9th Grade Study Guide

Third Quarter
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People often use can and could interchangeably, even though the words have slightly different
meanings. Luckily, the rules about when to use can vs. could are pretty straightforward.
Both are modal verbs used to express ability or possibility; they can also be used to ask for
permission.
When you’re talking about the possibility of something happening in the future, use can if
something is very likely to happen. Could, on the other hand, should be used for things that
have an equal chance of not happening. When you’re referring to someone’s ability to do
something, use can in present-tense scenarios and could in past-tense situations.
Avoid making a grammatical blunder by reading our piece on the differences between can vs.
could.

Use could if you’re describing someone’s ability in the past tense.

Consider a realist when it comes to possibilities—something might happen, but it also might not.
Could is seen as more formal when asking for permission.

Examples of can:
I can open that door for you.
You can damage your car’s engine if you drive around with low motor oil.
Can we pick a new restaurant for date night?
You can pick whatever restaurant you like.

Examples of could:
Mario could have gone to any college he wanted, but he chose UConn because that’s
where his dad went.
I could win the Chicago Marathon if I train hard enough.
Could you have someone carry my bag upstairs?
I think we could outrun those wolves.

Will and would can both refer to willingness. We use will for present and future time and would,
usually in the negative, for past time:
John will carry your suitcase. It’s far too heavy for you. (present)
The taxi driver wouldn’t take more than four in the car. (past)

There are a number of phrases with would where will cannot be used:
Would you like your steak well cooked?
Not: Will you like your steak well cooked?
Would you mind introducing me to him?
Not: Will you mind introducing me to him?
Would you rather pay by credit card?
Not: Will you rather pay by credit card?

Ought to' is considered a semi-modal verb because, although it shares some characteristics
with modal verbs it also functions as a regular verb in some respects.
Like modal verbs, it is often followed by the base form of the verb and it has the same form for
all persons. However, unlike modal verbs, "ought to" is followed by the particle "to," which is not
used with modal verbs. 'Ought to' is commonly used to:

Should or Ought to?

To indicate that something is the best thing or right thing to do, you can use both should
and 'ought to'. The difference is that 'should' is more common in spoken English.

You ought to have been more careful.

You ought to have listened to your teacher.

Babies ought to be able to talk by the age of 1.

In this sentence, babies are expected to talk by the age of 1.
Teachers ought to earn more.
In this sentence the speaker would like teachers to earn more.

If you want to form a question, it is more common to use 'should' instead of 'ought to'.

Should I buy this shirt?

Remember, it is not common to say; ''ought I to buy this shirt?''
Oughtn't the food to have been ready by now?

Had better' is a semi-modal verb phrase that is used to give advice or a warning about a
potential outcome or consequence. It is often used to suggest that someone should take
a particular action in order to avoid a negative consequence or to achieve a desired
outcome.

You'd better hurry or you'll be late.

You'd better not do that again.
As you can see, 'had better' can be used to form negative statements by adding 'not' after it.

Had better' is often used to give advice or make suggestions about what someone
should do in order to avoid negative consequences or achieve a desired outcome. For
example:

You had better study hard if you want to pass the test.
You had better not skip your appointment with the doctor, or your condition could get worse.

Had better' can be used to express a sense of urgency or importance in a particular situation.
For example:
We had better leave now if we want to catch the last train.

Some, any, much, many, few and little are all words that come before nouns to help explain
them. Some and any are both “determiners” – they tell us whether the noun phrase is general or
specific. Some and any are both “general determiners”, which means they refer to an indefinite
or unknown quantity of something.

Much, many, few and little are all “quantifiers”. Quantifiers are used to give information about
quantity (the number of something). Both much and many suggest a large quantity of
something, whilst little and few mean: not as much, or not as many. However, if you use a little
or a few this means: a small amount!
But how do we know when to use each word? Broadly speaking, the rules for using these terms
are based on whether the noun we are referring to is countable, uncountable, plural vs. singular
OR whether they appear in positive or negative sentences or questions. Be careful because
each set of words has its own particular rules and exceptions!

The words some and any are used when the exact number or amount of something is not
known, or when it’s not important. Some and any are both used to refer to an indefinite quantity
or number.
For example:
There are some birds in our garden.
(We don’t know exactly how many birds are in the garden or it doesn’t matter how many birds
there are exactly)
As opposed to:
There are three birds in our garden.
(The number of birds is important and exact)
Some and any are known as “general determiners”. They are used to modify nouns, specifically
to tell us that the noun phrase is general (rather than specific). They can be used with:
1. Countable or uncountable nouns:
We don’t have any time to get popcorn before the film starts.(Time is uncountable)
We still have some apples on the tree. (Apples are countable)

We don’t have any space left in the car so we won’t be able to give you a lift.
I don’t need any help with my homework because I can do it on my own.
There isn’t any milk in the fridge so we’ll have to have black coffee.
I’m not hungry at the moment so I don’t want anything to eat.
And in questions:
Have you got any idea how long the film lasts?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
It would be great to season these potatoes. Is there any salt and pepper?
Do you have any plans for the summer?