Page 65 - Basic English Usage

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Past
We use could for ‘general ability’ — to say that we could do something
at any time, whenever we wanted. (Was/were able tois also possible.)
She could read when she was four. (OR She was able to ... )
My father could speak ten lanquages.
We do not use could to say that we did something on one occasion. We
use managed to, succeeded in ... -ing, or was able to.
How many eggs were you able to get?
(NOT ... eotte-yex get?)
| managed to find a really nice dress in the sale yesterday.
(NOT HeettdHind ...)
After six hours’ climbing we succeeded in getting to the top of the
mountain. (NOT ... weeeuldgettothetep ...)
But we can use couldn't to say that we did not succeed in doing
something on one occasion.
| managed to find the street, but | couldn’t find her house.

Conditional
We can use could to mean ‘would be able to’.
You ceuld get a better job if you spoke a foreign language.

could have ...
We use a special structure to say that we had the ability to do
something, but did not try to do it.

could have + past participle
| could have married anybody | wanted to.
| was so angry | could have killed her!
You could have helped me — why didn't you?

79 can: possibility and probability

Possibitity
We use canto Say that situations and events are possible.
Scotland can be very warm in September.
‘Who ean join the club?’ ‘Anybody who wants to.
There are three possibilities: we can go to the police, we ean talk to
a lawyer, or we ean forget all about it.
‘There’s the doorbell.’ ‘Who ean it be?’ ‘Well, it can’t be your mother.
She's in Edinburgh. '
We use could to talk about past possibility.
It could be quite frightening if you were alone in our big old house.