person is not feeling well physically in various degrees. site design / logo © 2021 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under cc by-sa. Last night it couldn't have been better = Last night it was possible not to be better, but it did better. It is part of the conditional past tenses of most verbs. No person could have been more nationalistic. So there is no presumed person here like the example above. Listen for should have as Dan confronts Forrest. Hai Do was the editor. You could have passed the test if you had studied for it. Nothing just happens. The person asking the question in the first place can decide whether to ask for more information sympathetically, … Filter. Leave us example sentence. We’ll start with could have. Join us next week for more Everyday Grammar. Here the implied comparison with other states of being you might have had at some moment. There's no "supposed person" here because what you are implicitly comparing is not between you and other people, but between how you were and how you could have been. I would have gone to the party, but I was tired. Before 1957, what word or phrase was used for satellites (natural and artificial)? Use have for all pronouns; never use has or had to form a past modal. If would have comes first, there is no comma. A more complete statement would be. _______________________________________________________________, modal verb – n. a verb (such as can, could, shall, should, ought to, will, or would) that is usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission, contender – n. a person who tries to win something in a game or competition, bum – n. a person who is lazy or who does something badly, compliment – n. a comment that says something good about someone or something, vegetarian – n. a person who does not eat meat, infidelity – n. the act or fact of having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone other than your husband, wife, or partner, confront – v. to oppose someone, especially in a direct and forceful way, cripple – n. a person who cannot move or walk normally because of a permanent injury or other physical problem, six-shooter – n. a kind of gun (called a revolver) that can hold six bullets (often used to describe guns used in the old American West), cattle drive – n. the process of moving cows from one place to another. the grocery store's out of chicken that's on sale). Experts believe if Friday's test would have been fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it could have threatened cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago. Learn more. have seen better days definition: 1. to be old and in bad condition: 2. to be old and in bad condition: 3. to be old and in bad…. I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early. What is something you could have / should have / would have done in the past? share. Finally, let’s look at should have. Is it safe to use RAM with damaged capacitor? “It's you, not Tom, who {is/are} to blame for what happened”. See the sentences below, No person could have been more nationalistic than Joe. The literal meaning of the phrase is to identify an option that the listener had that they didn't take or an outcome the listener didn't experience. Could have means that something was possible in the past, but it did not happen. The singer is thinking about past possibilities with her lost love. A worried mother might say: “I was so worried about you. Which wire goes to which terminal on this single pole switch? It would be good for me to go home. Here are some examples: She could have gone to any college she wanted to. You might remember Lieutenant Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. Past unreal conditionals are very complex; you can learn more about them on a previous episode of Everyday Grammar. Marvin L. Birnbaum, MD, PhD Creative thinking may simply mean the realization that there is no particular virtue in doing things the way we have always done them. Could have been usually gets contracted to could’ve been or even coulda’ been. You are offline. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Usually, would have suggests a bad feeling about the past. "What Could Have Been Done Better?" Never been better: Doing better now that I ever have. English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. But not always. (Not necessarily a direct answer.) It was the most helpless I have ever felt in my life - what does “the most helpless” mean? Why do the units of rate constants change, and what does that physically mean? Another way to say Would Have Been? From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. I could have gone directly to college, but I decided to travel for a year. I would have A, but I had to B. You use could not... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Today we will take a look at the modal verbs could have, would have and should have. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! While Can’t Have (Been) is used to refer to an incident in the near past, Couldn’t Have (Been) is used for an event that happened way back in the past. Is it insider trading when I already own stock in an ETF and then the ETF adds the company I work for? Could have "Could have" can be used with several meanings. It would have been better... refers to a point in time in the past when a condition was not true. Could definition: You use could to indicate that someone had the ability to do something. To form the negative with these modals, use not between could and have. How can I fill an arbitrarily sized matrix with asterisks? We all have a destiny. He would have died, but Forrest saved him. This is only about me. Could have been usually gets contracted to could’ve been or even coulda’ been. It means things have been going better for the person who said it than they are currently going. Topics Has been Have been; Meaning: It is the 3rd-person singular number present perfect form of the tense. “You listen to me. The simple past just tells what happened. What do you think? The code has been copied to your clipboard. It's a far cry from "I'm doing great!" Comparative vs. Superlative While Comparing Two Items, Function of “the most recent” in a sentence, negation difference: I like not much / I don't like much / I dislike. Is my interpretation correct? J. Georg Bednorz It can be a low-key way of letting it be known that things are not so good without launching into complaining. So this meaing is not carrying the intended meaning that last night it was best. No person could have been more nationalistic. You should have called!”