English Language & Usage Asked by Samee Ul Haq on May 24, 2021
Which seems more grammatically sound and emphatic?
I could swear there was a motel room here.
or
I can swear there was a motel room here.
‘Can’ seems to me to talk about an ability to do something.
‘Could’ seems to give an impression of something made attestable.
Both are correct grammatically (ngram). The second one is a factual statement that is not usually associated with surprise, puzzlement, wonderment and feelings of certitude and this can be verified in the ngram, whereas this is true for the first in almost all cases; that contributes much to making this latter the proper one to communicate these feelings emphatically.
Answered by LPH on May 24, 2021
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