Can and can’t

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EXTRA English 18 Just the Ticket

Grammatik und Übungen

Can and can’t

We use can / can't in different ways.

A Ability: These sentences indicate ability or a lack of ability.

• I can swim.

• I can't drive.

B Possibility: These sentences indicate possibility or lack of possibility.

• From this hill, you can see the ocean.

• I can't get a job.

C Permission: In these sentences, can and can't indicate that something is or is not permitted.

• You can take your dog with you on the bus.

• You can't park here.

A) Are these A, B or C sentences?

1 I can ride a motorcycle. A – Ability

2 They can't get a visa to go to the USA. B – Possibility 3 We can't go into the park after 6 pm. C – Permission

4 My sister can't cook. A – Ability

5 Because of her religion, she can't eat meat on Fridays. C – Permission 6 We can't use our dictionaries during the examination. C – Permission 7 I can get a signal on my cell phone here. B – Possibility 8 No one in this class can speak Chinese. A – Ability 9 We can't drive down that street – it's one-way. C – Permission

10 Can we go into the classroom now? C – Permission

B) Complete these sentences about the laws in your country.

You can leave school when you're 15. You can't get married until you're 16.

1 You can drive a motorbike _ __when you’re 16___________ . 2 You can't drive a car __ ___until you’re 18 __ ______ .

3 You can join the army __ _when you’re 17___________ . 4 You can't vote __ _until you’re 18___________ . 5 You can't drink alcohol in a bar ___until you’re 18_________ .

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EXTRA English 18 Just the Ticket

Grammatik und Übungen

Could and couldn’t

We also use could in different ways. This sentence indicates a possibility now or in the future.

• I could enter the contest myself.

This sentence indicates an ability in the past.

• I could read when I was five years old.

• I couldn't swim until I was 10.

A) Match the questions and answers.

1 How are we going to get there? e) We could go by train.

2 What are we going to eat? a) I could cook some spaghetti.

3 Was it hard to get to school when you were b) No, we could go by bus.

young?

4 Could you cook before you went to catering c) I could only cook spaghetti.

college?

5 How was your English before you came to d) I could speak a few words.

school?

6 How are we going to communicate with f) We could try speaking English.

the taxi driver?

B) Complete these sentences with real information about people's abilities, now and in the past. Add two sentences of your own at the end.

1 I can ________draw really well.___ ______ ______________________

2 I can't _______do sit-ups._______´ ________________________

3 When I was a child, I could ____run faster than my big brother.__ __ _________ __

4 When I was a child, I couldn't __reach the doorbell_______________ (but I can now).

5 My sister/brother/best friend can ____make me laugh,___ __ ____

6 … but he/she can't _______ride a bike.____________ __ ______

7 Everyone in my family can _____speak Portuguese.___ ____________

8 No one in my family can ______knit a sweater. ___ _ ____________

9 ___(I can play the guitar really well.)______________________________________

10 __(But I can’t play the piano.) _ ___________________________________ ___