Подай ръка за да учим заедно: BE ABLE TO

четвъртък, 16 януари 2020 г.

BE ABLE TO

BE ABLE TO

BE ABLE TO is like CAN. We use BE ABLE TO to talk about abilities and possibilities in places when CAN is not possible to use. For example, it is not possible to use CAN after another modal verb.

She won’t be able to get there on time.

He should be able to reach the top shelf.

1. Use BE ABLE TO for abilities and possibilities

BE ABLE TO and CAN are used interchangeably in different tenses in the past and the future. However, BE ABLE TO is more formal.

I’m sorry, I am not able to give you this information. = can’t in present

I’m sorry, I was not able to give you this information. = can’t in the past

I’m sorry, I will not able to give you this information. = can’t in future

CAN is mainly used to express abilities in general, while BE ABLE TO refers to temporary or precise abilities or inabilities:

I can’t swim, I never learned how to.

I’m not able to swim, the swimming pool is closed today.

2. Use WAS/WERE ABLE TO for past achievements

(was/were able to = managed to)

We usually use WAS/WERE ABLE TO, not COULD, to talk about past achievements in affirmative clauses. This is because they are facts rather than possibilities:

Only one person was able to reach the top of the mountain.

NOTE: COULD with non-action verbs

However, with verbs that refer to the five senses (see, hear, smell, feel, taste) and with verbs that refer to thought processes (understand, believe, remember, decide), we normally use COULD, even when we are talking about specific occasions:

He was standing very close to me and I could smell the garlic on his breath.

He asked me when his birthday was, but I couldn't remember.

I couldn't decide what to do.

I could see that he'd been painting the house.

We use UNABLE TO as an alternative to NOT ABLE TO in negative forms.

unable to = not able to = not successful in

I was unable to complete the report as several pieces of information were missing.