Exercise 13 Can Elephants Fly?

Which is right and which is wrong? Write sentences. Use canorcan’t.

Example:

Elephants can fly.		WRONG: Elephants can’t fly.
Dogs can swim.		Right:Dogscan swim.

1. Penguins can swim. __________________________ 2. Penguins can fly. __________________________ 3. Horses can swim. __________________________ 4. Lions can climb trees. __________________________ 5. Elephants can catch fish. __________________________ 6. Dogs can climb trees. __

7. Parrots can fly. __________________________ 8. Cats can fly. __________________________ 9. Camels can run. ___________________________ 10. Bears can catch fish. ___________________________ 11. Spiders can swim. __________________________ 12. Sheep can jump. __________________________

Exercise 14

What Can They Do?

I. Say what four friends Jenny, Nick Tom and Amanda canandcannot

(can’t) do, like this:

• Jenny, Nick and Tom can swim under water. Amanda can’t.

	Jenny	Nick	Tom	Amanda
Can they ...
swim under water?				×
1. dive?			×
2. put up a tent?	×		×
3. row a boat?	×
4. make a camp fire?	×		×
5. sew a button?		×	×
6. make an omelette?		×		×
7. tie knots?	×
8. do first aid?			×
9. climb a rope?	×
10. read a map?		×

Exercise 15

Ask your group-mates what they canorcan’t (cannot)do. Give short answers.

Example:

• speak Arabic

• Student A: CanyouspeakArabic?

• Student B: Yes, I can. ORNo, I can’t .

ride a bicycle	float on water	stand on your head
ride a motorcycle	dive	touch your ear with your elbow
ride a horse	ski	touch your knee with your nose
play the piano	drive a car	make a camp fire
play the guitar	fix a flat tyre	make a paper airplane
play the violin	do first aid	sew a button on a shirt
sing	cook food	speak Japanese
whistle	save money	spell Mississippi

Exercise 16

Complete the sentences with can / can’t, could / couldn’tplus one of these verbs.

come eat

hear run

sleep wait

play speak

listen to find

fix buy

walk drive

take call

Example:

• I’m afraid I _____ to your party next week.

• I’m afraid I can’t cometo your party next week.

1. When Tim was 16, he was a fast runner. He __________ 100 metres in 11

seconds.

2. Are you in a hurry? - No, I’ve got plenty of time. I __________.

3. I was feeling sick yesterday. I __________ anything.

4. Can you speak up a bit? I __________ you very well.

5. You look tired. - Yes, I __________ last night.

6. My grandfather was a very clever man he _________ five languages.

7. I looked everywhere for the book but I __________ it.

8. Laura had hurt her leg and __________ very well.

9. My grandmother loved music. She __________ the piano very well.

10. I had forgotten to bring my camera so I __________ any photographs.

11. I _________ you yesterday, because I lost your telephone number.

12. I __________ music because my radio doesn’t work.

13. __________ you __________ a car?

14. Where __________ I __________ a newspaper here?

15. Two years ago I __________ a car, but now I __________ .

Exercise 17

Answer the questions. Use No, (...) can’t … because…; No, (…) couldn’t because ….

Example:

• Did you finish your homework last night?

• No, I couldn’t finishmy homeworkbecause I had a headache.

1. Can you run a marathon?

2. Did you manage to fix a flat tyre last Saturday?

3. Did you go swimming yesterday?

4. Can you cook anything delicious?

5. Can you stand on your head?

6. Does your group use English grammar correctly?

7. Can many Europeans eat rice with chopsticks?

8. Is a computer able to replace a human being?

9. Can a foreigner come to Russia without a visa?

10. Can your friend wiggle your ears?

11. Can you buy a diamond ring?

12. Can visitors see a kangaroo in Australia?

13. Could you add, subtract, multiply and divide at the age of four?

14. Could ancient people hunt?

15. Are you able to answer all these questions?

Can = Be able to

Exercise 18

Make sentences with the same meaning by using be able to.

