Президенте Республики Беларусь Система открытого образования Практическая грамматика английского языка для среднего и продвинутого
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Can expresses ability or capability, possibility, incredulity or doubt.§ 1 Can/could to express ability or capability Can is used to talk about general ability or capability in present and past (could) in active and passive structures: I can read a little English. George could play the piano when he was a boy. Gold can be found in these mountains. To express the meaning of ability or capability can is often found with verbs of perception (receiving information through the eyes, ears, etc.) hear, see, smell, etc.: I can hear music. I could smell something burning, or cognitive verbs understand, follow, remember: I can’t/don’t understand what Edwin is talking about. It does not always add very much to the meaning and in this case can is not rendered in Russian: Я слышу музыку. Я не понимаю, о чем говорит Эдвин. NOTE: The expression to be able to is also used to express ability or capability in present, future, and past but it is a little more formal and less usual than can: Frank is good at computers. He can write/is able to write programs. Moreover, was/were able to is used to say that ability or opportunity resulted in a particular action, to say that somebody ‘managed to do’, ‘succeeded in doing’ something on one occasion: She was able to translate the article without my help. = She managed to do it. Compare these two sentences: The children could swim when they were quite young (a past ability). The children were able to swim across the river (a past action). To be able to is also used in the following structures:
Could + Perfect Infinitive is used to talk about unrealized past ability or to criticize people for not doing things: You could have helped me. (But you didn’t help.) (Russ.: Ты бы мог мне помочь) You could have told me you were leaving. (But you didn’t tell.) (Russ.: Ты мог бы мне сказать, что ты уезжаешь.) § 2 Can/could to express possibility, choices and opportunities Can/could may be used to talk about possibility: a) theoretical possibility: It can be quite cold here in summer. In this sense could suggests a less definite possibility: It could rain later this evening. b) possibility due to existing laws: People can marry here when they are eighteen. c) possibility due to circumstances or to choices and opportunities: You can have the book when I have finished it. There are several ways out. You can go to the police, you can visit a lawyer or you can forget all about that. What shall we do tomorrow? – Well, we could go fishing. Can/could expressing possibility is used only with the Indefinite Infinitive. Russian constructions могло (бы) быть и хуже, могло (бы) быть и лучше expressing possibility or impossibility with comparative adjectives are rendered in English by could and Indefinite Infinitive: The situation couldn’t be worse. It could be better. Can is not found to talk about future probability – the chances that something will happen: may/might express this idea. (See Unit 3) § 3 Can/could to express uncertainty, doubt, astonishment and improbability 1. Can/could also convey the meaning of uncertainty, doubt, and astonishment (these meanings are closely connected). Could is used to imply more uncertainty: Could it be time? They are used in combination with different forms of the Infinitive and are found only in interrogative sentences (general questions): Can he really be ill? Can it be true? Can she be singing in the next room? Sentences of this kind are often emotionally coloured, and in Russian this construction is rendered as: Неужели? Неужели это правда? Неужели он болен? и т.д. NOTE:
2. Can/could are also used to talk about improbability and are found only in negative sentences (all forms of the Infinitive are possible): It can’t be true. She can’t be singing in the next room. NOTE: Can’t + Perfect Infinitive is used to refer the action to the past: He can’t have told a lie! Couldn’t is also used in this meaning to make the statement less categorical: She couldn’t have told a lie! In Russian it is rendered as: Не может быть, чтобы… Вряд ли это так… § 4 Can/could to express permission, requests, and offers 1. Can and could are used to:
Note: Could is more polite and formal than can: Could I borrow your book? Do you think I could use your office? To be allowed to is used to say that the permission resulted in a particular action, something that really happened. I was allowed to leave work early yesterday. We were allowed to enter the showing room when we looked around the station. 2. Can and could are also found to offer to do things for people, could makes the offer more polite: Can I help you? Could I help you? § 5 Can/could in set phrases Learn the following set phrases with can/could:
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