All and whole are determiners.

We use them before nouns and with other determiners to refer to a total number
or complete set of things in a group.
Compare
All the cast had food poisoning. They were forced to cancel
the show. all + determiner + noun

The whole cast had food poisoning. They were forced to determiner + whole +
cancel the show. noun

All my family lives abroad. or My whole family lives abroad.

We often use all and the whole with of the:
She complains all of the time. or She complains the whole of the time.
We use a/an with whole but not with all:
I spent a whole day looking for that book and eventually found it in a little old
bookshop on the edge of town.
Not: … all a day …

All or whole for single entities

We use the whole or the whole of to refer to complete single things and events that
are countable and defined:
The whole performance was disappointing from start to finish. (or The whole of
the performance was disappointing …)
When we can split up a thing into parts, we can use either whole or all with the
same meaning:
You don’t have to pay the whole (of the) bill at once.
You don’t have to pay all (of) the bill at once.
She ate the whole orange.
She ate all of the orange.
We often use the whole of with periods of time to emphasise duration:
We spent the whole (of the) summer at the beach.
 All the with uncountable nouns
We use all the and not the whole with uncountable nouns:
She was given all the advice she needed.
Not: She was given the whole advice …
All the equipment is supplied.

All and whole with plural nouns

We usually use all the and all of the with plural nouns:
It’s funny when all the actors come in dressed up in their costumes.
She opens all the cupboard doors and doesn’t close them after her.
You have to try all of the activities.
When we use whole with plural nouns, it means ‘complete’ or ‘entire’.
Compare
Whole families normally shared one room in the nineteenth
century. entire families

All families normally shared one bedroom in the nineteenth each and every
century. family

All and whole: typical errors

 We don’t use all before a and an:
She ate a whole bar of chocolate in one go.
Not: She ate all a bar …
 We can’t omit the before whole with a singular noun:
We travelled throughout the whole country.
Not: … throughout whole country.
 Be about to
Be about to is used to talk about things which are going to happen very soon:
I’m about to eat. Can I phone you back?
It is often used with just:
We’re just about to set off for a walk. Do you want to come?
When used in the past, be about to can refer to things that were going to happen
but didn’t:
I was about to complain but he came over and apologised.
We don’t use be about to with time expressions:
I was about to call you.
Not: I was about to call you in ten minutes.
See also:
 Be about to

Be able to
Abilities

Be able to is like can. We use it to talk about abilities. We often use it in places
where it is not possible to use can. For example, it isn’t possible to use can after
another modal verb:
She won’t be able to concentrate.
Not: She won’t can concentrate.
He should be able to work in a team.
Not: He should can work in a team.
Be able to is a more formal alternative to can:
I am very sorry but I am not able to give you that information. (or, less formal: I
cannot give you that information.)

Past achievement: could or was/were able to?

We usually use was/were able to, not could to talk about past achievements in
affirmative clauses. This is because they are facts, rather than possibilities:
Only one person was able to beat the record.
 Not: Only one person could beat the record.
We use couldn’t or, more formally, wasn’t/weren’t able to in negative clauses:
We weren’t able to finish the marathon in under four
hours. (or We couldn’t finish the marathon …)
See also:
 Can
 Could

Be due to
Be due to is used to talk about things that are expected or planned to happen at a
certain time. We often use it with a time expression:
Are you due to hand in homework today?
The train is due to arrive at Glasgow Central at 12:12.

Be likely to
Be likely to is used to talk about how probable things are:
Are parents who have a lot of money likely to spoil their children?
It is often used to make comparisons with words like more and less:
I think men are more likely to spend a lot of money on food than women are.
A:

I liked Budapest as well.

B:

Yeah. I’m probably less likely to go back there than to Prague.

We also use it’s likely followed by that + clause:
It’s likely that sales will rise.
We form the negative of be likely to and be likely that either with not or
with unlikely. Unlikely is more formal:
The company is not likely to make a profit in the second half of the year.
People are unlikely to listen to him now because they know he lied.

Be meant to
Be meant to is used to talk about what is desirable, expected or intended:
A:

It looks green to me.

B:

Oh, is it meant to be a different colour?

It was meant to be like a quiz and we were all in different teams and there was
meant to be a fantastic prize.

Be supposed to
Be supposed to is used to talk about obligations and arrangements:
Where were you? You were supposed to be at the party!
You’re supposed to have an hour for lunch. That’s the law.
It’s also used to talk about people’s expectations or beliefs about something:
[talking about some medicine]
A:

Take some of this.

B:

What’s it supposed to do? (What does it do to you?)

And then I’m gonna get a train over to Brussels which takes all day as well. It’s
supposed to be a nice route with forests and mountains and
things. (gonna represents ‘going to’, as it is pronounced in informal speaking.)
Be able to
Be able to has a similar meaning to can (or could in the past):
I'm not able to move my leg = I can't move my leg.
However, can is mainly used to express capabilities or aptitudes acquired with time,
while be able to refers to temporary or precise abilities or inabilities:
He can't swim, he has never learned how.
He's not able to swim, the swimming pool is closed today.
Be able to also allows us to express can in different tenses in the past and the future:
I was able to get to the meeting on time, despite the fact that the metro was late.
You'll be able to use your arm by the end of the month.

Recommended level: low intermediate

 Quick reference
 Can is used for present ability and possibility ("I can dance." / "I'm sorry, but I can't
help you.")
 Can is informally used for offers and requests ("Can I help you?" / "Can I make a
suggestion?")
 Could is used for past ability and possibility ("We couldn't finish the project on
time." / "She could read when she was three years old.")
 Could is neutrally used for offers and requests ("Could you open the door for me,
please?")
 Be able to is used for present, past, and future ability and possibility ("Are you able
to swim?" / "Were you able to swim?" / "Will you be able to swim?")
 Be able to is also used to discuss the success or failure of an action ("We weren't
able to find the book you wanted.")
 Be able to can be used with other verbs, including modals ("She should be able to
attend the conference." / "I want to be able to play the flute.")

We use can, could, and be able to to talk about ability and possibility.

CAN
Can is used to talk about present--or general--abilities and possibilities. You
can use it to talk about abilities, skills, or talents, and you can use it to talk about
what is possible to do. For example:

"Serge can play the piano." (This means he has the ability to do this. It is one of his
talents or skills.)

"I can call you later." (This means I have the ability to do this. This is possible and
not a problem for me.)

"My mom can sing very well." (This means my mom is a good singer.)

"We can park in front of the school." (This means it is possible for us to park in
front of the school. We have the ability to do this, and we will not receive a parking
ticket from the police for doing this.)
The negative of can is can't or cannot. Can't is more common than cannot in
spoken English, but both can be used. For example:

"I can't do this." (I do not have the ability to do this. It is not possible for me.)

"He cannot ride a bike." (He does not know how to ride a bike. This is not one of
his skills.)

"You can't enter the club without ID." (It is not possible to enter the club without ID.
You will not be able to enter the club without ID if you try to do this.)

"Barbara is sick and can't go to work today." (Barbara does not have the ability to
go to work today. It is not possible for her because she is sick.)

Can't and cannot are also used in some exaggerated idiomatic sentences. For
example:
"I can't believe this." (You can say this if an event or news story shocks you, or if
something is difficult for you to believe.)

"We can't wait to see you." (This means "We are very excited to see you, and we
want to see you soon.")

You can also use can to make offers and requests. Can is considered informal
when you use it in this way. Look at the examples:
"Can I help you with something?" (I am asking if it is possible for me to help you
with something. I am offering to help you.)

"Can I go home? I don't feel good." (I am asking if it is possible for me to go home.

I am requesting to go home.)

"Can we finish early today?" (I am asking if it is possible for us to finish early. I am

requesting to finish early.)

"Can I get you a coffee?" (I am asking if it is possible for me to get you a coffee. I
am offering to get you one.)

As you can see, you can use can to ask for things or to offer to do something.

Can Structures:
Affirmative: Subject + can + bare infinitive ("She can sing.")

Negative: Subject + can't/cannot + bare infinitive ("I can't finish my homework

today.")

Yes/No Question: Can/Can't + subject + bare infinitive ("Can you help me?")

Wh- Question: Wh- + can/can't + subject + bare infinitive ("Why can't you attend
the meeting?")

Practice: Complete the request:

"Can I...?"
Example answers: "Can I have a cookie?" "Can I sit in the front seat?" (Context:
the front seat of a car)

COULD
Could is the past of can, and it can do everything that can can do. It has several
other more advanced functions in English too, but to stay focused, we will not
address those uses here.

Could is used to talk about past abilities and possibilities. You use it to talk
about what abilities, skills, or talents you had or developed in the past, and what
was possible for you to do in the past. For example:

"I could read when I was three years old." (This means I had the ability to read
when I was three years old.)

"She could dance really well." (This means she had a talent for dancing. She had
the ability to dance well.)

"Could you go outside by yourself when you were a kid?" (This is asking if it was
possible for you to go outside alone when you were a kid. Did your parents give
you the ability to do this?)

"At my old job, we could wear headphones and listen to music while we worked."
(This means it was possible for employees to wear headphones and listen to
music.)

"I couldn't open the door, so I went into the house through the window." (This
means I did not have the ability to open the door. I tried to open it by force, but it
did not open for me.)
The negative of could is could not or couldn't, as you just saw above.
Couldn't is more common in spoken English. If you couldn't do something in the
past, it was not possible and/or you did not have the ability to do it. Note the
examples:

"I couldn't read until I was nine years old." (I did not have the ability to read until I
was nine years old.)

