Modal Verbs of Ability in the Past PowerPoint; ILI MD; E5 Grammar; Chapter 10; concept 10.3 .pptx

ESOL PowerPoint

1. Past Ability: Could, Was Able To, Managed To Paul Nicklas, ILI MD, Inlingua DC

2. Today, We will learn how to express past abilities with “could” “was (or) were able to” and "managed to.” The first thing to know is that, in the past tense, we express general abilities and abilities at specific times in different ways.

3. General ability We usually use could or couldn't to talk about general abilities in the past. She could paint before she started school. I couldn't cook until I went to university. When I lived next to the pool, I could go swimming every day.

4. Ability on one occasion – successful When we talk about achieving something on a specific occasion in the past, we use was/were able to (= had the ability to) and managed to (= succeeded in doing something difficult). The burglar was able to get in through the bathroom window. The burglar managed to get in through the bathroom window even though it was locked. Could is not usually correct when we're talking about ability at a specific moment in the past.

5. Ability on one occasion – unsuccessful When we talk about a specific occasion when someone didn't have the ability to do something, we can use wasn't/weren't able to, didn't manage to or couldn't. The speaker wasn't able to attend the conference due to illness. She couldn't watch the match because she was working. They worked on it for months, but they didn't manage to find a solution. Note that wasn't/weren't able to is more formal than couldn't , while didn't manage to emphasizes that the thing was difficult to do.

6. We were _____ leave our suitcases with reception while we waited for our room to be ready. could able to

7. We were _____ leave our suitcases with reception while we waited for our room to be ready. could able to 

8. We were _____ get a boat from the island that day because of the bad weather. not able to not manage to

9. We were _____ get a boat from the island that day because of the bad weather. not able to not manage to 

10. I can't believe you _____ get us a table at the restaurant. It's always full! could managed to

11. I can't believe you _____ get us a table at the restaurant. It's always full! could managed to 

12. I _____ afford to buy a car so I borrowed money from the bank. didn't manage to couldn't

13. I _____ afford to buy a car so I borrowed money from the bank. didn't manage to couldn't 

14. Luckily, I _____ get to the airport on time, despite the traffic. managed to could

15. Luckily, I _____ get to the airport on time, despite the traffic. managed to could 

16. When I first moved to Argentina I _____ only speak a few words of Spanish. could managed to

17. When I first moved to Argentina I _____ only speak a few words of Spanish. could managed to 

18. He _____ swim until he had lessons when he was 20 years old. didn't manage to couldn't

19. He _____ swim until he had lessons when he was 20 years old. didn't manage to couldn't 

20. I _____ touch my toes until I started doing yoga and became more flexible. could couldn't

21. I _____ touch my toes until I started doing yoga and became more flexible. could couldn't 