Unit 5 Can You? Could You?

Language Objective
Answer questions using
What About You? can,
can’t, could, couldn’t.

A Answer these questions. The first two are done for you. Use them as models.

1. Can you speak English? Yes, I can.

2. Could you speak English last summer? No, I couldn’t.

3. Can you ride a horse?

4. Could you find your shoes this morning?

5. Can you type?

6. Could you tell time when you were four years old?

B Complete the sentence with can, can’t, could, or couldn’t. The first one is done for you.

1. Today, girls can take an auto mechanics course in most high schools. Forty
years ago, girls take this course in most schools.

2. If you are not an American citizen, you vote for President.

3. A fast runner, like Margarita, run more than five miles in half an hour.

4. As a boy, Mr. Ruiz was a good football player. He play very well.

5. Pam and Sam go to the beach yesterday because it was raining hard.

6. Emily Yee lives in San Francisco. On sunny days, she see the Golden Gate
Bridge from her window, but on foggy days she .

7. If you use the Yellow Pages, you find the number of a hospital.

8. Because Beethoven was deaf, he hear the last symphonies he wrote.

9. There was a lot of snow last winter, so Kevin go skiing often.

10. Forty years ago in most high schools, boys take a cooking course, but
now they take one.

11. I like to listen to music, but I play the piano at all.

12. Carmen is blind now, but when she was young, she see very well.

SKILL OBJECTIVE: Using modals can/can’t, could/couldn’t. Teach/review the modals by asking students questions and writing on
the board: Could you walk on your hands two years ago? Can you walk on your hands now? Can you name ten states? Could you do your
math homework last night? Assign the page for independent written work. Extension Activity: Have students complete these sentences
any way they like: . . . years ago, I couldn’t . . ., but I can now. . . . years ago, I could . . . , but I can’t now.
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