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Xiaoman
How to use "would have been" what does it mean?
Nov 2, 2012 7:27 AM
Answers · 2
1
I'll try to explain...It's Future Perfect in the Past.
It is mainly used in subordinate clauses. It means an action that will be finished by a certain moment in the future. But the point is that the main clause (statement itself) already relates to the past.
For example: "He said that the article would have been translated by 6 o’clock" vs "He says that the article will be translated by 6 o'clock"
November 2, 2012
''Would have been'' is used to re-imagine the past. In reality, you're saying this did not happen at all. (Or at the very least, you're not sure.)
''I was in the school basketball team.'' This is a past event, and a fact.
''I would have been in the school basketball team (if I hadn't broken my leg that year).'' You're just imagining it; it never happened. You'll see this pattern used in Third Conditional.
November 2, 2012
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Xiaoman
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese), English, Japanese
Learning Language
English, Japanese
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