Using Conditionals to Express the Past
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Use COULD to express the past form of CAN or WAS ABLE TO. You will find this useful in a past tense story.
When I was young, I could play the piano much better than I can now. I
could also run in the fields because we lived in a rural
area. I could enjoy nature much more as a child than I can now.
Use WOULD to express activities that you did sometimes in the past. In many cases, COULD and WOULD are both okay.
COULD
|
MEANING
|
WOULD
|
MEANING
|
When I was young, I could play outside.
|
When I was young, I was able to play outside. |
When I was young, I would play outside.
|
When I was young, I often played outside.
|
* As you can see from this example, the difference in meaning is
often not significant. Use
could if you want to
stress an
ability--otherwise, use either could or would to speak about things you
did in the past.
SHOULD does not have a use in the past tense specifically. It has the same meaning, OUGHT TO, in the present or past.
Last week, we should have finished the project, but we didn't. Today, we should finish the project.
Expressing Missed Opportunities or Regret
Use
could or
would with the
present perfect tense to express regret.
In most situations, you can use either could or would. The difference in meaning is very small.
COULD
|
Meaning
|
WOULD
|
Meaning
|
I could have gone to the baseball game, but I got sick.
|
I had tickets and was ready to go to the baseball game, but I got sick.
|
I would have gone to the baseball game, but I got sick.
|
I intended to go to the baseball game, but I got sick.
|
SHOULD expresses responsibility, however.
I should have gone to the baseball game, but I stayed home sick. -- I
had a responsibility to go, but I got sick and stayed home. Often,
a person is expressing responsibility for his or her own happiness or
desires. For the example, the above sentence could mean:
I should have gone and enjoyed the game anyway, but I stayed home.
