Could have variations

Cornie   Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:20 pm GMT
Here is my little analysis about the sentence "HE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR." Feel free to comment whether I am wrong or not.

1.
I JUST MET THIS GUY IN THE HOSPITAL. HE WAS TALL, HANDSOME, AND KIND. BESIDES, HE WAS WEARING A DOCTOR'S ROBE. HE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR. WHAT DO YOU THINK MY CHANCES ARE?

It meas he was probably a doctor judging from his appearance. There lies a great possibility that he was a doctor for sure.

2.
LAST TIME I CHECKED, HE WAS A HOBO IN PARIS. I SO TOTALLY COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT. HE WAS SO SMART, IF HE HADN'T BEEN WITH JENNY, IF HE HAD GONE TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, HE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR INSTEAD.

It means he is now a hobo. He didn't go to medical school; instead, he chose to lead a Bohemia life. He was never a doctor.

3.
I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN AGES. I REMEMBER HE WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL RIGHT? AND HE WAS SO SMART. HE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR NOW. I AM PRETTY POSITIVE ABOUT THAT.

It means he was very smart and went to medical school. So, he is probably now a doctor.

What do you think about my analysis? I am sort of not sure about No.3. Feel free to comment
Caspian   Sat Jan 03, 2009 8:19 pm GMT
The first two are correct, the third one doesn't make sense in this tense. You'd have to say 'He could be a doctor now / by now'.

Here's another one:

THAT PLUMBER KNEW LOADS ABOUT MEDICINE, HE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOCTOR IN THE PAST.

This means that even though he isn't now, the man was perhaps a doctor in the past.
Caspian   Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:20 pm GMT
Lazar, you're taking a long time to disagree..
Lazar   Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:23 pm GMT
Surprisingly, I completely agree with Caspian's analysis.

<<Lazar, you're taking a long time to disagree..>>

In related news, /ʍ/ is nearly extinct in England, no dialects anywhere use [n] in "blank", and you haven't provided a single shred of evidence to the contrary.
Caspian   Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:19 pm GMT
Well, I can honestly say that I have encountered people who use /ʍ/, and that I honestly thought that /n/ was used. Regarding the /n/, however, it does seem that it sounds rather strange to use it. The /ʍ/, however, may be rare, but is still used.

Perhaps English isn't my strong point..
Lazar   Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:32 pm GMT
<<The /ʍ/, however, may be rare, but is still used.>>

Yeah, from what I've read, there are still some people in England that use it (even if there aren't so many of them). It's also predominant in Scottish English.
Caspian   Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:35 pm GMT
I think it's used more by people who try to imitate RP than actual speakers themselves.

Just out of curiosity, what languages do you speak? Just wondering.
Lazar   Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:50 pm GMT
<<Just out of curiosity, what languages do you speak? Just wondering.>>

I speak English natively (I'm from Massachusetts), I'm proficient in Spanish, and I'm attempting to learn French, Italian and German.