EXPRESSING
ABILITY - CAPABILITY
CAN
COULD
BE ABLE TO
MANAGE TO
We can express the
ability/capability of doing
something or knowing how
to do something in several
ways.
Sometimes we can use one or
more of the verb forms “can,
could, be able to, manage to” and
the meaning does not change.
Sometimes there is a subtle
difference in the meaning of the
sentence depending on the verb
form we choose.
Sometimes the meaning of the
sentence changes depending on
which of these verb forms we use.
PRESENT TENSE
• I CAN PLAY TENNIS. • I HAVE LEARNT HOW TO
DO THIS AND I NOW HAVE
THE ABILITY TO DO IT.
• THERE ARE NO
• I AM ABLE TO PLAY CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH
TENNIS TWICE A WEEK. STOP ME FROM DOING
THIS.
• I MANAGE TO PLAY • I HAVE TO OVERCOME
SOME DIFFICULTIES IN
TENNIS TWICE A WEEK.
ORDER TO DO THIS.
• THIS IS NOT ABILITY. THIS
• I CAN PLAY TENNIS
MEANS THAT I HAVE
TWICE A WEEK.
PERMISSION TO DO THIS.
• THIS IS NOT ABILITY. THIS
• CAN I PLAY TENNIS IS ASKING FOR
WITH YOU? PERMISSION.
• ARE YOU ABLE TO DO • DO YOU HAVE THE
THIS ON YOUR OWN? NECESSARY ABILITIES?
• CAN YOU DO THIS ON ARE YOU CAPABLE OF
DOING THIS ON YOUR OWN?
YOUR OWN?
PAST TENSES
• I COULD/WAS ABLE TO • AT THIS AGE I HAD THE
PLAY TENNIS WHEN I NECESSARY ABILITIES TO
WAS ELEVEN. DO THIS.
• I WAS ABLE TO PLAY • CIRCUMSTANCES
TENNIS TWICE A WEEK. ALLOWED ME TO DO THIS.
• I MANAGED TO PLAY • IT WAS DIFFICULT BUT I
DID THIS.
TENNIS TWICE A WEEK.
• THIS IS NOT ABILITY. I
• I COULD PLAY TENNIS
HAD PERMISSION TO DO
TWICE A WEEK.
THIS.
PAST TENSES
• I’VE BEEN ABLE TO • CIRCUMSTANCES MADE THIS
POSSIBLE. NOTHING
PLAY TENNIS ONCE A
STOPPED ME FROM DOING
WEEK ALL SUMMER. THIS.
• ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD TO
OVERCOME SOME
• I HAVE MANAGED TO DIFFICULTIES TO DO THIS.
PLAY TENNIS ONCE A
WEEK ALL SUMMER. THE PERFECT TENSE USES ‘BE
ABLE TO’ AND ‘MANAGE TO’
FOR ABILITY/CAPABILITY.
PAST
• I COULD GET TICKETS FORTENSES
• I WAS ALWAYS CAPABLE
CONCERTS WHENEVER I OF DOING THIS.
WANTED TO.
• I WAS ABLE TO GET TWO • I AM SPEAKING OF A
TICKETS FOR MADONNA’S SINGLE OCCASION.
CONCERT.
• I MANAGED TO GET A
• I OBTAINED IT WITH
TICKET FOR THE CONCERT.
SOME DIFFICULTY.
• PERHAPS I COULD GET A
TICKET FOR THE CONCERT • THIS IS NOT AN ABILITY.
TOO. THIS IS A POSSIBILITY.
PAST TENSES
• JOHN WAS ABLE TO SEND • HE SENT IT.
A MESSAGE.
• IT WAS DIFFICULT BUT HE DID
• JOHN MANAGED TO SEND
IT.
A MESSAGE COULD + PERFECT TENSE IS NOT ABILITY
• HE DIDN’T SEND IT OR WE
• JOHN COULD HAVE SENT A
DON’T KNOW WHETHER HE
MESSAGE. SENT ONE OR NOT.
• JOHN COULD HAVE SENT A • EXPRESSES IRRITATION
BECAUSE HE DID NOT SEND
MESSAGE!
ONE.
• THE MAN WASPAST
ABLE TENSES
• HE WAS CAPABLE OF
TO ESCAPE FROM THE DOING THIS.
HOUSE ON FIRE.
• THE MAN MANAGED TO • ALTHOUGH IT WAS
ESCAPE FROM THE DIFFICULT TO DO.
HOUSE ON FIRE.
• THE MAN COULD HAVE
ESCAPED FROM THE
• HE HAD THE
HOUSE ON FIRE IF THE POSSIBILITY TO DO THIS
ROOF HADN’T BUT UNFORTUNATELY
COLLAPSED. HE DIDN’T SUCCEED.
FUTURE
• I’LL BE ABLE TO VISIT
TENSE
• I WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PARIS NEXT YEAR. DOING THIS NOTHING
SHOULD STOP ME.
• HOPEFULLY, NO
• I HOPE YOU’LL BE ABLE
CIRCUMSTANCE WILL
TO COME TO PARIS
STOP YOU FROM DOING
WITH US.
THIS.
• I HOPE YOU’LL MANAGE
• EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY
TO COME WITH US.
ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY
IN DOING THIS.
• I WON’T BE ABLE TO
COME WITH YOU. • I WILL BE INCAPABLE OF
DOING THIS.
FUTURE TENSE
• WILL JOHN BE ABLE TO • WILL HE HAVE ACQUIRED
SPEAK ENGLISH WELL THE ABILITY TO DO THIS?
AT THE END OF THE
COURSE?
• COULD YOU RUN THE • IS IT POSSIBLE? DO YOU
BUSINESS BY HAVE THE NECESSARY
YOURSELF? ABILITY TO DO THIS?
• WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO • SHOULD IT BE NECESSARY,
RUN THE BUSINESS BY WOULD YOU BE CAPABLE
YOURSELF? OF DOING THIS?
