Can, Could And (Be) Able To
CAN, COULD AND (BE) ABLE TO
Talk about abilities and possibilities
Warm-up
Talk about these questions with your teacher.
선생님과 이야기해 보세요.
- Do you have a good memory or do you often forget things?
기억력이 좋은 편인가요, 아니면 자주 잊어버리는 편인가요? - What is your earliest childhood memory?
가장 어린 시절의 기억은 무엇인가요?
Vocabulary
Listen and repeat after your teacher.
선생님을 따라 읽어보세요.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Grammar in Action:A. We use can to say that something is possible or that somebody has the ability to
do something.
* We use can + infinitive (can do/can see etc.):
* We can see the lake from our bedroom window.
* Can you speak any foreign language?
* I can come and see you tomorrow if you like.The negative is can't (= cannot):
* I'm afraid I can't come to the party on Friday.B. (Be) able to ... is possible instead of can, but can is more usual:
* Are you able to speak any foreign language?
But can has only two forms, can (present) and could (past). So sometimes it is
necessary to use (be) able to... Compare:
* I can't sleep.
but I haven't been able to sleep recently. (can has no present perfect)
* Tom can come tomorrow.but Tom might be able to come tomorrow. (can has no infinitive)C. Could and was able to...
Sometimes could is the past of can. We use could especially with:see hear smell taste feel remember understand* When we went into the house, we could smell something burning.
* She spoke in a very low voice, but I could understand what she said.We also use could to say that somebody had the general ability or permission to
do something:
* My grandfather could speak five languages.
* We were completely free. We could do what we wanted. (= we were allowed
to do ...)We use could for general ability. But if we are talking about what happened in a
particular situation, we use was/were able to... or managed to... (not could):* The fire spread through the building quickly but everybody was able to escape.
or ... everybody managed to escape. (but not 'could escape')
* They didn't want to come with us at first but we managed to persuade them.
or ... we were able to persuade them. (but not 'could persuade')Compare:
* Jack was an excellent tennis player. He could beat anybody. (He had the general
ability to beat anybody)
but
* Jack and Alf had a game of tennis yesterday. Alf played very well but in the end
Jack managed to beat him. or ... was able to beat him. (= he managed to beat
him in this particular game)The negative couldn't (could not) is possible in all situations:
* My grandfather couldn't hear what she was saying over the telephone.
* We tried hard but we couldn't persuade them to come with us.
* Alf played well but he couldn't beat Jack.
Dialogue Practice
Practice the dialogue with your teacher.
선생님과 대화를 연습해 보세요.
Allan: Mary, can you help me with the filing please?
Mary: Wish I could but I'm tied up right now. I have to finish sending these
documents to our clients.
Allan: Do you think you'll be able to help me this afternoon then?Mary: If I'll be able to finish this before lunch, maybe I could help you with that
Comprehension Check
Answer the questions about what you read.
읽은 내용에 대한 질문에 답해 보세요.
Exercise 1: Complete the sentences using can or (be) able to. Use can if possible;
otherwise use (be) able to.
1. Sandra ___________ drive but she hasn't got a car.
2. I can't understand Martin. I've never __________ understand him.
3. I used to _________ stand on my head but I can't do it now.
4. I can't see you on Friday but I ____________ meet you on Saturday morning.
5. Ask Catherine about your problem. She might __________ help you.Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with can/can't/could/couldn't + one of these
verbs:come do hear run sleep wait1. When Tim was 16, he was a fast runner. He ______ 100 meters in 11 seconds.
2. Are you in a hurry?' 'No, I've got plenty of time. I ________.'
3. I was feeling sick yesterday. I _____________ anything.
4. Can you speak up a bit? I ____________ you very well.
5. 'You look tired.' 'Yes, I _____________ last night,'Exercise 3: Complete each phrases:1. I can____________________ in just a minute.
2. I could do it better if __________________
3. I'll be able to do______________
Korean Trap! / 한국인 실수 교정
Common mistakes Korean speakers make.
한국인이 자주 하는 실수를 알아봅시다.
"hardly"는 "거의 ~않다"라는 뜻입니다. "더 열심히"는 "harder"입니다.
Discussion
Share your thoughts with your teacher.
선생님과 의견을 나눠보세요.
- What was the most surprising thing you learned about can, could and (be) able to from this passage?
이 지문에서 can, could and (be) able to에 대해 가장 놀라웠던 점은 무엇인가요? - How does the topic of can, could and (be) able to affect your daily life?
can, could and (be) able to 주제가 당신의 일상에 어떻게 영향을 미치나요? - Do you agree with the main argument presented in the reading? Why or why not?
읽기 자료에 제시된 주요 주장에 동의하시나요? 왜 그런가요, 왜 아닌가요? - If you could share one idea from this lesson with a friend, what would it be?
이 수업에서 친구에게 공유하고 싶은 한 가지 아이디어는 무엇인가요?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: CAN, COULD AND (BE) ABLE TO
Level: Pre-Intermediate (P.I)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!