{"id":2173,"date":"2021-11-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2021-12-01T02:36:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T02:36:33","slug":"can-be-able-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Explaining \"Can\" and \"Be Able To\""},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#1_Grammar\" >1. Grammar<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%F0%9F%94%AE_Future_Abilities_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\" >\ud83d\udd2e Future Abilities? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%E2%8C%9B_Specific_Events_in_the_Past_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\" >\u231b Specific Events in the Past? Use &#8220;Be Able To&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%F0%9F%8F%83_After_Other_Verbs_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\" >\ud83c\udfc3 After Other Verbs? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%F0%9F%AA%84_In_Other_Grammatical_Forms_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\" >\ud83e\ude84 In Other Grammatical Forms? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#2_Meaning\" >2. Meaning<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%F0%9F%92%AA_Subjects_Dont_Have_Abilities_Use_%E2%80%9CCan%E2%80%9D\" >\ud83d\udcaa Subjects Don&#8217;t Have Abilities? Use &#8220;Can&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#3_Formality\" >3. Formality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-grammar\/can-be-able-to\/#%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\" >\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>\"What's the difference between 'can' and 'be able to'?\"<br>\"Should I use 'can' here or 'be able to'?\"<br><mdspan datatext=\"el1632903665501\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">\"What about '<a href=\"https:\/\/ifunny.co\/picture\/70JqxcaZ7\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/ifunny.co\/picture\/70JqxcaZ7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I am unable to can<\/a>'?\"<\/mdspan><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the exception of the last question (which is, of course, a joke), you've probably been asked something along these lines many times during your career as an online tutor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in order to put all our students' questions, concerns, fears, and nightmares about this aspect of grammar to rest, we've compiled this ultimate guide to explaining \"can\" and \"be able to.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide is made of the following three parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2173&amp;action=edit#grammar\">Grammar-related differences<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#meaning\">Meaning-related differences<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#formality\">Formality-related differences<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have a <a href=\"#takeaways\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#takeaways\">summary at the end<\/a> for those of you who want a one-minute version of this post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"grammar\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Grammar\"><\/span>1. Grammar<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest difference between \u201ccan\u201d and \u201cbe able to\u201d is the grammar. If sentences were puzzles, \"be able to\" would be the kind of puzzle piece that could be slotted into many places, while \"can\" only fits in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, a lot of times, \"be able to\" and \"can\" are interchangeable meaning-wise, but people use \"be able to\" because using \"can\" wouldn't make sense grammatically!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%94%AE_Future_Abilities_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>\ud83d\udd2e Future Abilities? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you want to talk about an ability someone might develop in the future, \"be able to\" is the grammatical choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>My daughter <strong>will<\/strong> <strong>be able to<\/strong> walk in a few months.<\/li><li>After taking my classes, you <strong>will be able to<\/strong> speak English fluently.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Using \"can\" when you are talking about a future ability would be confusing. For example, if someone said \"My daughter can walk in a few months,\" the listener might need some clarification: \"So, can your daughter walk now? Or will she be able to walk in a few months?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(You might be wondering why both \"I can come to your party\" and \"I'll be able to come to your party\" are acceptable. That's because these sentences are referring to future <em>plans <\/em>\u2013 not <em>abilities<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%8C%9B_Specific_Events_in_the_Past_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>\u231b Specific Events in the Past? Use &#8220;Be Able To&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both \u201ccould\u201d and \u201cwas able to\u201d are used to talk about abilities people had in the past. For example, the sentences below mean the same thing regardless of which option is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When your grandma was young, she <strong>could\/was able to<\/strong> eat five hamburgers in one meal.<\/li><li>I <strong>couldn\u2019t\/wasn't able to<\/strong> sleep last night.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When talking about specific events in the past, could is sometimes ambiguous. For example if we wanted to express that Sally had the ability to find a job and she did just that, we might say \"Sally could find a job.\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in this sentence, \"could\" might also be the <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-if-i-could-cook-i-would-cook-every-day\/IUSrbmTYEeeWRsPYhKF4tg?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\">conditional form<\/a> of \"can.\" So the sentence could be understood as \"Sally had the potential to find a job (but maybe she didn't).\" This is another time when \"be able to\" makes more sense than \"can.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sally <strong>was able to <\/strong>find a job in New York after graduating.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%8F%83_After_Other_Verbs_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>\ud83c\udfc3 After Other Verbs? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another time when only \"be able to\" is acceptable is after other verbs. Since&nbsp; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-he-can-cook-almost-any-dish\/9xRpwmHSEeeUe8On7FEMLA?