Scribd
Upload
2 views

can

The document explains the usage of the modal auxiliary verbs 'can' and 'could', as well as the phrase 'be able to'. 'Can' is used for present ability, requests, and permission, while 'could' refers to past ability and is often used for polite requests. 'Be able to' is not a modal verb but is included for its ability to express capability across different tenses.

Uploaded by

Englishlife
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
2 views

can

The document explains the usage of the modal auxiliary verbs 'can' and 'could', as well as the phrase 'be able to'. 'Can' is used for present ability, requests, and permission, while 'could' refers to past ability and is often used for polite requests. 'Be able to' is not a modal verb but is included for its ability to express capability across different tenses.

Uploaded by

Englishlife
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

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.

In this lesson we look at can, could and be able to, followed by a quiz to check
your understanding.

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 + main verb


can

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

subject auxiliary verb main verb


can

+ I can play tennis.


subject auxiliary verb main verb
can

- He cannot play tennis.

can't

? 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 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.)

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 + main verb
could

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

subject auxiliary verb main verb


could

+ My grandmother could swim.

- She could not walk.

couldn't

? Could your grandmother swim?

Notice that:

• 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 able to save
him.

- My grandmother couldn't speak A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't save him.
Spanish.

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?


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 of can 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 adjective to-infinitive


be able

+ I am able to drive.

- She is not able to drive.

isn't

? Are you able to drive?

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)

You might also like