http://www.autoenglish.org/gr.may2.pdf

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs1.htm

CAN

The three main uses of Can are: 1) ability 2) possibility and 3) permission. However there are some other used of Canas we will see below.

1. To express ability

Can means to be (physically) able to do something OR to know how to do something.

• Birds can fly.
• Elephants can't fly.
• I can speak two languages.

2. To express a possibility (in general)

This refers to a theoretical possibility.
Note: we don't use can to talk about future possibilities. For this you would use may or might.

• It can get cold there at night so take a jacket.
• I know you can win the competition.
• Well, I think your car can be repaired, but it's not going to be cheap.

3. To offer to do something for others

Can is used when you offer to help someone or to do something for them.

• You don't need to walk home. I can take you there if you like.
• Can I carry your bags for you?

4. To ask for or give permission / To request something

Can is used to ask for / request permission or to give permission.
Note: Can't is used to refuse permission.

• You can use my umbrella, I don't need it right now.
• Can I sit in that chair please?
• Mary, you can play outside if you like.
• Can I ask you a question?
• You can't go to the park. It will still be wet from the rain last night.
• We can't leave the room until the assignment is completed.

5. Can't: Something that is forbidden or not allowed

• We cannot park the car next to this fire hydrant.
• You can drive as fast as you want on the German motorways.
• You can't smoke in the restaurant.
• You cannot drive a car without a license.

6. Can't: when you are sure that something isn't true or something is surprising

• It can't be dark outside! It's only 4.30pm!
• They can't have landed on the moon, I'm sure it's a hoax.

For more examples, including how to make questions, see our grammar notes about Can - Cannot. You might also want to see our Can - Can't - Cannot Game

COULD

Could is similar to Can and often replaces Can in the past tense (though not always)

1. To express ability in the past

• I could ride a horse when I was younger but now I can't.
• She could juggle eight balls when she was only 10 years old.
• He could read when he was three years old.

2. Polite word used to ask for permission or to request something (in the present)

• Could I please use your bathroom?
• Could we move on to the next topic now please?
• Could you pass me the salt please?
• I'm busy right now. Could you call back later?

3. General permission in the past

• In high school, we couldn't leave the classroom without a pass.
• He couldn't go to the concert because his mother wouldn't let him.

Modal Verbs of Ability and Permission Exercise at Auto-English

Check through the different uses.

TYPE	USE	MODAL VERBS	EXAMPLE
1	expressing ability	CAN	María can drive.
2	asking for permission	MAY, CAN, COULD	Could I borrow your pen?
3	giving permission	MAY, CAN	You can use my phone.
4	refusing permission, prohibition	CAN'T, MAY NOT	You may not talk in the exam
5	requests	CAN, COULD	Can you pass me the salt?

Look at the following phrases and write in which type you think it is. Then use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill the gaps.

	TYPE
1	_______	You (may/could)________________ leave now if you wish.
2	_______	(Could/May)________________ you open the window a bit, please?
3	_______	(May/Can)________________ you play the piano?
4	_______	Listen, please. You (may not/could not)________________  speak during this exam.
5	_______	You (can't/might not)________________ smoke on the bus.
6	_______	(Can't/May)________________  I make a call on your mobile?
7	_______	Do you know if Mark (can/may)________________ sing?
8	_______	(Can't/May)________________ I sit here, please?
9	_______	Caroline, your friends (can/could)________________ stay the night if they want to. They're perfectly welcome.
10	_______	I'm sorry but you (can't/may)________________ use the computer until after I've finished.
11	_______	(May/Could)________________ you lend me 40 Euros til Monday?
12	_______	Listen, please. Students (may/could)________________ study in the library from five to nine in the evening.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and the present participle (-ing form) of a verb:

Use

1. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:

·         for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:

I’m just leaving work. I’ll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

·         for something which is happening before and after a given time:

At eight o’clock we are usually having breakfast.
When I get home the children are doing their homework.

 

·         for something which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He’s studying history.
I’m working in London for the next two weeks.

·         for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?

·         to show that something is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing quickly.
The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

·         for something which happens again and again:

It’s always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He’s always laughing.

Note: We normally use always with this use.

2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:

·         for something which has been arranged or planned:

Mary is going to a new school next term.
What are you doing next week?

3. We can use the present continuous to talk about the past:

·         When we are telling a story: 

·         When we are summarising the story from a book, film or play etc.:

QUESTION FORMS

Question forms & subject/object questions

Review of question forms

Yes/No questions

·         Is he a teacher? Yes he is.

·         Can you swim? No, I can’t.

·         Have they got a car? Yes they have.

To form yes/no questions where there is an auxiliary verb or a modal verb, we invert the word order of a positive sentence. (He is a teacher > Is he a teacher?)

·         Do you eat fish? No I don’t.

·         Does she know you. Yes she does.

When there is no auxiliary verb we use ‘do’ to form the question.

With question words

The same rules apply when there is a question word (‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘how’, ‘how much’, ‘how many’)

·         Where is the hotel?

·         What can you smell?

·         Who has just arrived?

Where there is an auxiliary or modal verb, that verb is used to form the question.

·         How did you get here?

·         When do your parents get back?

·         How much does it cost?

Where there is no auxiliary verb, we use do.

Subject/Object questions

Sometimes you might see questions like this.

·         Who broke the window?

·         What happened next?

·         Who told you that?

There is no auxiliary verb and the word order is not inverted.

These are called subject questions – because the question word is the subject of the sentence.

Look at these two questions.

·         Who does Romeo love? Romeo loves Juliet.

·         Who loves Romeo? Juliet loves Romeo.

In the first question, Romeo is the subject of the verb.
In the second question ‘who’ is the subject and Romeo is the object.

Question tags

Question tags are the short questions that we put on the end of sentences – particularly in spoken English. There are lots of different question tags but the rules are not difficult to learn.

Positive/negative

If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative ….

·         He’s a doctor, isn’t he?

·         You work in a bank, don’t you?

... and if the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive.

·         You haven’t met him, have you?

·         She isn’t coming, is she?

With auxiliary verbs

The question tag uses the same verb as the main part of the sentence. If this is an auxiliary verb (‘have’, ‘be’) then the question tag is made with the auxiliary verb.

·         They’ve gone away for a few days, haven’t they?

·         They weren’t here, were they?

·         He had met him before, hadn’t he?

·         This isn’t working, is it?

Without auxiliary verbs

If the main part of the sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary verb, the question tag uses an appropriate form of ‘do’.

·         I said that, didn’t I?

·         You don’t recognise me, do you?

·         She eats meat, doesn’t she?

With modal verbs

If there is a modal verb in the main part of the sentence the question tag uses the same modal verb.

·         They couldn’t hear me, could they?

·         You won’t tell anyone, will you?

With ‘I am’

Be careful with question tags with sentences that start ‘I am’. The question tag for ‘I am’ is ‘aren’t I?’

·         I’m the fastest, aren’t I?

Intonation

Question tags can either be ‘real’ questions where you want to know the answer or simply asking for agreement when we already know the answer.

If the question tag is a real question we use rising intonation. Our tone of voice rises.
If we already know the answer we use falling intonation. Our tone of voice falls.