Example:

I can behere tomorrow at ten o’clock. I’ll be able to behere tomorrow at ten o’clock.

Two students couldn’t finishthe test. Two students weren’t able to finishthe test.

1. Mark is bilingual. He can speak two languages.

2. Sue can get her own apartment next year.

3. Animals can’t speak.

4. Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?

5. Jack couldn’t describe the thief.

6. Could you do the homework?

7. I couldn’t sleep last night because my apartment was too hot.

8. My roommate can speak four languages. He’s multilingual.

9. I’m sorry that I couldn’t call you last night.

10. I’m sorry but I can’t come to your party next week.

11. Can we take vacations on the Moon in the 22nd century?

12. They couldn’t know that news yesterday.

13. People could overcome the Earth gravitation.

Exercise 19

Complete the answers to the questions with was able to / were able to.

1.	A:	Did everybody escape from fire?
	B:	Yes. Although the fire spread quickly, everybody was able to escape..........................................................................................
2.	A:	Did you have difficulty finding Ann’s house?
	B:	Not really. Ann had given us good directions and we ..................
3.	A:	Did you finish your work this afternoon?
	B:	Yes, there was nobody to disturb me, so .....................................
4.	A:	Did the thief get away?
	B:	Yes. No one realized what was happening and the thief .............
5.	A:	Did you get home in time yesterday?
	B:	Yes. Despite yesterday’s snowfalls, we ....................................... drive home in less than an hour.

Exercise 20

Choose the correct form of the verbs.

1. Why did you walk all the way from the station? You could phone / could

have phoned for a lift.

2. I loved staying with my grandparents when I was a child. They let me read

all the books in the house and told me I could / was able to goto bed as

late as I wanted.

3. This carpet was priced at £ 500, but I could / was able to geta discount

because of this little mark in the corner.

4. I couldn’t have found / haven’t been able to find my diary for days. It’s

terribly inconvenient.

5. As soon as she opened the door I could / was able to seefrom her face

that something terrible had happened.

6. I’ve no idea where my brother is living now. He can / could be at the

North Pole for all I know.

7. It’s difficult to understand how explorers survive the conditions they

encounter in the Antarctic. I’m sure I can’t / couldn’t.

8. Why did I listen to you? I can be / could have been at home by now

instead of sitting here in the cold.

9. The day started off misty, but by the time we had reached the mountain the

sun had appeared and we could / were able to climbit quite quickly.

10. They didn’t want to come with us at first but we could / were able to

persuade them.

Exercise 21

Fill in can orbe able toin the appropriate tense and form. In some sentences more than one form is possible.

Example:

• You ____ run much faster when you were younger.

• You could / were able to runmuch faster when you were younger.

1. On entering the house I _____ smell something burning in the kitchen.

2. If you walk quickly, you _____ finish on time.

3. Ann ____ read by now; she’s already six.

4. When we lived on the coast, we _____ swim in the sea everyday.

5. If Gordon _____ find his way out of the jungle, he would have survived.

6. Last week he _____ arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister.

7. I’m not usually very good at tennis, but yesterday I _____ beat my brother.

8. Tom _____ finish this job today, shouldn’t he?

9. He _____ fix the tap so he called the plumber.

10. I’ve been looking for your glasses but I _____ find them yet.

11. By the time Phillis was ten, she _____ speak three languages.

12. If you don’t tell me what your problem is, I _____ help you.

13. I got home early last night, so I _____ watch my favourite programme

on TV.

14. I _____ eat anything when I was younger, but now I have to be more

careful.

15. He _____ pass the exam because he had studied hard.

Exercise 22

The Psycho – Clinicin London helps people with their problems. Below is an advertisement for the clinic. Complete the sentences usingcan, could,

was able to / were able to, ’ll be able to or their negative forms. Sometimes more than one answer is correct.