Modals - Can - Could - Can't

All About Series: MODALS - Auxiliary Verb (Can and Could)

Examples: Can and Could:

He can drive the car.

can + infinitive (can do /can play /can come etc.)

I / We/ You /They He / She / It	Can Cannot (Can’t)	do drive see come, play etc.
Question Form
Can	I / We/ You /They He / She / It	Do? Drive? See? Come ?,  Play? etc.

 

I can do something = I know how to do it or it is possible for me to do it.

·         ‘Can you sing?’ ‘Yes, but I’m not a very good singer.

·         ‘Can you change the Dollar bill?” I’m sorry I can’t.

·         Andrew can speak German but he can’t speak French.

·         I can play the guitar. My brother can play the piano.

·         I’m having a party next week but Ann and Sally  can’t come.

For the past (yesterday / last week etc. ). We use could / couldn’t.

·         Before Anna came to France, she couldn’t understand much French. Now she can understand everything.

·         I was hungry last night but I couldn’t eat.

·         When I was young, I could run very fast.

·         I had a party last week but Susan and Katrina couldn’t come.

Can you …? Could You … ? Can I … ? Could I …?

When we ask people to do things:  We use Can you …? Or Could You …?

·         Can you open the door, please? Or Could you open the door, please?

·         Can you wait a moment, please? Or Could you wait…?

We use can I have …? Or Could I have …? to ask for something:

(In a shop) Can I have these postcards, please? Or could I have …?

 Can I … ? or Could I … ? = is it OK to do something?:

Kathy, can I borrow your umbrella? Or Tom, could I borrow your umbrella?

(on the phone) Hello, can I speak to Dr. Sam, Please? Or … could I speak …?

MODALS - Auxiliary Verb

All about Modals (auxiliary verb):

Modal verb: An auxiliary verb used to indicate modality – that is, likelihood, ability, permission, and obligation. Modal auxiliary verbs give more information about the function of the main verb that follows it. 

Modals can be analyzed as raising verbs and control verbs. Another use of modal auxiliaries refers to properties such as ability or disposition. Some examples of this are "can" in English.

For example, "I can do that piece of work”.

The follows propositions being true or not true (including likelihood, and certainty); and concerned with possibility and necessity in terms of freedom to act (including ability, permission, and duty)

The following sentences illustrate the two uses of must:

•   You must be tiered. (e.g., "It is necessarily the case that you are tiered.")
•      You must slow down the car. (e.g., "You are required to move slowly now.")
•    You must speak English. (e.g., English is a necessary language here)
• "It is surely the case that you speak Spanish (after having lived in Spain for ten years)."
• "It is a requirement that you speak Spanish (if you want to get a job in Spain)."

Usage of Modals:

1.    Can, could and (be) able to
2.    Could (do) and Could have (done)
3.    Must and Can’t
4.    May and Might
5.    Must and have (to)
6.    Must, Mustn’t and needn’t
7.    Should
8.    Had Better (It’s time)
9.    Can, could and would you

Etymology - WORD : Root Origin

Etymology (Vocabulary):    Root  Word Formation
 

Root Words	Meaning	Examples
Ego	Self	Egoism
Misein	To hate	Misanthrope
Gamos	Marriage	Bigamy
Gyne	Woman	Gynaecalogy
Derma	Skin	Dermatology
Orthos	Straight , Correct	Orthiodontics
Psyche	Mind, Soul, Spirit	Psychotic
Neuron	Nerve	Neurology
Logos	Science, Study	Biology
Bios	Life	Biopsy
Opsis, Optikos	View, Sight, Vision	Autopsy, Optical
Algos	Pain	Neuralgia
Agogos	Leading	Demagogue
Pedis	Foot	Pedestrian
Paidos (Paed)	Child	Paediatrician
Demos	People	Democracy
Oculus	Eye	Ocular
Iatreia	Medical healing	Psychiatry
Metron	Measurement	Optometrist
Geras	Old age	Geriatrics
Soma	Body	Psychosomatic
Pathos	Disease	Osteopath
Odoulos	Tooth	Exodentist
Pous, Podos	Foot	Octopus, Podium
Cheir (Chiro)	Hand	Chirography

