Results 1 to 5 of 5
Like Tree6Likes
  • 1 Post By bhaisahab
  • 2 Post By bhaisahab
  • 3 Post By Barb_D

Thread: couldn't have been not talking

  1. #1
    ostap77 is offline Key Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Ukrainian
      • Home Country:
      • Ukraine
      • Current Location:
      • Ukraine
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    3,030

    Default couldn't have been not talking

    If I knew that my friend liked to blab about different things at a party, would the following sentence make sense?

    "She couldn't have been not talking about it throughout the whole evening."

  2. #2
    bhaisahab's Avatar
    bhaisahab is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • England
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    16,159
    Teacher

    Default Re: couldn't have been not talking

    Quote Originally Posted by ostap77 View Post
    If I knew that my friend liked to blab about different things at a party, would the following sentence make sense?

    "She couldn't have been not talking about it throughout the whole evening."
    The meaning is clear enough, but it's a clumsy sentence.
    ostap77 likes this.

  3. #3
    ostap77 is offline Key Member
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Student or Learner
      • Native Language:
      • Ukrainian
      • Home Country:
      • Ukraine
      • Current Location:
      • Ukraine
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    3,030
    Threadstarter / Original Poster

    Default Re: couldn't have been not talking

    Quote Originally Posted by bhaisahab View Post
    The meaning is clear enough, but it's a clumsy sentence.
    How would you say that you're almost sure she was talking about it?

    "She can't have been not talking ............"

  4. #4
    bhaisahab's Avatar
    bhaisahab is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • English Teacher
      • Native Language:
      • British English
      • Home Country:
      • England
      • Current Location:
      • England
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    16,159
    Teacher

    Default Re: couldn't have been not talking

    Quote Originally Posted by ostap77 View Post
    How would you say that you're almost sure she was talking about it?

    "She can't have been not talking ............"
    "She can't have spent a whole evening without talking about it".
    ostap77 and 5jj like this.

  5. #5
    Barb_D's Avatar
    Barb_D is offline Moderator
    • Member Info
      • Member Type:
      • Other
      • Native Language:
      • American English
      • Home Country:
      • United States
      • Current Location:
      • United States
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    11,625

    Default Re: couldn't have been not talking

    Or get out of this multiple negative morass: I'm sure she must have talked about it at some point in the evening!
    bhaisahab, ostap77 and 5jj like this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

Similar Threads

  1. [Vocabulary] Talking of interchangeable with talking about?
    By LiuJing in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 24-Jun-2010, 15:11
  2. Look who's talking!
    By Daruma in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 28-Sep-2009, 07:13
  3. Only talking
    By Lyna77 in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-May-2006, 09:41
  4. Going to be talking
    By hancy in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 12-Apr-2006, 07:20
  5. his talking
    By Anonymous in forum Ask a Teacher
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-Feb-2004, 13:47

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0