NANSENSE

Should have Would have Could have

The English language allows us to use the Modals like should,could, would and when these modals are combined with ‘have’ then there is perhaps more specificity and meaning to our language.

Should have

I use ‘should have’ when i want to describe past events that did not happen but should have happened. For Example; You should have taken your raincoat if you did not want to get wet.

Would have

I find the usage of the word similar to ‘should have’ but then the event in this case is more unreal or unlikely. In addition; the usage of the word ‘if’ may qualify the sentence. For Example; if he had taken the raincoat then he would have stayed dry.

Could have

I find the usage of the words ‘could have’ similar to ‘should have’ and ‘would have’ but I find ‘could have’ to be more polite and softer than the other two. For Example; if he had worked out harder during the trials then he could have completed the finals.

You may want to differentiate among the usage of modals but your final choice may depend upon the level of soft skills you require to accomplish your task at hand.

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