SYNONYMS / ANTONYMS

Here is the list of some commonly used  words:

SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS

SYNONYMS: Different words  having same meaning 

 (Abandon - meaning -  discard, vacate)

                       SYNONYMS

Word	Synonyms
abandon	discard	Vacate
accord	agree	Grant
adversity	difficulty	Misfortune
affluent	plentiful	Rich
aggravate	annoy	Infuriate
alleviate	lighten	mitigate
amenable	agreeable	favorable
anguish	distress	sorrow
apathetic	dispirited	lifeless
arrogant	disdainful	imperious
astonish	confound	overwhelm
atrocious	appalling	detestable
augment	add	enlarge
avoid	ignore	shun
awkward	graceless	inept
baffle	confuse	deceive
banal	common	plain
barren	desolate	sterile
berate	criticize	disapprove
betray	deceive	fool
bias	inclination	predisposition
bitter	acrid	sour
blend	combine	mix
bliss	happiness	joy
bluff	boast	feign
bold	daring	fearless
bonus	award	gift
bother	annoy	irritate
brief	concise	short
brilliant	clever	intelligent
brisk	fast	swift
budget	allot	plan
candid	honest	truthful
caricature	cartoon	imitation
casual	informal	natural
category	classification	division
cease	desist	stop
chaotic	disordered	messy
cherish	esteem	love
circumvent	avoid	go around
commemorate	celebrate	honor
compensate	balance	recompense
competent	able	capable
conceive	design	plan
confirmation	acknowledgement	proof
contradict	deny	oppose
contribution	donation	grant
courteous	polite	well-mannered
craving	desire	longing
credulous	confident	trustful
damp	moist	wet
dare	challenge	defy
decay	decline	rot
decent	honorable	pure
dense	filled	packed
designate	name	select
detain	hold	keep
disclose	announce	reveal
dogma	belief	view
durable	constant	lasting
dwindle	abate	diminish
eager	earnest	keen
eccentric	abnormal	idiosyncratic
elaborate	embellish	enhance
emanate	arise	radiate
embezzle	purloin	steal
eminent	distinguished	prominent
encourage	foster	induce
endure	last	persist
essential	cultured	learned
essential	basic	necessary
estimate	guess	predict
evaluate	appraise	judge
exhaust	deplete	empty
exhilarated	cheerful	zestful
explicit	definite	specific
fastidious	exacting	particular
federation	alliance	band
feeble	helpless	infirm
fervor	intensity	passion
feud	argument	dispute
filth	dirt	squalor
flatter	compliment	praise
fleet	nimble	swift
frivolous	inconsequential	trivial
frugal	prudent	saving
furious	angry	outraged
generous	benevolent	unselfish
genuine	actual	real
glare	gleam	glisten
gloomy	cheerless	dim
goad	provoke	badger
grasp	grab	hold
greed	avarice	longing
guarantee	assure	pledge
guile	cunning	deceit
gullible	credulous	unsuspicious
habitual	accustomed	regular
handicap	disability	disadvantage
harass	annoy	disturb
harmless	innocuous	inoffensive
harsh	hard	coarse
hasty	abrupt	hurried
haughty	arrogant	pretentious
humiliate	humble	shame
hygiene	cleanliness	sanitation
hypocrisy	duplicity	falseness
ideal	goal	perfection
idle	lazy	unoccupied
ignorant	stupid	unintelligent
illogical	incongruent	rambling
illustrious	eminent	famous
imitate	copy	reflect
immense	huge	mammoth
impartial	candid	impersonal
impatient	anxious	eager
implicate	accuse	insinuate
importune	beg	solicit
inadvertent	accidental	unintentional
indifferent	apathetic	disinterested
isolate	detach	quarantine
jargon	argot	slang
jovial	genial	merry
judge	estimate	referee
justification	excuse	reason
juvenile	adolescent	immature
keen	clever	observant
label	brand	classify
labor	toil	work
lead	direct	proceed
lean	slim	thin
leave	abandon	desert
liberal	copious	unrestrained
liberal	lenient	open-minded
limitation	boundary	constraint
lucid	clear	understandable
lucky	auspicious	fortunate
mad	furious	irate
manage	administer	control
manipulate	control	shape
marginal	borderline	limited
match	agree	correspond
maze	complexity	labyrinth
meditate	ponder	think
memorial	commemoration	monument
mention	allude	refer to
merge	blend	fuse
narrow	confined	restricted
nature	aspect	character
necessary	mandatory	requisite
negate	contradict	refute
negligent	careless	remiss
negotiate	bargain	deal
nice	affable	benign
noble	aristocratic	distinguished
novice	beginner	nonprofessional
nuisance	annoyance	offense
obedient	faithful	loyal
objection	disapproval	protest
obligatory	compulsory	required
observe	notice	watch
obvious	conspicuous	definite
offend	anger	irritate
offer	bid	proposal
omen	premonition	sign
omit	exclude	remove
opportune	advantageous	auspicious
pacify	appease	placate
pain	ache	discomfort
paramount	chief	leading
partisan	biased	dogmatic
passive	inactive	lethargic
pause	break	cease
permeate	diffuse	disseminate
perpetuate	endure	preserve
perplex	astonish	baffle
persecute	afflict	harass
radiate	effuse	emanate
radical	basic	fundamental
range	anger	furor
rank	arrange	classify
realize	accomplish	fulfill
recalcitrant	obstinate	stubborn
receptacle	container	repository
reconcile	atone	conciliate
regret	deplore	grieve
reliable	dependable	trustworthy
sanction	approval	permit
scope	aim	extent
section	division	portion
settle	adjust	compromise
shallow	superficial	trivial
shrewd	careful	calculating
significant	distinctive	important
slight	delicate	slender
spontaneous	impromptu	unplanned
spread	announce	broadcast
stabilize	balance	steady
tame	domesticate	subdue
tangle	intertwine	twist
temper	mood	nature
tendency	inclination	trend
term	cycle	duration
thrift	conservation	prudence
tough	aggressive	unyielding
transfer	convey	exchange
tumult	agitation	commotion
turbulent	disordered	violent
vain	boastful	inflated
valid	authorized	legitimate
variety	assortment	diversify
verify	authenticate	substantiate

