UNIT 2
Ability: Can and be able to
1. Can and be able to: Are the verbs most commonly used to talk about
ability. Sometimes we can use either verb without changing the meaning of the
sentence. Sometimes, we have to use be able to when there is no appropriate
form of can.
Infinitive be able to
Present can or am / are / is able to
Future will be able to
Past could or was / were able to
Present Perfect have / has been able to
Past Perfect had been able to
2. Present
ability: both forms are
possible, but can is more usual.
Gareth
can run very fast. (Gareth is able to run very fast.)
To talk about a learned ability in the present, can is more usual. “Know
how to” can be used as an alternative to can.
Can you play chess? / Do you know
how to play chess?
3. Future ability: we use the future form of be able to
Will I be able to
play better after I´ve had some lessons?
4. Past Ability: both forms are possible.
Before
his accident, Ben could jump really
high.
Before his accident, Ben was able to jump really high.
To talk about an ability to do something in the past
on one particular occasion, we must use the past tense of be able to or
manage
(+ to + infinitive)
or succeed
(+ in + ing)
Although
she had lost a lot of blood, the doctors were
able to save the girl´s life.
Despite
the difficult conditions, the surgeon manage to perform the operation
successfully and succeeded in saving
the man´s leg.
NOTE: If the event was unsuccessful, it´s possible to
use couldn’t as well as the past
form of be able to, manage and succeed.
Although he did his best, he couldn´t finish in time.
5. ´Conditional ability´: to talk about a hypothetical
ability in the present or future, we can use could or would be able to:
I could
probably jump further if I had
longer legs.
I would
probably be able to play better if I
practised more.
To talk about a hypothetical ability in the past, we
usually use could + have + past participle, although we can also use would have been able to:
Even if he´d been taller, he couldn´t have reached it.
Even if
he´d been taller, wouldn´t have been
able to reach it.
6. Other structures used to talk about ability:
Aptitude and capacity for doing sth, we can use be capable of + ing
He is
certainly capable of breaking the
world record.
To talk about how well we do sth, we can use the structure be good (brilliant, etc) / bad (terrible, etc) at + noun or gerund:
I have never been good at sports.
I am particularly bad at running.
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