ABILITY can, can’t, could, couldn’t are used to express ability: Can you drive? Help! I can’t swim. Could you understand what he is saying? She couldn’t dance very well. # can have a present and a future meaning. I can finish it tomorrow . # could have a past meaning I could swim when I was five. We can also use be able to for ability, and it’s easier to do this in the past and future : I can’t do it now. I will be able to do it later . They were able to complete the job last week. We use be able to in the present perfect tense : I have been able to type three of the letters, but I haven’t been able to type the other one. We are more likely to use be able to when something was difficult : At first we couldn’t do it because there was a problem, but finally we were able to do it. We use this/these to refer to the people and things, situations and experiences that are close to the speaker or very close in time. We use that/those to refer to peop...
Welcome to Nepal's pioneering academic blog, a dedicated resource for students at the Intermediate, Bachelor's, and Master's levels. While this blog provides reference notes, it is strongly recommended that users consult the original texts for the most accurate understanding. The content here reflects the writer's personal interpretation, so summaries may be incomplete or occasionally misleading. Please be aware of these limitations when copying or downloading notes.