She has forgotten how she could open the window. Vs She has forgotten how she can open the window?
In a sentence like this, which is correct or better ? could or can? Why? Thanks!
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It strikes me that I wouldn't say either. She's forgotten how to open the window. Or even the middle construction, she's forgotten how the window opens. "But she forgot how she can" sounds like a word-for-word translation from some other tongue. – RegDwigнt Oct 03 '19 at 12:48
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Thanks for you reply. I should have made it clearer. The point is about the tense. To make the point clearer, Let's take the sentence you said as a example: She has forgotten how the window opens vs She has forgotten how the window opened. Opens or opened, which is correct? – Jacob Liu Qingyuan Oct 03 '19 at 12:55
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The method of opening the window is the same now as it was in the past, so the present tense - how the window opens - is correct. – Kate Bunting Oct 03 '19 at 13:25