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01-Apr-2008, 21:38
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Country: .
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| |  "could well have"
"We have not done what we could well have done..."
Hi,
I have found many entries on the Internet for the expression in bold. Is it an authentic English construction? I think I understand what the idea behind "well" is, but I would like to hear an explanation from the natives.
thanks. |
01-Apr-2008, 22:22
| | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Country: Brazil
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| | Re: "could well have"
Hmm, I am not a native, just a student.
I'd say:
We have not done what we could have done.
Last edited by marciobarbalho; 01-Apr-2008 at 22:29.
|
01-Apr-2008, 22:24
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Country: USA
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| | Re: "could well have"
"We have not done what we could well have done..."
You are apt to see these variances in the US -
We have not done all that we could have . . .
We have not done what we are capable of doing . . .
We have not done to the best of our ability.
We didn't do all that we could. |
02-Apr-2008, 00:19
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
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| | Re: "could well have"
Quote:
Originally Posted by jctgf  "We have not done what we could well have done..."
Hi,
I have found many entries on the Internet for the expression in bold. Is it an authentic English construction? I think I understand what the idea behind "well" is, but I would like to hear an explanation from the natives.
thanks. | Yes, it's alive and doing well in English, JC. Modals cover a a fairly wide range for expressing levels of certainty. 'well' is normally added to the modals that express greater doubt to give them greater strength.
Levels of certainty
26 to 50% may
1 to 25% might
To place a 'might' or a 'may' at the high end of their ranges, we use 'well'
He might well come to the party.
Knowing him, he may well have bought the wrong stuff.
Results 1 - 10 of about 9,750,000 English pages for "could well".
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,420,000 English pages for "may well".
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,360,000 English pages for "might well". | | The Following User Says Thank You to riverkid For This Useful Post: | |
02-Apr-2008, 01:07
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Country: USA
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| | Re: "could well have"
"He might well come to the party."
I doubt if you would hear this in the US - except in some tea room in New Hamphire, attended by women over 65. |
02-Apr-2008, 01:18
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| | Re: "could well have"
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverkid Yes, it's alive and doing well in English, JC. Modals cover a a fairly wide range for expressing levels of certainty. 'well' is normally added to the modals that express greater doubt to give them greater strength.
Levels of certainty
26 to 50% may
1 to 25% might
To place a 'might' or a 'may' at the high end of their ranges, we use 'well'
He might well come to the party.
Knowing him, he may well have bought the wrong stuff.
Results 1 - 10 of about 9,750,000 English pages for "could well".
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,420,000 English pages for "may well".
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,360,000 English pages for "might well". | hi,
interestingly, the idea is just the same as in my language.
i wonder how two so different languages sometimes can be so alike.
thanks again. |
02-Apr-2008, 02:29
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
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| | Re: "could well have"
Quote:
Originally Posted by susiedqq "He might well come to the party."
I doubt if you would hear this in the US - except in some tea room in New Hamphire, attended by women over 65. | Admittedly, not the best of examples, yet we can't deny that 'might well' is frequently used collocation.
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,360,000 English pages for "might well". | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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