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\">\u201ccan\u201d is a modal verb<\/a>, it can\u2019t be used after other verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Applicants must <strong>be able to<\/strong> speak fluent French.<\/li><li>I want to be a nurse, because I want to <strong>be able to<\/strong> help people who are sick.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\"Applicants must can speak fluent French\" and \"I want to can help people\" simply sound weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%AA%84_In_Other_Grammatical_Forms_Use_%E2%80%9CBe_Able_To%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>\ud83e\ude84 In Other Grammatical Forms? Use \u201cBe Able To\u201d<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a modal verb, \u201ccan\u201d also does not have a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-i-am-cooking-now\/b7OTukrJEeew2Tsh-6GIbA?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\">continuous (-ing) form<\/a> or a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-i-have-baked-cookies-before\/sj3kBGSnEee59qumwKvMLQ?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\">perfect form<\/a>. So when a learner wants to talk about ability using another grammatical form (i.e. tense or aspect), they'll need to use \u201cbe able to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I wonder what it\u2019s like not <strong>being able to<\/strong> swim.<\/li><li>She\u2019s recovered her appetite and <strong>has been able to<\/strong> eat a lot more lately.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"meaning\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Meaning\"><\/span>2. Meaning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the grammar, meaning is another important way that \"can\" and \"be able to\" differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%92%AA_Subjects_Dont_Have_Abilities_Use_%E2%80%9CCan%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>\ud83d\udcaa Subjects Don&#8217;t Have Abilities? Use &#8220;Can&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, learners will write sentences like \u201cTickets are able to be purchased online\u201d or \u201cThis product is able to be used in a microwave.\u201d These sentences probably sound weird to you. After all, tickets and products don't really have abilities! That's why \u201ccan\u201d sounds more natural in these cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Tickets <strong>can<\/strong> be purchased online.<\/li><li>This product <strong>can<\/strong> be used in a microwave.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A trick you can teach students is that when deciding between \"be able to\" and \"can\" (and after considering the grammatical aspects), they can try phrasing the sentence with \"have the ability.\" If the sentence makes sense, then they can use \"be able to.\" If not, they should stick with \"can.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the following sentences wouldn't make sense with \"be able to,\" because heart disease doesn't \u201chave the ability\u201d to cause itself and birds don't \"have the ability\" to be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Heart disease <strong>can<\/strong> be caused by many factors.<\/li><li>Birds <strong>can<\/strong> be found on almost every continent.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"formality\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Formality\"><\/span>3. Formality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the last way in which \"be able to\" and \"can\" differ is in formality. While they're both used in everyday conversations for the reasons we've discussed above (grammar and meaning), \"be able to\" is more common in formal English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, formal English \u2013 especially writing \u2013 calls for specificity. This is why you\u2019ll see \u201cbe able to\u201d more often than \u201ccan\u201d in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/daily-news\/search?query=%22able%20to%22\" target=\"_blank\">news articles<\/a> that mention ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, \u201cbe able to\u201d sounds more indirect and impersonal than \u201ccan.\u201d This is why automated messages from computer programs often use \"able to\" instead of \"can.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" id=\"block-553bcb82-5ba2-4188-9f29-70801701a1f6\"><li>We <strong>are unable to<\/strong> process your request at this time. Please try again later.<\/li><li>Please do not reply to this email, as we <strong>are unable to<\/strong> respond from this address.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, we wouldn't recommend dwelling on formality too much. For one, standards for formality change. For example, automated messages seem to be using \"can\" more and more these days (e.g. \"Cannot connect to this network, \"Cannot connect to the app store,\" etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further, overemphasizing formality may lead students to think that they should only use \"can\" in informal contexts and \"be able to\" in formal ones when grammar and meaning should play a much bigger role in this decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"takeaways\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\"><\/span>\ud83d\udccc <mdspan datatext=\"el1632970781209\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Takeaways<\/mdspan><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That was a lot of information, so here\u2019s a quick summary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Grammar<ul><li>\u201cBe able to\u201d is more flexible. It can be used with any verb and tense!<\/li><li>\u201cWas able to\u201d is used for successful one-time events in the past.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Meaning<ul><li>Use \"can\" for subjects that don't have abilities. <\/li><li>Phrase sentences using \"have the ability\" to see if they would make sense with \"be able to.\"<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Formality<ul><li>Compared to grammar and meaning, formality plays a smaller role in deciding whether to use \"be able to\" or \"can.\"<\/li><li>\"Be able to\" is more common in formal contexts.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope this guide helps you the next time you need to explain this to a student. Happy tutoring!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\"What's the difference between 'can' and 'be able to'?\"\"Should I use 'can' here or 'be able to'?\"\"What about 'I am unable to can'?\" With the exception of the last question (which is, of course, a...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":2417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Ultimate Guide to Explaining &quot;Can&quot; and &quot;Be Able To&quot; | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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