Viceidol  +  483153 Fri, 29 Feb 08 01:02 PM Mary was home last night when we went to visit her. She may/might have been studying at the library. May I ask if I could use "could have been studying" instead of  "may/might have been studying"?   Thank you for your help! Viceidol Joined on Wed, Jul 11 2007 Taiwan Regular Member 540

	Marius Hancu  +  483157 Fri, 29 Feb 08 01:11 PM Many people would do that, but it just introduces confusion, so I wouldn't. may/might  shows that you, the reporter, thinks of that as  a possible event in the past (might is more doubtful) can/could  shows that  the  person  had  the  capability of doing it (was able to do) Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673

	Viceidol  +  483174 Fri, 29 Feb 08 01:32 PM Sorry, the original sentence should be "Mary wasn't...", not "was". Mary wasn't home last night when we went to visit her. She may/might have been studying at the library. Thank you for your answer, Marius Hancu. Viceidol

	Yankee  +  483187 Fri, 29 Feb 08 01:49 PM Hi Viceidol I had a feeling that the word 'not' had been omitted. If the first sentence states that 'Mary was not home', the second sentence makes more sense to me. Yes, you can say 'she could/may/might have been studying at the library' to suggest a possible reason that she was not at home. Yankee Joined on Sat, Apr 15 2006 Connecticut, USA Veteran Member 6,497 Amy "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain