Can, could and be able to can, could and be able to. Modal verbs are the helping verbs that express ideas like ability, permission, necessity and so on. General was able managecould if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. You can do this grammar quiz online or print it on paper. Apr, 2015 can and could are used to talk about abilities in the past, present or future. She could play the violin when she was three s was able to ma naged to. Use a form of be able to only if a form of can or could is not possible.
The secretary wasnt in the office when i arrived but i was able to contact her at home. He studied for months but didnt manage to pass the bar exam. Past participle to be able to can couldhad the ability to been able to. Can is the present tense of could and could is the past tense of can. Im afraid i managed to couldnt understand what you just said. Able to is the only possible choice in 3 because if follows an auxiliary verb. Feb 02, 2011 print friendly each post is designed to be printable. We use can to say that something is possible or that somebody has the ability to do something. Using can, could, be able to, manage to to express abilitycapability. Both can and be able to are used to express ability. Cancould vs be able to there is a huge interest in the difference between can or could and be able as can or could and be able to are two different usages made in the english languages and they both carry different senses with them. English esl be able to worksheets most downloaded 39.
Home page grammar exercises intermediate can be able to exercise. Click on the words to put them in the correct order. We were able to escape the fire circle the correct answer. To talk about a general ability in the past, we use could or was were able to. Use can or be able to to express an ability or possibility. Put the correct form of either can or be able to for each sentence. Shes 7 years old but she cant read yet her parents are getting her extra lessons. Fill in the blanks with either could, waswere able to or. We do not normally use could to say that somebody managed to do something on one occasion. Worksheet 2 modals can, cant, could, couldnt, was were able to, managed to can and sometimes be able to natural or learned ability could, couldnt, was able general ability in the past was able to managed to, couldnt but not could the successful completion of a. How did they manage to find a suitable candidate for the position in such short time. And both may be used in either present or past tense to designate ability on a specific occasion either at the time you are speaking of or subsequent to that time.
There are currently be able to worksheets and activities in this section. Could in the past means the general ability to do something. Six exercises for practicing can, could, will be able to. I couldnt havent been able to swim since i got an ear infection. Write the phrases in brackets in their correct forms into the gaps.
You can make a teacher copy with answers by clicking on show all, then printing. Could, was able to, managed to voa learning english. I read the book three times but i couldnt understand it. Modals of ability 1 can, could, be able to, may, might choose the best modal for each sentence. Past ability grammar intermediate to upper intermediate british. Could and was able to other english exercises on the same topic. Can, could, be able to modal verbs for ability video. In this exercise you have to complete the sentence with could. In the first example, was able to is an alternative.
If the speaker had said i was able to hear the phone ringing, the speech is more likely to continue with something like. When talking about being able to do something on a particular occasion in the past we sometimes use the verbs manage and succeed instead of be able to. Since the exam was difficult, only a few students could. We can use could and be able to to talk about general ability in the past. I could was able to find my way because i had a good map. We couldnt get to the meeting on time yesterday because the train was delayed by one hour. Can cant exercises 567 mustnt vs dont have to exercises 1 2 3 8910 must vs have to has to exercises 1 2 3 11.
Neil and catherine take a look at the meaning and use of some key words and phrases that english speakers use to talk. A collection of english esl worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and english classes to teach about be, able, to, be able to. On todays program, we talk about could was or were able to and managed to for expressing. Was able to is sometimes used as an alternative to could. Modals plus talking about ability can, could, be able. Cancould and be able to usually have the same meaning. Sometimes, there isnt a form of can, and we need to use the verb be able to. The modal auxiliary can is not grammatically possible in other tenses, too. The secretary wasnt in the office when i arrived but i was able to contact her at. In this lesson we look at can, could and be able to, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
These questions can be used with students seated in pairs or in small groups, or with students standing. In his prime, john could was able to benchpress 300 pounds. Difference between cancould and be able to compare the. Can and able to are possible in questions 1 and 5 as these are referring to general ability. Ability we use cancould to describe ability, and we use cantcouldnt to describe absence of ability she could play the piano very well children cant concentrate for long periods of time i can speak chinese possibility we also use can to talk about possibility. In contexts where could refers to a general past ability as opposed to a specific occasion as in a. Worksheet 2 modals can, cant, could, couldnt, was were able to, managed to can and sometimes be able to natural or learned ability could, couldnt, was able general ability in the past was able to managed to, couldnt but not could the successful completion of a specific action finish the sentences. Able to is the only possible choice in 2 as it refers to the future. Since the exam was difficult, only a few students could were able. Be able to is not normally used in passive structures. Can, could and to be able to exercise infinitive present past past participle to be able to can s could had the ability to been able to. Oct 31, 2019 both can and be able to are used to express ability. In the second example, could means that the speaker was in hearing distance of the phone, but implies that the speaker didnt answer it, at least not immediately. In this lesson, students learn the difference between could, waswere able to, and managed to.
Do you know how to use could, was able to and managed to to talk about past abilities. I searched for your house for ages, luckily i was able to find it in the end. Can could be able to exercises angles per a adults. Modals plus talking about ability can, could, be able to etc. Exercises usually appear on separate pages, or grouped together on a page. Choose the correct form of can, could, be able to affirmative or negative. I washed it twice but im afraid i didnt manage to get rid of that stain on your shirt. Intermediate level grammar worksheets fill in the spaces in this exercise to help students differentiate between can, could and be able to. We often use to be able to or to be allowed to instead of can. Did you manage to could you book a table for us yesterday. English esl be able to worksheets most downloaded 39 results. Can and could are used to talk about abilities in the past, present or future.
It includes an introduction, presentation, and practice activities as well as the answer key and a suggested homework assignment. To put can into other tenses we need the phrases to be able to or to be allowed to. This worksheet is actually an entire lesson plan on be able to, can, and could. James could speak japanese when he lived in japan, but hes forgotten most of it now. Can, could, be able to ability and possibility test english. 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. My deceased parrot could say words in three languages. Sometimes, you need to use be able to, for example if you need to use a verb with ing, or if you need to use the present perfect tense. On todays program, we talk about could was or were able to and managed. The whole lesson should take fifty minutes but you could.
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