1) Present ability:
For general present ability, we use can or be (is/am/are) able to
Can (informal) eg) She can speak English. eg) She can’t speak English. eg) Can she speak English? eg) Can’t she speak English? | Be able to (formal) eg) She is able to speak English. eg) She isn’t able to speak English. eg) Is she able to speak English? eg) Isn’t she able to speak English? |
eg) I can speak many languages.
eg) The child can’t sleep in such a noisy environment.
eg) Can you solve this question without calculator?
eg) Can’t you ride a horse?
eg) Why can’t you drive the car?
eg) Who can beat him?
eg) How many songs can you sing?
eg) How much pain can you bear/tolerate/endure?
eg) I can’t make you cry.
eg) What can you do to help me?
eg) We can’t argue with our father.
eg) Can you stay awake/up the whole night?
eg) Nobody can persuade you.
eg) I can’t see clearly without my glasses.
eg) Can you borrow money from your friend?
eg) Can you deceive your own brother?
eg) She can easily apologize to her mother.
eg) I can’t act on your advice.
eg) Can you cancel the picnic for me?
eg) We can’t forget that picnic.
eg) Can’t you try even once?
eg) My mother can’t bear such behavior.
eg) Can you continue to talk?
eg) Can you mother neglect you?
eg) You can’t accuse me of stealing your wallet.
eg) Can you afford to take a week off?
eg) I can’t wait any longer.
eg) She can swear to lie.
eg) He can’t refuse to cooperate.
eg) She can pretend to cry.
eg) Can you find the solution to this problem?
eg) I can’t complete my work without your help.
eg) We can’t complain about the manager.
eg) She has been able to run business.
eg) I haven’t been able to understand.
eg) Have students been able to learn the poem by heart?
eg)We have been able to control this problem.
eg) How much have you been able to save?
eg) Child has been able to stay at home alone.
eg) Have you been able to forget that accident?
eg) My brother has been able to study without help.
eg) I have been able to take good pictures.
eg) She has been able to control the class.
eg) Haven’t you been able to resolve this matter yet?
eg) The patient has been able to walk slowly after some sessions of Physiotherapy.
eg) The researchers haven’t been able to find solution to cancer.
eg) I haven’t been able to dispatch the letters yet.
eg) We haven’t been able to pay back the loan.
Future ability
We normally use will be able to talk about future ability.
eg) We’ll be able to speak good English in a few months.
eg) One day people will be able to go to the moon on holiday.
►However, we use Can if we are deciding now about the future.
eg) I don’t have time today but I can see you tomorrow.
eg) Can you come to a party on Saturday?
Past ability
1) We use could for “general ability” –to say that somebody could do something at any time, whenever he/she wanted. (Was/were able is also possible.)
1) We use could for “general ability” –to say that somebody could do something at any time, whenever he/she wanted. (Was/were able is also possible.)
Could (informal) eg) She could speak English. eg) She couldn’t speak English. eg) Could she speak English? eg) Couldn’t she speak English? | Was/were able (formal) eg) She was able to speak English. eg) She wasn’t able to speak English. eg) Was she able to speak English? eg) Wasn’t she able to speak English? |
eg) She could read when she was four.
eg) My father could speak ten languages.
eg) I could swim well in my school days.
eg) Ali could walk five miles daily.
eg) When she was eight she could play piano.
eg) My mother could cook delicious/yummy dishes.
eg) I could stay up/awake the whole night.
eg) She could type letters all the day long.
eg) When I was rich I could go anywhere.
eg) She could type 90 words per minute.
eg) He could climb any tree whenever he wanted.
eg) When he was in circus, he could walk on his hands.
eg) She could play chess when she was six.
