I have to write an essay for my english class and I wanted to start it with a question: ” Could you imagine yourself being trapped on a cage your entire life? “. But now I don’t know whether i should use Could or Can
Answer
The verbal modalities ‘could’ and ‘can’ are structures which can signify variable degrees of conditionality.
‘Could’, if being employed in a conditional clause such as ‘If I could purchase a centrifuge, then I would study more botany’, suggests improbability or impossibility.
However, in a purely indicative mood, it is ‘used to indicate possibility’. Conversely, can applies a more definite signification: ‘have the opportunity or possibility’.
Thus, using the second conditional ‘could’ in your interrogative, ‘could you imagine’ is preferred. It is critical to note that if your gerund phrase, ‘being trapped on a cage your entire life’ were more plausible (an issue for epistemology) like ‘dreaming the night before’, ‘can’ may be used.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : LuInYourArea , Answer Author : Epistemonaut
