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    Can, Could, Able To

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    Ana Karem Kashmir Delgado
    Can, could, and be able to are used to talk about ability and possibility. Can is used for present ability and possibility. Could is used for past ability and possibility. Be able to is not a modal verb but is used similarly to can and could to talk about ability across all tenses. Both can and could are also used to make requests in an informal way.

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    Can, Could, Able To

    Uploaded by

    Ana Karem Kashmir Delgado
    122 views8 pages
    Can, could, and be able to are used to talk about ability and possibility. Can is used for present ability and possibility. Could is used for past ability and possibility. Be able to is not a modal verb but is used similarly to can and could to talk about ability across all tenses. Both can and could are also used to make requests in an informal way.

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    modal verbs

    Original Title

    Can,Could,Able To

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    Can, could, and be able to are used to talk about ability and possibility. Can is used for present ability and possibility. Could is used for past ability and possibility. Be able to is not a modal verb but is used similarly to can and could to talk about ability across all tenses. Both can and could are also used to make requests in an informal way.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    122 views8 pages

    Can, Could, Able To

    Uploaded by

    Ana Karem Kashmir Delgado
    Can, could, and be able to are used to talk about ability and possibility. Can is used for present ability and possibility. Could is used for past ability and possibility. Be able to is not a modal verb but is used similarly to can and could to talk about ability across all tenses. Both can and could are also used to make requests in an informal way.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 8

    can, could, be able to

    Can and could are modal auxiliary verbs. Be able to is NOT an auxiliary
    verb (it uses the verb be as a main verb). We include be able to here for
    convenience.

    1.can
    Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

    talk about possibility and ability

    make requests

    ask for or give permission

    Structure of can
    The basic structure for can is:

    subject

    auxiliary verb
    can

    main verb

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).

    subject

    auxiliary verb
    can

    main verb

    can

    play

    tennis.

    He

    cannot

    play

    tennis.

    can't

    subject

    auxiliary verb
    can

    main verb

    Can

    you

    play

    tennis?

    Notice that:

    Can is invariable. There is only one form: can

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to). We cannot
    say: I can to play tennis.

    Use of can
    can for possibility and ability
    We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:

    She can drive a car.

    John can speak Spanish.

    I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.)

    Can you hear me?

    Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we
    make present decisions about future ability.
    A. Can you help me with my homework? (present)
    B. Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)
    can games for present ability
    can for requests and orders
    We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is
    not a real question - we do not really want to know if the person is able to

    do something, we want them to do it! The use of can in this way is informal
    (mainly between friends and family):

    Can you make a cup of coffee, please.

    Can you put the TV on.

    Can you come here a minute.

    Can you be quiet!

    can for permission


    We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

    A. Can I smoke in this room?


    B. You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.
    (Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use
    of can for permission is informal.)
    can/could/may games for present permission

    2.could
    Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

    talk about past possibility or ability

    make requests

    Structure of could
    subject

    auxiliary verb
    could

    main verb

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).

    subject

    auxiliary verb
    could

    main verb

    My grandmother

    could

    swim.

    She

    could not

    walk.

    couldn't

    Could

    Notice that:

    your grandmother

    swim?

    Could is invariable. There is only one form: could

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

    The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to). We cannot
    say: I could to play tennis.

    Use of could
    could for past possibility or ability
    We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were
    able or free to do:

    I could swim when I was 5 years old.

    My grandmother could speak seven languages.

    When we arrived home, we could not open the door.


    (...couldn't open the door.)

    Could you understand what he was saying?

    We use I (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the past.
    But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able
    to (positive) and couldn't (negative). Look at these examples:

    past

    general

    specific occasion

    My grandmother could speak


    Spanish.

    A man fell into the river yesterday.


    The police were ableto save him.

    My
    grandmother couldn't speak
    Spanish.

    A man fell into the river yesterday.


    The police couldn'tsave him.

    could games for past ability

    could for requests


    We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The
    use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):

    Could you tell me where the bank is, please?

    Could you send me a catalogue, please?

    3.be able to
    Although we look at be able to here, it is not a modal verb. It is simply
    the verb be plus an adjective (able) followed by the infinitive. We look
    at be able to here because we sometimes use it instead ofcan and could.
    We use be able to:

    to talk about ability

    Structure of be able to
    The basic structure for be able to is:

    subject

    be

    able

    to-infinitive

    subject

    main verb
    be

    adjective
    able

    to-infinitive

    am

    able

    to drive.

    She

    is not

    able

    to drive.

    able

    to drive?

    isn't

    Are

    you

    Notice that be able to is possible in all tenses, for example:

    I was able to drive...

    I will be able to drive...

    I have been able to drive...

    Notice too that be able to has an infinitive form:

    I would like to be able to speak Chinese.

    Use of be able to
    Be able to is NOT a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for
    convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could",
    which are modal auxiliary verbs.
    be able to for ability
    We use be able to to express ability. "Able" is an adjective meaning:
    having the power, skill or means to do something. If we say "I am able
    to swim", it is like saying "I can swim". We sometimes use be able
    to instead of "can" or "could" for ability. Be able to is possible in all tenses
    - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the
    past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we
    use be able to when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive. Look at
    these examples:

    I have been able to swim since I was five. (present perfect)

    You will be able to speak perfect English very soon. (future simple)

    I would like to be able to fly an airplane. (infinitive)

    https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modals_can_quiz.htm

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