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Englsh Grammar

Other, , Prof. Rachna

Updated On 02 Feb, 19

Overview

Dating and relationship Vocabulary - Spoken English Lesson - Using mustn't and needn't correctly - Using the future perfect continuous tense - Ill have been working - Using the expression ought to in English ( Modal Auxiliary Verb) - The difference between in and Inside - 'Will I/we' OR 'Shall I/we' in questions (Future) - Which one is correct? - Using Each other and One Another correctly - The Past Continuous Tense (I was Sleeping) - 03 basic uses of being - Difference between 'Idle', 'Idol' & 'Ideal' - The difference between of and off - Present Perfect Continuous Tense VS Past Perfect Continuous Tense - Using Used to and would with Past actions - The Past Perfect Tense (I had gone) - Difference between - dead, death and die - Present Perfect tense (We have gone) and Simple past tense (we went) - Phrases to talk about Driving in English - Expressing Time in English - Using an with consonant abbreviations - How to use multiple adjectives in a sentence? - Using travel words in English - The difference between Lay and Lie - Talking about addictions in English - The difference between passed and past- Saying sorry and Excusing yourself in English - Describing a bad day at work - Using 'too' correctly - Making, Accepting & Declining an invitation in English - Phrasal verbs with ASK - Using Should, Could and Would have done correctly - English Phrasal Verbs - Using the word 'Thing' in different ways - How to achieve your New Year Resolutions? - How to avoid giving information? English Lesson to practice conversation - Using 'ed' and 'ing' adjectives correctly - 14 different ways to say ' I Like it ' - 07 reasons - Why your English speaking isn't improving - Spoken English tips - Difference between 'See', 'Watch' and 'Look' - The difference between the verbs 'Speak' and 'Talk' - Difference between ' I Hope ' and ' I Wish ' - Difference between ' Small ' & ' Little ' - The difference between 'Beside' and 'Besides' - Using 'Myself', Yourself, Ourselves, Themselves Correctly - Reflexive Pronouns - Difference between 'Almost', 'Almost All' and 'Most' - Using 'Also' , 'Too' & 'Either' correctly in a sentence - Using Some & Any - Using ' TO BE ' as the main verb in a sentence - Using the expression 'BUT' in different ways - Modal verbs - Can and Could - Making Suggestions and Recommendations

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Lecture 49: Modal verbs - Can and Could

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Lecture Details

Modal verbs - Can and Could - English Grammar lesson

In this lesson Rachna explains the difference between could and can when expressing possibility? Most of the time it is clear from the context, but use of can can also express possibility (rather than ability). For example, giving advice answering the question

How cancould I improve my English?
You cancould listen to the radio, watch TV and read the newspaper.
Both are possible. Students want to know when to use could and when to use can.

Similarly, How could I improve my English? is more a request for advice, whereas How can I improve my English?is more a factual question about available options. (But of course we can also answer this question by giving advice.)

Can and could, like the other modal verbs, have developed quite a range of meanings and uses. You ask how to explain the difference, and explanation can certainly help, but learning all the ins and outs of these verbs is a long process which requires plenty of experience, observation and experiment. Watch this video lesson to understand when to use Can and Could.

Enjoy!