Lesson 31: Expressing Ability with Can, Could and Be able to

Can

• Usage: Used to express present ability.
• Form: [Subject] + can + [base form of the verb]
• Example:
  • "I can swim."
  • "She can speak three languages."

Could

• Usage: Used to express past ability or polite requests. Also used to talk about possibilities in hypothetical situations.
• Form: [Subject] + could + [base form of the verb]
• Examples:
  • Past ability: "When I was a child, I could climb trees."
  • Polite request: "Could you help me with this?"
  • Hypothetical: "If I had more time, I could learn another language."

Be Able To

• Usage: Can be used in various tenses to express ability. It is more flexible than "can" and "could" because it can be conjugated.
• Forms:
  • Present: [Subject] + am/is/are + able to + [base form of the verb]
    • "She is able to run fast."
  • Past: [Subject] + was/were + able to + [base form of the verb]
    • "He was able to fix the car."
  • Future: [Subject] + will be + able to + [base form of the verb]
    • "They will be able to come to the party."
  • Present Perfect: [Subject] + have/has + been able to + [base form of the verb]
    • "I have been able to solve the problem."

Comparison and Usage

• Can is used for general ability in the present or future: "I can play the piano."
• Could is used for general ability in the past: "I could play the piano when I was younger."
• Be able to can be used in various tenses and is useful when "can" or "could" cannot be used:
  • Present: "I am able to attend the meeting."
  • Past: "She was able to finish the project on time."
  • Future: "They will be able to travel next year."
  • Present Perfect: "He has been able to improve his English."

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