Exercises

D
--- - - -
70
can and could
He can play the piano.
Could.. Hov. open
_ ______ _ ____.,_ the. cloor' pte.Me.?
can + infinitille (can do I can play I can come etc.):
r----r------------.----------.
do
do?
1/we/ you/ they
he/ she/ it
can play
can't (cannot) see
can
1/we/you/ they
he/ she/ it
play?
see?
come etc.
come? etc.
I can do something "" I know how to do it, or it is possible for me to do it:
0 l can play the piano. My brother can play the piano too.
0 Sarah can speak Italian, but she can't speak Spanish.
0 'Can you swim?' 'Yes, but I'm not a very good swimmer'
0 'Can you change twenty pounds?' 'I'm sorry, I can't.'
0 I'm having a party ne:x"t week, but PauJ and R achel can't come.
For the past (yesterday I last week etc.), we use could/ couldn't:
0 When I was young, I could run very fast.
0 .Before Maria came to Britain, she couldn't understand mucl1 English. Now she can
understand everything.
0 I was tired last night, but [couldn't sleep.
0 I had a party last week, but Paul and Rachel couldn't come.
Can you ... ? Could you ... ? Can I ... ? Could I ... ?
We use Can you ... ? or Could yon . . . ? when we ask people to do things:
0 Can you open the door, please? or Could you open the door, please?
0 Can you wait a moment, please? or Could you wail .. . ?
We use Can I have ... ? or Could I have ... ? to ask for something:
0 (in a shop) Can I have these postcards, please? or Could I have ... ?
Can I ... ? or Could I ... ? = is it OK to do something?:
0 Tom, can I borrow your un1brella? or Tom. could I borrow your umbrella?
0 (otl the phone) Hello, can I speak to Gary, please? or .. . could I speak ... ?
May I ... ? ..-. Unit 29