Timeline for "can" or "could"- general possibility
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Oct 23, 2023 at 19:12 | history | edited | gotube♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Changed back to the meaning I intended
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| Oct 23, 2023 at 10:48 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | This is the right answer. The two may be close in this particular example, but they do not mean the same thing, and I would expect a native speaker to be able to pick up on the difference. In addition to not implying any authoritative knowledge, could also entails less certainty: it is possible that, in theory, an eye disorder will be the outcome; but in practice, it’s at least equally possible that it won’t. With can, the possibility is considered real and tangible, both hypothetically and in practice. | |
| Oct 23, 2023 at 7:34 | history | edited | Mari-Lou A | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added a missing apostrophe
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| Oct 23, 2023 at 5:42 | history | answered | gotube♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |