Ability:

Оan, Could, Be able to

ffiPЙlNт
Сirclе T (True) or F (Folsе).
т F The father wants to know if
his daughter has permission
to do spreadsheеts.

сl]АRтсI/iЕсI(
l sTAТЕгvlENTS:сАN/ сoULD
Сircle T (True)or | | BдsвFoпм
F (Folse). Suв,вст | Сдtl/Couto* | oг Vвпв
т F Thе form for сan (not) do spreadshеets
now.
сon and сould l/Hе/Shе/|t/Wе/You/Тhеy
is the samе for сould (not) usе a сomputer|astyеar.
all subjесts. *Can and could arе modals. They
do not havе -s in thе third person singular.

YEs/NoQUEsтloNsз CАN/COULD sHoRт ANSWERS

li вдsвl
Сдt't/Couto | 5uв1вст 1 Foпм | Aггlпмдтlvв
II
l NвсAтIvE

Can shе do thеm? s h ес a n . s h ес a n , t .

Yes, No,
Could they use o nе? thеy сo uld. thеy сo uldn,t.

!UH. QuвSТloNS: сAN/0OULD

l4lн-Woпo I cлtl/Co*, I sury..' | вo,в гoпм |
can she do spгeadshееts?
How well
сould thеy usе a сo mputеr ?

сl|ARтсl|EсI(
2 - sтAтЕп,tЕNТS:BE АBLE тo
Сhесk thе corrеct Suв,вст l ,. | л',, 'o | вo'. гoпм |
onswеr.
I am
Whiсh part of be
oble to сhangеs for Hе/Shе/|t rs (not) ablе to do spгеadsheеts'
diffеrent subjeсts?
л л Wе/You/Thеy arе
J be J oble to

116
 1y::1чi
S?::' !!:.Чу.?РI
.?.:у у..rr.
.:..!.Т7..
...o...l

сl|ARтсHEсI(
3 NS: BЕ ABLЕ тo
YES/NO QtUЕsтlo| st|oRт [NsWЕRs
I
Сheсk thе correct
Bс' l
|вo'.I
Suв,вст Aвш тo Fonм|
I

onswеr. ] Aггlпмдтlvв Nвсдтlvв

In questions with be Are you I am. l'm n ot.
oble to, what сomes ablе to do sprеadshееts? Yes, No,
before the subjeсt? ls she she I S . she is n' t.
П a form of be
П u fоrm of oble to wH. QUЕsтloNS: BЕ ABLE тo
Wн. Woпo | вr I suц.., | л',, 'o | вo'. гoпм |
arе you
How wе|| able to do spreadshееts?
ls she

ExPREssТHj;i:ii,i!li,,!#,
Сomplеtеthеsеsеntеnсeswith сan or be ablе to. Use onе word for eаch blonk.
A: Is she able to use a сomputer already?
is can
B: Yes. she and shе type and do spreadsheets too.

{Ь*'m'ууя p#ewъ
жwж,r #"ж e**фж% ffixarтврЕ*s

1. Usе сoп or be oblе to to talk about abi|ityin r She сan do сomputегgraphiсs.

thе pгеsent. l She,sab|е to do сomputегgraphiсs.

Usдсr Noтt: ln everydayspeeсh, сon is more

сommon than be oble to in thе oresenttense.

2. Use еithеr сould or wаs/were oblе to to ta|k l Sami сould read whеn he was fouг.
about abi|itv(but not a spесifiсaсhiеvemеnt)in r Не was ablе to usе a сomputегtoo.
the past.

about a speсifiсaсhievementor a singIeevent in Noт

the oast.

Usе еithеr could or wos/were oble to in r | сouldn,t win the Math Pгize|astyеaг.
nеgativеsentеnсesabout past abi|ity. l l wasn,t able to do onе pгob|еm.

3. For forms and tensesother than thе prеsеntor r Jenwantsto bе ablе to write pгograms.
past, use be oble to. (infinitivе)

l By Juneshe will be ablе to сomplete hеr

сomputеr с|ass.(future)
118 r ltnit 27

IDENтIFYo Rеod port of on orticle obout some tolеntеd Young businеsspeople.

Undеrline the words thot exprеss obility.

д surprising numЬеrof youngpеoplеhave Lеibowitz,Was ab|е to sеI] two softwаrе

Ё\ b."n аblеto сrеatesuссеssful Wеb-basеd Programswhеn hе wаs fourtееn.Hе mаde
ьu,i*,*,. o* y*,щ entrеprеnеur js Sаm $30,000on the deаI and now Jay runs his
Roberts. Sаm сou]d dеsign own Wеb sitе. Dan Finleywrjtеs
Wеb
Pagеs whеn hе was but
еight, hе Wrв Buslшвssrs rеviеws of neW softwаrе. He
got his breаk аt twе]vеwhеn a
TORTUN startedhis businеssаt sixtееn.A
AND PRotlт
writеrhirеd him to dеsignа Wеb ful|-t]mесollеgestudеnt,Dan сan
site. Sam,sfirst businеssfа]lеdbесausеhe Pay a staff of writеrsand still еаrn $500 a
and his partnеrWеrеn,tаble to gеt along. month. Althoughthey аll mаkе money, all
Howеver,his nеw businеss,Webman,is up thrее stаrtеdout to have fun аt thеir hoЬЬy,
and running.Anothеryoungbusinessman, Jay not to makеa profit.

o Reod еoch description,Complete it with o nomе from the orticlе.

с0ILPIEтЕ

1. Jaу sold softwarе progтams at thе age of fourteеn.

2. Sam didn't agree with his partner.

3. Dan earns money reviеwing softwarе.

4. Sam was able tо dеsign a Web page for a writer.

o Rеаd theseporogrophs, Сomplete thеm with can, сould, or be able to.

с0ILPLЕтE
Useсan or сould when possible.Сhoosеbetwееnoffirmotiveаnd negotive.

l. Stefan is enioying his сomputer сlass. Two wеeks ago, he cou|dn'| еven

usе the mousе. but now he can еdit his homеwork. Bv next week" he
will be able to do researсh on thе Internet.
2. Eleni misses her family in Greесе. She hasn't been able to visit them for
vеars. but
they just got an e-mail aссount, so now they can keep in touсh daily.

3. I can't understand how to set up a presentation. The software

instruсtions dоn't hеlp. I think I,11take a profеssional development соursе. In a fеw

months maybе I 'll be able to make that prеsentation.

4. Mike and I haven't been able to get alоng sinсе we startеd this business. He
can't can't
work alone (he nееds peoplе), and I work in a
group (I have to work alone). I hope we will be able to work out our problems soon.
 Ability: Оarl, Ооtl|tl, 8е able tо l |19

о Reod this odvertisemеnt.Сompletе it with thе oppropriote form of <an,

с0ILPLEтE
сould, or bе ablе to plus the vеrbsin pаrenthеsеs.Usе can or сould when possiblе,

WItL B. HAPPY'
Profession а| Ilеaelopmеnt Coшrses
TimеManagemеnt Prеsentations CarеerDevelopmеnt Теamwork

Think about your last presentation: Were able to ?rePare on timе?

уou
1. (preparе)
Were you -able to communicate your idеas?
2. (сommuniсate)

Will B. Hаppу@ hu, hеlpеd othеrs, and he can help YoUl

3.ф"lp)
..BеforеI
took Will B. Happy's сoursе, my work was always late bесausе

couldn't follow a sсhеdulе. I also had big piles on my dеsk bесausе I

4. (follow)

couldn't decide what was important. Now I can manage my timе

5. (deсide) 6. (mаnagе)

еffесtivеly. Nеxt month, when my workload gets hеa*, I will be able to organize
,. '*.
and do thе important things first.'' -Sсott Mаthis' student

..I be able to speak

didn't usе to in front of groups. Now I сan!''
8. (spеak)
-Mаrу Zhаng, sаIes mаnаger

ЕDIT.Reod this student,sjournol. Find ond сorrеctsevenmistokеsin еxpressingobilitу.

The first mistoke is аIrеodуcorrected.

Lo

communicate
p-еo-p|e]s,;]d j r м .w , I.,-.

feel
when,|сo - - ' .
weren't was able to
an'd'did,n't
аblеtо,work,е"ffiсient|у') ge,tan,Аtor |he,сourse"bиt
с'o"иld it was hard.Ican,

do a |of more a|one"but somе jobs are foo big toг ,fhat,Оur"in,st.ruсIor
,,sаtzs,.f-hat
,s,a,an',
be will be able to