. Should have is common in apologies. (She was able to win the competition, but she didn't.) Is my back-of-the-envelope calculation about taking out a loan to invest into the markets flawed? He should have told the truth about what he saw. What does this mean? Children’s poem about a boy stuck between the tracks on the underground. Had better is ALWAYS formed from the auxiliary verb 'have' in the past simple ('has better' or 'will have better' do not exist!). Is it ok to lie to players rolling an insight? In this song, country singer Toby Keith imagines how exciting his life would be if he had chosen to be a cowboy. Taking on more general meaning, less likely though, it might refer to some task you executed earlier and your boyfriend considers he could do it better than you. 1) To describe something you were able to do, but didn't do. is often answered with "Couldn't be better!". This sentence is in the Present Perfect tense. If someone had said that about you, then it simply means that this person has never met anyone more "nationalistic" than you. It can also mean the person isn't feeling well emotionally because of getting bad news. Stop the robot by changing value of variable Z. What does never been better expression mean? You have been … Meaning of could have been. That’s all for this week. I can / could / shall / should / will / would / may / might / must + TO HAVE + GONE It could has been better is wrong You must say It could have been better which is … 763 synonyms for Would Have Been (other words and phrases for Would Have Been). They could have won the race, but they didn't try hard enough. I coulda’ been a contender. Have been better: Not doing well at the present moment. Now, you can also use the verb "be" as a main verb after "would have." 1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it. Her infidelity gave him the opportunity to meet someone else. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. What (in the US) do you call the type of wrench that is made from a steel tube? The literal meaning is, "it is not possible for a person to be more nationalistic [than Joe]", or "Joe is as nationalistic as it is possible for a person to be.". It is the exact form of the verb. Using was instead of would have been feels awkward here because you're moving into past tense. In this song by the band Chicago, the singer is surprisingly happy that his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. ; (Things) might be better. ... we sometimes say I had best, used with the same meaning: I'd best go home. Past modals tell what could have, would have, and should have happened. Each of these modals has a slightly different meaning. - If John had won the contest, he would have been happier. It usually describes something that was possible, but didn’t happen anyway. To form these past modals, use could, would, or should followed by have, followed by a past participle verb. It's commonly used after someone is injured etc. For example: She could not have been on that flight because I just saw her at work. (= I was able to phone, but I didn't.) @DamkerngT. Listen to Marlon Brando in the classic film “On the Waterfront.” Brando’s character, Terry Malloy, was once a promising young boxer. We’ll look at each of them using examples from movies and popular songs. Such phrases are, of course, often used with an element of rhetorical exaggeration or hyperbole, so it's possible the speaker doesn't actually believe the statement in its literal sense. Learn Ludwig. never been better phrase. I should have woken up earlier. Are good pickups in a bad guitar worth it? I've been better. “You don’t understand. As you can see, these modals of lost opportunities offer a colorful way to talk about past choices. High quality example sentences with “it would have been better” in context from reliable sources - Ludwig is the linguistic search engine that helps you to write better in English. Could have is a modal verb phrase. The reason I asked is that I was a bit confused with this. can “what have you done” be asked in a neutral way? Native speakers often do not pronounce their past tense modals as clearly as Tiffany. Am I burning bridges if I am applying for an internship which I am likely to turn down even if I am accepted? But the original version feels awkward because they've used a contraction of would and have at the start of the sentence, and then used those same two words later on in the same sentence, so neither is a … A past time which is prior to a point in time also in the past is marked by the past perfect, had banned. For example: I’m sorry that I’m late for work. Rudolph Flesch We aren't forced to follow old ideas. Had better - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary "Have been", "has been" and "had been" are all different forms of the verb BE. Should have means that something did not happen, but we wish it had happened. I would have loaned you the money, but I didn’t have any. Share a … Login . To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. and (I) could be better. “I couldn't have been better” means you are at your best or in other words, you (feel) better than ever before. The greeting "How are you?" Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. ​Now it's your turn. Definition of never been better in the Idioms Dictionary. It only takes a minute to sign up. A synonym for could-have-been is might-have-been. On the other hand the plain form - 2. You can always reverse conditional sentences. A more complete statement would be. rev 2021.1.14.38315, Sorry, we no longer support Internet Explorer, The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, English Language Learners Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. Could not have means that something was impossible in the past. Could have, would have, and should have are sometimes called “modals of lost opportunities.” They work like a grammatical time machine. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. There are some difference between Has been VS Have been with meaning, pronouns, examples and also has given below by a comparison chart. there is an implied subject of comparison, probably a particular person who has already been established as the subject of discussion. Whether it would have been better or worse that what actually happened is contextual, both in terms of your perception as an observer/reader and in terms of what the speaker is intending to imply. I could have been somebody—instead of a bum.”. Why is the air inside an igloo warmer than its outside? But now I’m nothing but a cripple!”. Would have is a bit more difficult because it has two common structures. Is it possible statically linking Apache 2.0, BSD-2, or MIT libraries to AGPL v3.0 binaries? I would have made a salad if I had known they were vegetarians. Using Could have been in the second sentence makes it ask about a possibility, not an actuality. Does this mean..."someone else was very nationalistic and no other person could have been more so?". Examples: I could have phoned, but I preferred to talk to you personally. Posted by James Briggs on July 17, 2005. When it comes to modal verbs — the verbs that express necessity or possibility — many learners find them rather confusing. I expected this: Experts believe if Friday's test had been fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it could have … She could have won the competition, but in the end she gave up. Should have can be used in a light-hearted way. The URL has been copied to your clipboard. I coulda’ had class. 1. Adam Brock wrote this article for VOA Learning English. a response to a greeting meaning "My state is not as good as it might be." Would have also forms the result clause of a past unreal conditional. It would be a good idea for you to listen to what he has to say.