【问】 (a) I could have lent you the money.
 (b) She could not have been more than sixteen.
 请问这两个句子中的could+动词完成体不定式具有什么含义?
 【答】 在陈述语气里，could+动词完成体不定式常常用来表达下面两种含义：
 A.表示某事在过去本有可能发生，但事实上并未发生。在这一基本含义下，可用于表示埋怨或训斥：
 1. I could have lent you the money. Why didn’t you ask me?
 我本来可以把钱借给你的。你为什么没有向我借呢?
 2. Then perhaps we could have smoothed things down in a reasonable fashion. (Snow)
 那时也许我们能用合理的方式把事情处理好。
 3. You needn't have cooked it. We could have eaten it raw. (PEG)
 你本不必去煮熟它，我们原可以生吃的。
 4. We could have borrowed the money.
 我们本来可以借这笔钱的。(事实上我们并没有借)。
 5. We could have started a little earlier. (Mis)
 我们本可以早点儿动身的。
 6. You could have helped me!
 你本来能够帮帮我的嘛!
 7. You could have warned me she was coming.
 你本应该告诉我她要来的。
 B.表示对过去可能发生的事件的一种推测：
 1. She could not have been more than sixteen，since she still wore her long fair hair in aplait. (Maugham)
 她那时不可能超过16岁，因为她仍然梳着一条长长的金黄色的辫子。
 2. We could not have heard them because of the noise from the river. (Hemingway)由于河水的声音我们当时不可能听到他们的谈话。
 3. She could have gone off with some friends. (PEU)
 她可能跟几个朋友出去了。
 could+have done在虚拟语气中的用法，见subjunctive mood。