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6.3: Grammar

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    1. Can is a modal verb in English. It is used to express an ability, permission, or request. 
    2. The negative form of can is cannot, can't, or can not. Cannot and can't are more common. 
    3. The past form of can is could.
    4. The past form of can't is could not or couldn't. 

    Present Form:  Subject + can / can't + base form of Verb

    Examples:

    1. Miguel can swim 50 meters in 30 seconds.
    2. Arkansa can dance very well.
    3. People can't smoke in the restaurant.
    4. The students can't hear the teacher.

    Past Form:  Subject + could / couldn't + base form of Verb

    Examples:

    1. Roger could run a mile in 5 minutes in high school.
    2. Vika could swim when she was 3 years old.
    3. Maria and her sister couldn't stay out past 9 pm when they were teenagers.
    4. The students couldn't finish the test yesterday.

    Rules

    • Because can is a modal verb, it always goes with the base form of the main verb. Can or the main verb cannot change their form like adding s, es, to, ing, or ed. 

    Examples:

    1. He can to swim very well. (INCORRECT)                            He can swim very well. (CORRECT)
    2. He can singing Vietnamese songs. (INCORRECT)                He can sing Vietnamese songs. (CORRECT)
    3. He cans read very fast. (INCORRECT)                                He can read very fast. (CORRECT)
    4. He could swam very well. (INCORRECT)                            He could swim very well. (CORRECT)
    5. He could walked 3 miles. (INCORRECT)                              He could walk 3 miles. (CORRECT)
    6. He can watches TV all day. (INCORRECT)                           He can watch TV all day. (CORRECT)

    Yes/No Question Form:  Can / Could + Subject + base form of Verb

    Examples:

    1. Can Ethan speak Spanish?    Yes, he can.    No, he cannot. [No, he can't.]
    2. Could Peng finish her paper on time last week?    Yes, she could.    No, she could not. [No, she couldn't.]
    3. Can Mr. Steven fly a plane?    Yes, he can.    No, he cannot. [No, he can't.]
    4. Could you stand on your head when you were a child?    Yes, I could.    No, I could not. [No, I couldn't.]

    Wh-Question Form:  Wh-word + can / could + Subject + base form of Verb

    Examples:

    1. What can Anna's dog do?    He can swim, run, and play with his tail.
    2. When can Leah visit her friend in the hospital?    She can visit her friend on Friday.
    3. What can Aaron play very well?    He can play tennis very well.
    4. How could Adnan be so calm?    He could be so calm because he is patient.
    5. Where could the students go?    They could go to the Dean's office.
    6. What could Nghi say to her friends?    She could say sorry to her friends.

    Talking about Ability

    Examples:

    1. Ali can play the piano. 
    2. My mom can cook Vietnamese food, but she cannot (can’t) cook American food.
    3. Amal could run for hours in high school.  

    Examples:

    1. You can use the library computer, but you cannot use the printer.
    2. You can’t stay at your friend’s place when he’s out of town.
    3. You can borrow my pencil if you like. 

    Making a Request

    • We often use can at the beginning of a question when making a request.

    Examples:

    1. Can I have some coffee?
    2. Can you come over here and take a look at the window? It’s broken. 
    3. Can you take me out to explore the city?

    Grammar Practice

    Practice 1

    Directions:  Decide if the use of can / could  in each sentence below is to talk about an ability, permission, or request.

    1. I could speak Japanese better when I was in college.                        a) ability        b) permission        c) request
    2. Can you pass the salt, please?                                                         a) ability        b) permission        c) request
    3. We cannot buy a house without getting a loan.                                 a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    4. He could play the piano when he was five years old.                          a) ability        b) permission        c) request     
    5. We can’t board the plane without a boarding pass.                            a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    6. Can you help me fill out the form?                                                   a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    7. When I was a teenager, my parents said I couldn’t drink beer.            a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    8. She can speak four languages. It’s incredible!                                   a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    9. You can’t earn a lot of money if you don’t work hard.                        a) ability        b) permission        c) request    
    10. You cannot drive other people’s cars without asking them first.          a) ability        b) permission        c) request

    Practice 2

    Directions:  Make statements with can, can’t, could, couldn’t about yourself given the following information. Then share it with a partner.

    Example:  swim in the ocean - I cannot swim in the ocean.  

    1.  fly a kite as a kid

    2.  run for two miles

    3.  draw a picture of someone

    4.  ride a horse

    5.  make a speech in front of many people

    6.  cook Mexican food

    7.  write an essay in English

    8.  build a sand castle on the beach

    9.  speak a foreign language fluently

    10. cook for a big party of more than 50 people

    Directions:  Work with a partner. Make 3 statements for each category using can (can’t) or could (couldn’t) as an ability, permission, or request.

    Example:  I could listen to loud music as a teenager, but I cannot do it now. 

    You:  Ability

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

    You:  Permission

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

    You:  Request

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

     

    Your Partner:  Ability

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

    Your Partner:  Permission

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

    Your Partner:  Request

    1. _____________________________________________________________________

    2. _____________________________________________________________________

    3. _____________________________________________________________________

    This page titled 6.3: Grammar is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Maria Antonini de Pino, Erika Bourne Lawson, Huong Pham, Rebecca Kallen Reddy, Kelly N. Nguyễn-Jardin, Pradeep Reddy, Richard Lawson, and Adam Bloom (Open Educational Resource Initiative at Evergreen Valley College) .