2) We use was/were able to talk about an action in a particular situation, when someone had the ability to do something and did it. But in negatives we preferably use Couldn’t.
eg) My father could speak ten languages.
eg) I could swim well in my school days.
eg) Ali could walk five miles daily.
eg) When she was eight she could play piano.
eg) My mother could cook delicious/yummy dishes.
eg) I could stay up/awake the whole night.
eg) She could type letters all the day long.
eg) When I was rich I could go anywhere.
eg) She could type 90 words per minute.
eg) He could climb any tree whenever he wanted.
eg) When he was in circus, he could walk on his hands.
eg) She could play chess when she was six.
eg) I was able to convince him easily.
eg) Were you able to understand without explanation?
eg) I couldn’t come back on time.
eg) Weren’t policemen able to arrest the criminals?
eg) What were you able to do?
eg) Was she able to get admission in university?
eg) I couldn’t contact all my friends.
3) In certain cases, it is possible to use Could to say that somebody was able to do something on one occasion. This happens with see, hear, taste, feel, smell, understand, remember and guess.
eg) I could smell burning.
eg) I could understand everything.
eg) We could hear their cries.
eg) She couldn’t remember where she had seen me.
eg) I could feel cold.
eg) After putting on my glasses I could see things very clearly.
eg) I could understand everything.
eg) We could hear their cries.
eg) She couldn’t remember where she had seen me.
eg) I could feel cold.
eg) After putting on my glasses I could see things very clearly.
4) We can also use Could+ hardly/only +verb1st form to refer to one occasion.
eg) I could only get six eggs.
eg) She could hardly believe me.
eg) I could hardly understand the first five minutes of the movie.
eg) We could hardly take the patient to the hospital.
eg) They could hardly win the match.
eg) Children could hardly watch their favourite program.
eg) Patient could only survive for half an hour.
eg) She could hardly apologize to her mother.
eg) My friends could only stay for two days.
eg) He could only take two spicy bites.
eg) I could only get six eggs.
eg) She could hardly believe me.
eg) I could hardly understand the first five minutes of the movie.
eg) We could hardly take the patient to the hospital.
eg) They could hardly win the match.
eg) Children could hardly watch their favourite program.
eg) Patient could only survive for half an hour.
eg) She could hardly apologize to her mother.
eg) My friends could only stay for two days.
eg) He could only take two spicy bites.
5) We use Could+have+verb3rd form to say that somebody was able to do something but didn’t try to do it.
we can also use this structure for something which was possible to happen but didn’t happen.
we can also use this structure for something which was possible to happen but didn’t happen.
eg) You could have helped me.
eg) I could have won the race.
eg) You could have lent money to your friend.
eg) She could have got first position.
eg) The boy could have climbed the wall easily.
eg) You could have lied to save me.
eg) We could have stopped at the signal.
eg) It could have rained.
eg) you could have fallen down on your face.
eg) She could have answered you back.
eg) Police could have arrested you.
eg) Principal could have turned down your application.
eg) She could have got angry.
eg) What could you have done?
eg) I could have won the race.
eg) You could have lent money to your friend.
eg) She could have got first position.
eg) The boy could have climbed the wall easily.
eg) You could have lied to save me.
eg) We could have stopped at the signal.
eg) It could have rained.
eg) you could have fallen down on your face.
eg) She could have answered you back.
eg) Police could have arrested you.
eg) Principal could have turned down your application.
eg) She could have got angry.
eg) What could you have done?
6) We use Couldn’t + have + verb 3rd form to say that something was impossible to happen.
eg) I couldn’t have won the race so I didn’t take part in it.
eg) She couldn’t have seen because of pitch darkness.
eg) We couldn’t have taken the patient to the hospital due to strike.
eg) He couldn’t have informed you because he was compelled.
eg) I couldn’t have bought the house because I didn’t have enough money.
eg) My mother couldn’t have walked because she was very tired.
eg) Your friend couldn’t have replied because he was frightened.
eg) These students couldn’t have continued their education because they didn’t have enough money.
eg) He couldn’t have slept due to noise.
eg) She couldn’t have seen because of pitch darkness.
eg) We couldn’t have taken the patient to the hospital due to strike.
eg) He couldn’t have informed you because he was compelled.
eg) I couldn’t have bought the house because I didn’t have enough money.
eg) My mother couldn’t have walked because she was very tired.
eg) Your friend couldn’t have replied because he was frightened.
eg) These students couldn’t have continued their education because they didn’t have enough money.
eg) He couldn’t have slept due to noise.
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