Can and Its Meanings

Exercise 25

Read, translate and comment on the meanings of the verb can and its equivalents (physical or mental ability; possibility due to circumstances or the existing laws; impossibility; permission; polite request; suggestion; doubt, astonishment).

1. You cannot pleaseall the people all the time.

2. I can’t stop talking. I justcan’t helpit.

3. Canthis young girl reallybemy boss?

4. We wish we could rely onhim.

5. You could trusthim.

6. If I couldIwould getthe Moon for you.

7. Oh, no! You can’t have failedthe exam again.

8. Can the childhave been watchingthe telly all day long?

9. Ben can’tbestillsleeping! It’s time he went to college.

10. Love canneitherbeboughtnorsold. Its only price is love.

11. In some countries you can’t vote during elections, if you are under 18.

12. How canhehave lostthe keys?

13. You couldat leasthelpme.

14. He was able to reachBrighton before the midnight.

15. They’ll be able to win the competition, I’m sure.

Exercise 26

Match the personal qualities on the left with the abilitieson the right.

If you ...	you can ...
1. are computer literate 2. are trilingual 3. are good at mental arithmetic 4. are autonomous 5. have a creative personality 6. have a logical mind 7. have a sense of humour 8. are cool-headed 9. are short-sighted 10. are thick-skinned 11. are decisive and people accept your authority	a.work well on your own b. use different types of software c. solve problems rationally d. be a good leader e. calculate quickly in your head f.speak three languages g.bring new ideas to projects h. keep calm in stressful situations i. not watch TV without your glasses j.laugh at yourself k. ignore criticism easily

Exercise 27

Think of two or three specific occasions in the past when you wereorweren’t able to dosomething you wanted or needed to do. Say what happened.

Example:

• Usually I can’t relax with people I don’t know well. But when I met Philip he was so friendly that I was able to get on very well with him immediately.

Exercise 28

Make appropriate sentences from the table using can.

Learning a foreign language				hard work
Entertaining overseas clients				good fun
Negotiating a contract	can	occasionally	be	challenging
Being in charge of a project		sometimes		a waste of time
Setting up in business		often		painful
				boring

Exercise 29

Complete the sentences using can / can’tor could / couldn’t and the verbs in the box to talk aboutpossibility or impossibility of the actionsat the moment of speaking, in the past or in the future. Use each verb only once.

grow	make	live	cross	fly	work
be	reach	survive	become	buy	be avoided

Example:

• Tigers can be dangerous.

1. Twenty years ago you _____ a computer as cheaply as you can now.

2. Temperatures near the South Pole _____ minus 43 degrees Centigrade.

3. A hundred years ago ships _____ the Atlantic in 10 days.

4. Camels _____ for up to 17 weeks in the desert without water.

5. Dinosaurs _____ up to 5 metres long.

6. Anyone _____ mistakes.

7. A lot of accidents at work _____.

8. You _____ to Dover – there isn’t an airport.

9. Mathematics _____ really interesting.

10. Elephants _____ for up 70 years.

11. Where’s Tom? - He _____ still in his office. You know he is such a

workaholic.

12. He _____ a Member of Parliament but he preferred to stay out of politics.

Exercise 30

Rewrite the following sentences using could orcouldn’t to say something waspossiblein the past.

1. If we diversified we would be able to offer a wider range of products.

2. If I had stayed in the States I would have been able to get a better job.

3. In the 1980s it was possible to make a fortune as a “golden boy”.

4. She had an opportunity to do an MBA but decided it was too much work.

5. Thirty years ago you used to be able to buy cigarettes in packets of five.

6. Before privatization it wasn’t possible to buy shares in British Telecom.

Exercise 31

Read the following story and list the missed opportunitiesin the past usingcould have and a past participle.

As a young man Peter Metro was a gifted musician who once had a record in the top 20. But he decided to abandon music and study ocean engineering at Florida Atlantic University instead. After four years there he graduated and was offered a research post in the faculty.

But by that time he had decided he wanted to see the world and spent a year traveling Europe. In Italy he happened to meet the film director Roberto Bellini who offered him a role in his latest film, but he turned it down because he had just accepted a job with a small firm specializing in the construction of racing catamarans.

One day the famous skipper Chris Dickson asked him to sail with him during the Admiral’s Cup but Peter decided not to because he was too busy.

Exercise 32

Look through the exercise. Choose the sentences in which canorcould are usedto talk about permissionor to askpermission.

1. People can drivea car in Britain when they are seventeen.

2. Sarah could playthe piano when she was very young.

3. – CanIrideyour bicycle, please Jane? – Of course youcan.

