Could Have vs Would Have
Could have and would have are two expressions that are very often confused by many and, to use them correctly, one should understand the difference between them clearly. Could have and would have differ from each other in terms of their meanings and applications. Could have is an expression that is used to describe or express a possibility of something happening. On the other hand, the word would have is an expression used to describe or express the certainty of an event or a happening. In short, it can be said that the word could have suggests possibility, whereas the word would have suggests certainty. This is the important difference between the two words. It is not correct to interchange the application of the words, namely, could have and would have for that matter.
What does Could Have mean?
Could have is an expression that is used to describe or express a possibility of something happening. This means when you use could have in a sentence, you are implying that there existed a possibility of something happening, but it did not. You have to understand that when we say there was the possibility of something happening, the possibility of things not going down the way we want was also there. We use could have to talk about the past. When we are talking about the past using could have, we are making a reference to things people could have done in the past but they did not or were not successful in doing. Observe the two sentences.
If he had wanted, Francis could have done it with ease.
If Angela had left home early, she could have reached the place last night.
Since we are speaking about things in the past that we could have done if we acted in a certain way, we use a conditional tense with could have. As you can see in the above example, the first part of the sentence with the if clause is using past perfect tense. In the meantime, the second part of the sentence uses could have with the past participle of the verb. So, the first sentence tells that if Francis had wanted he could have done something with ease. The part ‘if Francis had wanted’ implies that there was the possibility of doing a certain task, but Francis did not. So, the task was not done. However, this only indicates that there was a possibility. There was also the possibility of not being able to do it with ease. In the second sentence, Angela could have reached a destination last night. But, she did not because she had not left her home early. Again, the possibility of reaching the destination in the night before was there but Angela did not succeed in doing so. That was because there was also the possibility of not being able to reach the destination even if she went early.
‘If he had wanted, Francis could have done it with ease’
What does Would Have mean?
The expression would have is used to describe or express the certainty of an event or a happening. When we use would have in a phrase, we are indicating that if a certain action happened certainly, then this outcome would have taken place. Just like in could have, we use would have with the past tense. Observe the two sentences.
If he had wanted, Francis would have done it with ease.
If Angela had left home early, she would have reached the place last night.
If you look at these sentences closely, you will see that by the use of would have, the sentences have gained a different meaning. With the use of would have, a certainty to the events is given. So, in the first sentence, the meaning becomes, if Francis had really wanted he would have done whatever task it was with ease. There is absolute certainty that he would have succeeded if he had wanted. In the second sentence, if Angela had left home early, she would have definitely reached the place last night. There is again certainty.
‘If Angela had left home early, she would have reached the place last night’
What is the difference between Could Have and Would Have?
• When to Use:
• Could have is an expression used to describe or express a possibility of something happening.
• Would have is an expression used to describe or express the certainty of an event or a happening.
• Tense:
• Could have is used to describe past actions.
• Would have is also used to describe past actions.
• Criticism:
• Could have carries a tone of criticism with it.
• Would have carries a tone of desire with it.
• Events:
• Could have is used with regard to events that did not happen.
• Would have is also used with regard to events that did not happen.
Images Courtesy:
- Broken chair by Patrick Hawks (CC BY 2.0)
- Driving via Pixabay (Public Domain)