Use of can and could

Communicating by mail /
phone
U7
Use of can and could
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
subject + can + main verb
The main verb is always the bare infinitive
(infinitive without "to").
+
-
subject
auxiliary verb
main verb
I
can
play
tennis.
play
tennis.
play
tennis?
He
cannot
can't
?
Can
you
Notice that:
• Can is invariable. There is only one form of 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: 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.
– Can you help me with my homework? (present)
– Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)
Use of can
can: 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!
Use of can
can: Permission
• We sometimes use can to ask or give
permission for something:
– Can I smoke in this room?
– 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 + could + main verb
The main verb is always the bare infinitive
(infinitive without "to").
+
-
subject
auxiliary verb
main verb
My grandmother
could
swim.
She
could not
walk.
couldn't
?
Could
your grandmother
swim?
Notice that:
• Could is invariable. There is only one form of
could.
• The main verb is always the bare infinitive.
The main verb is always the bare infinitive. We
cannot say:
I Could to play tennis
Use of could
could: 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 could (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 Spanish.
A man fell into the river yesterday. The police
couldn't save him.
Use of could
could: 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):
Examples:
– Could you tell me where the bank is, please?
– Could you send me a catalogue, please?
Communicating by mail /
phone
U7
Writing numbers
Although usage varies, most people spell out
numbers that can be expressed in one or two
words and use figures for other numbers:
Words
over two pounds
six million dollars
after thirty-one years
eighty-three people
Figures
after 126 days
only $31.50
6,381 bushels
4.78 liters
Days and Years
• December 12, 1965 or 12 December 1965
A.D. 1066
• in 1900
• in 1971-72 or in 1971-1972
• the eighties, the twentieth century
• the 1980's or the 1980s
Time of Day
• 8:00 A.M. (or) a.m. (or) eight o'clock in the morning
• 4:30 P.M. (or) p.m. (or) half-past four in the afternoon
Addresses
• 16 Tenth Street
• 350 West 114 Street
Identification Numbers
•
•
•
•
Room 8
Channel 18
Interstate 65
Henry VIII
Getting around the town
U8
The use of very and too
The use of very and too
Very and too are adverbs of degree:
Adverbs of degree tell us about the
intensity or degree of an action, an
adjective or another adverb.
The use of very
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it
stronger.
Example:
• The girl was very beautiful. (adjective)
• He worked very quickly. (adverb)
If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or
adverb, we can use a word of opposite meaning,
or not very.
Example:
• The girl was ugly OR The girl was not very
beautiful
• He worked slowly OR He didn't work very quickly.
Other adverbs like very
These common adverbs are used like very and not
very, and are listed in order of strength, from
positive to negative:
extremely, especially, particularly, pretty,
rather, quite, fairly, rather, not especially, not
particularly.
Note: rather can be positive or negative,
depending on the adjective or adverb that
follows:
• Positive: The teacher was rather nice.
• Negative: The film was rather disappointing.
The use of too
Too as an adverb meaning 'more than is necessary or
useful' goes before adjectives and adverbs.
Examples:
• This coffee is too hot. (adjective)
• He works too hard. (adverb)
We can also use 'to + infinitive' after too with
adjectives/adverb.
Examples:
• The coffee was too hot to drink.
• You're too young to have grandchildren!
BE CAREFUL! There is a big difference
between too and very.
• Very expresses a fact:
He speaks very quickly.
• Too suggests there is a problem:
He speaks too quickly (for me to
understand).
Differences between very and too
VERY and TOO + adjective
• The exam is very difficult, but Jim can complete it.
• The exam is too difficult. Jim can't complete it.
– Very difficult = it is difficult but possible for Jim to
complete the exam.
– Too difficult = It is impossible for Jim to complete the
exam.
• Remember that Too implies a negative result.
Getting around the town
U8
Prepositions
Prepositions
A preposition is a word which shows relationships
among other words in the sentence. The
relationships include direction, place, time,
cause, manner and amount.
• In the sentence She went to the store, to is a
preposition which shows direction.
• In the sentence He came by bus, by is
a preposition which shows manner.
• In the sentence They will be here at three
o'clock, at is a preposition which shows time.
• In the sentence It is under the table, under is a
preposition which shows place.
A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun
which is called the object of the
preposition. The preposition is almost always
before the noun or pronoun and that is why it is
called a preposition.
The preposition and the object of the preposition
together are called a prepositional phrase.
The following chart shows the prepositions, objects
of the preposition, and prepositional phrases of
the sentences above.
Some common prepositions of time and place
and examples of their use.
Preposition Rule
There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And,
unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions.
Rule
A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed
by a verb.
• By "noun" we include:
–
–
–
–
–
noun (dog, money, love)
proper noun (name) (Bangkok, Mary)
pronoun (you, him, us)
noun group (my first job)
gerund (swimming)
• A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to
follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing"
form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.
Examples:

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