Page 76 - American English File Student Book 3A

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can, could, be able to (ability and possibility) Could you open the door

for me, please?
ca n / c o u ld

I can speak three languages fluently. 2 34)))
Jenny can’t com e tonight. She's sick.
M y cousin could play the v io lin w hen she was three.
They couldn’t w ait because they were in a hurry.
Could you open the d o o r fo r me, please?

• can is a m odal verb. It o n ly has a present form (w hich can be used w ith
future m eaning) and a past o r co n d itio n al form (could).
• F o r all other tenses and form s, we use be able to + base form .

be a b le to + b ase form
1 W e use be able to + base form for a b ility and
1 Luke has been able to sw im since he was three. 2 35)))
possibility, especially where there is no form o f
I'd lik e to be able to ski.
can, e.g., future, present perfect, in fin itiv e and
I love being able to stay in bed late on Sunday m orning.
gerund, etc.
Y o u ’l l be able to practice you r E n g lish in the U S.
2 W e som etim es use be able to in the present and
2 Fortunately, I am a b le to accept you r in vitation.
past (instead o f can / could), usually if we w ant to
M y colleagues weren’t able to com e to yesterday's meeting.
be m ore form al.

a C o m p le te w ith th e c o rre c t fo r m o f be able to ( 0 , E L b ( C irc le ) th e c o rre c t fo rm . C h e c k / i f b o th a re p o ssib le .
or[?]).

I’ve never been able to scuba dive.
1 H e r ce ll phone has been tu rn e d o f f a ll m o rn in g , so I
ta lk to h e r vet.
2 I d o n 't lik e n o isy restaurants. I lik e _________________
have a co n ve rsatio n w ith o u t shouting.
3 I _________________leave hom e w h en I get a job.
4 W e 're h a v in g a p a rty n e xt S a tu rd a y ._________________
I’ve alw a ys w anted to can /(be ablelcjidance salsa.
y o u _________________com e?
1 M y little b o y couldn't / wasn’t able to speak u n til he w as
5 Y ou n e e d ________________ s w im before you can go in a
a lm o st tw o years old.
canoe.
2 S h e ’s m u ch better afte r her o peration . S h e ’ll can /
6 I'm g o in g to Fran ce n e xt w eek, but I d o n 't speak
be able to w a lk ag a in in a few m onths.
Fren ch. I h a te _________________co m m u n ica te w ith
3 H e h asn't could / been able to f ix m y b ike yet. H e ’ll d o it
people.
to m o rro w .
7 Fo rtu n a te ly, fire fig h te rs _________________rescue a ll o f
4 It’s the w eekend at last! I love can / being able to go o ut
the peo ple trapp ed in sid e the b u rn in g house.
w ith m y friend s.
8 I’m very so rry, b u t w e _________________go to y o u r
5 W h e n w e liv e d o n the coast, w e used to can / be able to
w e d d in g n e xt m o n th . W e 'll be o n vacation.
go to the beach every day.
9 I'm fe e lin g a little w o rs e ._________________you
6 I can’t / ’m not able to send any e m a ils rig h t now.
_________________co n ta ct the d o cto r yet?
M y co m p u te r is n ’t w o rk in g .
10 T h e m a n a g e r________________ see y o u rig h t n o w
7 I could I was able to read b efore I started school.
because he's in a m eeting.
8 W e w o n ’t can / be able to go o n vaca tio n th is year
because w e need to spend a lo t o f m oney o n the house.
9 L in d a hasn't been able to / couldiih fin d a job.
10 A le x can / is able to sp eak K o re a n flu e n tly a fte r liv in g
in S e o u l fo r ten years.
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