should've, would've, could've cases?

[newyear2012]

should've, would've, could've, are these exceptional cases where they refer to past with the 've ending?

[SoothingDave]

What do you mean by "exceptional cases"?

[emsr2d2]

should've, would've, could've, are these exceptional cases where they refer to past with the 've ending?

They are simply contractions of "should have", "would have" and "could have", which are all used the past tense.

I should have bought that dress when I saw it.
I should've bought that dress when I saw it.

He could have been a painter if he had practiced more.
He could've been a painter if he'd practiced more.

[newyear2012]

exceptional as in rare,unusual. yes i know 've is contraction.

what i was getting at was confirming whether should've, would've, could've are special cases that refer to past when you pair have in that pattern and specifically refer to past. you can say i have a cat and she has a boyfriend. the latter example set saids nothing about the past .

somebody else get what i was getting at?

[5jj]

exceptional as in rare,unusual. yes i know 've is contraction.

wWhat iI was getting at was confirming whether should've, would've, could've are special cases that refer to past when you pair have in that pattern and specifically refer to past. yYou can say iI have a cat and she has a boyfriend. the latter example set saidys nothing about the past .

sSomebody else get what iI was getting at?

The bare infinitive after a modal is used for an action or state that happens at the time of or after the obligation/certainty/ability/etc expressed by the modal:

You must/should be here by six tomorrow.
He has just bought another new car. He must be very well off.

When the perfect infinitive is used after a modal, obligation/certainty/ability/etc is expressed about a past situation:

He should have been there by six yesterday, but he forgot all about it.
She looks peaceful. She must have died in her sleep.

Please use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and for the pronoun I.