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"I did all I can" VS. "I did all I could"
Is there any difference between those two?
Feb 21, 2019 7:17 PM
Answers · 9
1
If talking about the past - I did all I could.
If talking about the past leading continuously up to and including the present - I have done all I can. This suggests that there may be more that could be done (by someone else) about a situation, but you can do no more.
February 21, 2019
1
Yes, since you are talking about the past. "I did all I could" makes more sense.
February 21, 2019
@A*P Thank you. I think I get the sense of it...
February 21, 2019
I did all I can, is correct but makes no great sense -- it refers to the skills I *always* have: but what's the point to pretend such skills that proved terribly insufficient... are we kidding? That's why "I did all that I could" is almost an idiomatic expression -- because there's simply no other way to say it.
February 21, 2019
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dolco
Language Skills
English, Korean
Learning Language
English
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