A.

EXPRESSING ABILITY
 The using of can and 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.
 CAN
Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:
 ask for or give permission  Talk about possibility and

 Make requests ability

STRUCTURE OF CAN

The basic structure for can is:

Auxiliary verb
subject + + Main verb
can

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

auxiliary verb
subject main verb
can

+ I can Play Tennis

Cannot
- She 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.

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.
 EXAMPLE OF CAN

 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

Auxiliary verb
Subject + + Main verb
could

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

auxiliary verb
subject main verb
could

+ Could Swim.
My grandmother

Could not
- She 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.
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 My grandmother couldn't speak

+
Spanish. Spanish.

A man fell into the river

My grandmother couldn't speak
- yesterday. The
Spanish.
police couldn't save him.
 COULD FOR REQUEST

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

Main verb adjective to-infinitive

Subject able
be
+ I am Able To drive.
- She Is not Able To drive.
Isnt’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.

 The Using of Very and Too

 The Using of Very
Very is adverb which means 'very' and has the function to emphasize adjectives
or adverbs in sentences.
STRUCTURE OF VERY

very + Adjective/adverb

EXAMPLE
 He is very handsome
 She walks very slowly
 The Using of Too
Adverbs are used before adjective or adverb which means 'something is too
much'.
STRUCTURE OF TOO

too + Adjective/adverb