"He couldn't swim well when he was a kid." (He did not have the physical ability to
swim well when he was a child. Or maybe he never learned how to swim well.)

"We couldn't afford to buy a house ten years ago." (It was not possible for us to
buy a house ten years ago. We did not have the money for it, so we did not have
the ability to buy it.)

"She couldn't work for six months after her accident." (It was not possible for her to
work. She did not have the ability to do it because of her accident.)

Just like can, you can also use could to make offers and requests. Could is a
more neutral word in these cases. Note the examples:

"Could you hold the door for me, please?" (I am asking you to hold the door for
me.)

"Could I offer you a ride to the train station?" (You are offering to drive someone to
the train station.)
"Could you move over a little bit, please?" (I am asking you to move to the side a
little bit. Perhaps I want to sit beside you, or you are blocking my view of
something.)

"Could I have another chance?" (I am asking for another opportunity to do

something.)

Remember, could is a neutral word in these situations, while can is slightly more
informal. Also, could has a present meaning in all of these examples. It is perfectly
normal to use it in present contexts when you are asking for something or offering
something. All of the examples above refer to the present, not the past.

Could Structures:
Affirmative: Subject + could + bare infinitive ("He could sing the alphabet.")

Negative: Subject + couldn't/could not + bare infinitive ("The car couldn't move.")

Yes/No Question: Could/Could + subject + bare infinitive ("Could you do what you
wanted?")

Wh- Question: Wh- + could/couldn't + subject + bare infinitive ("What could you
see?")

Practice: What could you do by the time you were 10 years old? What couldn't you
do?
Start: "By the time I was 10 years old, I could...However, I couldn't..."
BE ABLE TO
Be able to is special because it is used to talk about ability and possibility,
but it can be used to refer to the past, present, or future. It is also used to talk
about succeeding in or failing to do something. In regard to ability and
possibility, can is only used in the present, could is only used in the past, but be
able to is much more versatile. Let's look at all of the possibilities for be able to
(remember, you must conjugate the be in be able to to match its subject):

Present simple: "I'm able to swim." (This means I have the ability to swim. You can
also just say "I can swim.")

Present perfect: "I've been able to contact our client." (This means I have
succeeded in contacting our client. I attempted the action and was successful.)

Past simple: "We were able to clean up the house in 30 minutes." (This means we
succeeded in cleaning up the house in 30 minutes. This is what our abilities
allowed us to do.)

Past perfect: "We had been able to find a cheap plane ticket." (This means we had
succeeded in finding a cheap plane ticket.)

Future simple: "After she finishes this program, she will be able to get a job as an
accountant." (This means it will be possible for her to get a job as an accountant.)

Future perfect: "By 12 o'clock, we will have been able to fix the problem." (This
means the problem will be fixed by 12 o'clock. We will have succeeded in fixing it
by that time.)

The negative of be able to is be not able to (for present and past tenses) or
not be able to (for future tenses). Here are some examples:
"Sorry, but I won't be able to finish the project today." (It will not be possible for me
to finish the project today. I will not have the ability to finish it.)

"She is not able to attend the meeting." (It is not possible for her to attend the
meeting. She does not have the ability to attend it.)

"They weren't able to help us." (This means it was not possible for them to help us,
or they tried to help us, but they were not successful in doing what needed to be
done.)

"I haven't been able to contact Mark all morning." (I have tried contacting Mark all
morning, but he has not responded to my calls and/or messages.)

Be able to is also often used with other verbs (for example, "I want to be able
to dance!"), and modal verbs. We have already seen this with the modal verb will
above, but be able to can also be used with should, might, may, and would, as well
as the semi-modal phrases have to and ought to. After a modal verb, be able to
keeps its form and is not conjugated. This is a little more advanced than the uses
above, but it is important and relevant to this discussion. Note the examples:

"If you work hard, you should be able to finish this task in under an hour."

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't be able to help you in that situation."

"You might be able to find a better price online."

"She may be able to help you tomorrow."

"To work here, you have to be able to talk to people."

"Try calling Max's store. He ought to be able to offer you a better deal than this
one."

If this feels like a lot of information, don't worry. With some regular practice and
exposure, you will be able to use be able to with confidence.

Be able to Simple Structures:

Affirmative: Subject + be able to + bare infinitive ("He is able to hire and fire
people.")

Negative: Subject + be not able to + bare infinitive ("I'm not able to move.")

Yes/No Question: Be + subject + able to + bare infinitive ("Are you able to hear
me?")

Wh- Question: Wh- + be + subject + able to + bare infinitive ("What are we able to
do?")

Practice: What is something you would like to be able to do in the future?

Start: "In the future, I would like to be able to.