Learning English Grammar 'Can', 'could', 'be able to', 'manage to'
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Jun 10, 2025 Dive into the world of modal verbs! Discover how to express ability with 'can', 'could', 'be able to', and 'manage to'. Enjoy practical examples and useful tips that clarify their contexts. Test your understanding with engaging quizzes designed to reinforce what you've learned. Whether discussing present skills or past experiences, this exploration makes mastering these verbs fun and informative!
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Humans' Ability Without Food
- Mike describes how humans are able to live without food for up to three weeks, highlighting surprising ability.
- This illustrates using 'be able to' for ability with an unexpected context.
Past Ability in Writing
- People in Asia could write before people in Europe, showing past general ability with 'could'.
- Alternatively, 'were able to' can be used for the past tense of ability.
Single Event Past Ability
- After climbing for six hours, they were able to reach the mountain top, a single event of ability.
- 'Could' can't be used here because it refers to general ability, not one-time events.