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Findaway Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Can or could

Am I using 'can' and 'could' right here:
Emotional abuse can result in low self-esteem. Therefore, a child may become quiet and find it difficult to make friends, which could lead to truanting.
Or is 1 or 2 better?
1. Emotional abuse could result in low self-esteem. Therefore, a child may become quiet and find it difficult to make friends, which could lead to truanting.
2. Emotional abuse can result in low self-esteem. Therefore, a child may become quiet and find it difficult to make friends, which can lead to truanting.
  

Top answer

Emotional abuse can / could result in low self-esteem. Therefore, a child may become quiet and find it difficult to make friends, which can / could lead to truanting. ; "He couldn't have been there at the time".

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1 Answers
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Emotional abuse can / could result in low self-esteem. Therefore, a child may become quiet and find it difficult to make friends, which can / could lead to truanting.

"Could" is the preterite form of "can" and is typically used to express possibility with past time meaning, as in "You could have been killed"!; "He couldn't have been there at the time".

But preterite "could"