4. Canhehave caught cold?

5. Canyoutellme the way to the nearest post-office?

6. Couldyouleavethe boy here for half an hour? I want him to help me.

7. We could hearthe traffic on the main road.

8. I couldn’t doyour job. I’m not experienced enough.

9. His little sister can walkalready.

10. Couldyouwalkour dog in the park in the evening?

11. You can leavethe child with the grandmother. She’ll be happy.

13. Canshebe waitingfor us?

14. You can havethis book when I have finished it.

15. She can’t help crying.

16. Could you dome afavour?

Exercise 33

Discuss with your fellow students what you canandwhat you can’t do:

a.on board a plane / a train	c. at the concert
b. at the University	d. in the Zoo

Exercise 34

Using the modal verb can (could) paraphrase the following sentences to expressdoubt or astonishment of the speaker.

Example:

• I don’t believe he isat home now.

• He can’t beat home now.

1. I don’t believe that you are serious.

2. I can’t believe that he has made such an important discovery.

3. It is impossible that the cat ate all the fish.

4. I don’t believe that our papers were so poor.

5. It is impossible that you believed such a silly lie.

6. I don’t think that she is good at physics.

7. It is not true that he had stolen the money.

8. Nobody believes that they have heard the story before.

9. Tourists were surprised that this house was built at the end of the 18th

century.

10. It is unlikely that Jane has made such a mistake.

11. Experts doubt that this picture was painted by an Italian artist.

Exercise 35

Expressing doubt or astonishment of the speaker the modal verbcan (could)is translated into Russian by the words:может быть, возможно(in the affirmative sentences);не может быть, неужели(in the negative and interrogative sentences).

A. Translate these sentences into English, using the modal verbcan (can’t) /

could (couldn’t).

1. Не может быть, что они сейчас дома.

2. Не может быть, что она еще спит. Ужедесятьчасов.

3. Может ли быть, что она ждет нас?

4. Неужелионаэтосказала?

5. Не может быть, что она опоздала на урок. Она никогда не

опаздывала.

6. Неужелионипроиграли?

7. Не может быть, чтобы это была правда.

8. Не может быть, что он ученый.

9. Неужели она провалилась на экзамене?

10. Неужелиончемпионмира?

B. Translate these sentences with the modal verbcan (can’t) / could

(couldn’t),expressingdoubt or astonishment of the speaker, into

Russian.

1. He could have found the book in the library.

2. The workers cannot be bought off with a small increase in their miserable

pay.

3. Could anyone else have done better than he had done? Could he have

avoided the mistakes that he had done?

4. He was too old, he couldn’t have been less than sixty.

5. Can it be seven o’clock now?

6. He couldn’t have driven her to the station because he can’t drive.

7. Could she have missed the bus?

8. Can the leopard change his spots?

10. He can’t be so selfish.

Exercise 36

A. Translate these sentences into Russian, paying attention toset

expressionswith the modal verbcan.

1. She can’t helpcrying.

2. He couldn’t helplaughing.

3. I can’t but askhim about it.

4. They couldn’t but refusehim.

5. A man can die butonce.

6. I can’t helpthinking about it.

7. He couldn’t helpwriting.

8. Children can’t help arguingwith their parents.

9. The patient can’t but follow doctors’ instructions.

10. We can’t help studyingthe English language.

B. Translate these sentences into Russian, paying attention tosocial

interaction formulas with the modal verbcan.

1. What can I do for you?

2. Could you do me a favour?

3. Could I trouble you for...?

4. You can count on me.

5. It can’t be helped.

6. I can hardly believe my eyes.

7. You never can tell.

8. Could you tell me if there is a phone box near here?

9. Can I leave / give / take him a message?

10. Could you repeat that, please?

11. Could you speak up a little?

Exercise 37

Here are some English proverbs with the verb can. Find their Russian equivalents and use some of them in the situations of your own to illustrate their meaning. Share your ideas with the group.

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

2. You can take the horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink.

3. What is done cannot be undone.

4. What can’t be cured must be endured.

5. A good horse cannot be of bad colour.

6. You cannot judge a tree by its bark.

7. A beggar can never be bankrupt.

8. You cannot eat your cake and have it.

9. A cracked bell can never sound well.

10. Before one can say Jack Robinson.

Exercise 38

Translate these sentences from Russian into English. Mind the use of can and its equivalentsin different meanings.

1. Я не могу понять, что он говорит.

2. Она никогда не может прийти вовремя.

3. Не может быть, чтобы он был так груб! Не мог он этого сказать.

4. Вы не можете получить посылку на почте, если у вас нет паспорта.

5. Я тебе не верю, ты не мог не узнать меня. Неужели я так изменилась?

6. Прибыль компании была бы выше, но её товары перестали

пользоваться спросом.

7. Неужели вы не нашли время, чтобы поговорить с деканом?

8. Ну, что я могу сказать, правилам нужно подчиняться.

9. Могу я поделиться своим мнением?

10. Ты можешь ей помочь? - Я мог бы, если бы захотел.

11. Можно подвести лошадь к воде ( totake a horse to the water ), но

нельзя заставить её пить.

12. Кто бы мог ожидать, что он станет политиком?

13. Вы не можете перейти улицу в этом месте.

14. Нам удалось достать билеты на концерт этой звезды.

15. Я не смог навестить вас, так как был в командировке.