Modals Ability Modals Ability The following modal verbs

Modals - Ability

Modals - Ability • The following modal verbs can be used to express ability: – You use ‘can’ to talk about ability in the present and in the future. – You use ‘could’ to talk about ability in the past. – You use ‘be able to’ to talk about ability in the present, future, and past.

Modals - Ability • You use ‘can’ to say that someone has the ability to do something. – You can all spell your name. – Anybody can become a computer expert.

Modals - Ability • You use ‘cannot’ or ‘can’t’ to say that they do not have the ability to do something. – He cannot dance.

Modals - Ability • When you want to talk about someone’s ability in the past as a result of a skill they had or did not have, you use ‘could’, could not’, or ‘couldn’t’. – He could run faster than everybody else. – A lot of them couldn’t read or write.

Modals - Ability • You use ‘be able to’, ‘not be able to’, and ‘be unable to’ to talk about someone’s ability to do something, but ‘can’ and ‘could’ are more common. – She was able to tie her own shoelaces. – The are not able to run very fast. – Many people were unable to read or write.

Modals - Ability • You use ‘was able to’ and ‘were able to’ to say that someone managed to do something in a particular situation in the past. – After treatment he was able to return to work. – The farmers were able to pay the wages. – We were able to find time to discuss it.

Modals - Ability • Note: You do not normally use ‘could’ to say that someone managed to do something in a particular situation. However, you can use ‘could not’ or ‘couldn’t’ to say that someone did not manage to do something in a particular situation. – We couldn’t stop laughing. – I just couldn’t think of anything to say.

Modals - Ability • When you want to say that someone had the ability to do something in the past, but did not do it, you use ‘could have’ followed by a past participle. – You could have given it all to me. – You know, she could have done French.

Modals - Ability • ‘Could have’ and a past participle is often used when you want to express disapproval about something that was not done. – You could’ve been a little bit tidier. – You could have told me.

Modals - Ability • In most cases, you can choose to use ‘can’ or ‘be able to’. However, you sometimes have to use ‘be able to’. • You have to use ‘be able to’ if you are using another modal, or if you want to use an ‘-ing’ form, a past participle or a ‘to’- infinitive.

Modals - Ability – Nobody will be able to read it. (another modal) – … the satisfaction of being able to do the job. (-ing form) – I don’t think I’d have been able to get an answer. (past participle) – You’re foolish to expect to be able to do that. (to-infinitive)

Modals - Ability • You also use ‘can’ or ‘could’ with verbs such as ‘see’, ‘hear’ and ‘smell’ to say that someone is or was aware of something through one of their senses. – I can smell gas. – I can’t see her. – I could see a few stars in the sky. – There was such a noise we couldn’t hear.

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