                    ANTONYMS: 

Having opposite meaning of  a word ( victory - antonym is - defeat)

absence	Presence
accept	Refuse
accurate	Inaccurate
advantage	Disadvantage
alive	Dead
always	Never
ancient	Modern
answer	question, query
approval	Disapproval
approached	receded, departed
abundant	Scarce
admit	Deny
advance	retreat, retire
artificial	Natural
arrival	Departure
ascend	Descend
attack	Defense
attractive	Repulsive
attention	Inattention
asleep	Awake
ally	Enemy
agree	Disagree
bad	Good
backward	forward, onward
bend	Straighten
beautiful	Ugly
beginning	Ending
below	Above
bent	Straight
big	small, little
blunt	Sharp
better	Worse
best	Worst
blame	Praise
bless	Curse
bitter	Sweet
borrow	Lend
bravery	Cowardice
build	destroy, demolish
bold	timid, meek
bright	Dull
broad	Narrow
clear	vague, cloudy
careful	rush, careless
calm	Troubled
capable	Incapable
captivity	freedom, liberty
cellar	Attic
cheap	dear, expensive
close	Distant
clever	Stupid
cold	Hot
combine	Separate
clockwise	anti-clockwise
correct	Incorrect
conceal	Reveal
come	Go
common	Rare
comfort	Discomfort
courage	Cowardice
cruel	Kind
courteous	discourteous, rude
cunning	Simple
dainty	Clumsy
danger	Safety
dark	Light
deep	Shallow
decrease	Increase
definite	Indefinite
demand	Supply
despair	Hope
disappear	Appear
disease	Health
discourage	Encourage
dismal	Cheerful
doctor	Patient
dry	Wet
dull	clear, bright
dusk	Dawn
early	Late
easy	Difficult
ebb	Flow
East	West
economise	Waste
encourage	Discourage
entrance	Exit
employer	Employee
empty	Full
excited	Calm
end	Beginning
expand	Contract
expensive	inexpensive, cheap
export	Import
exterior	Interior
external	Internal
fail	Succeed
false	True
feeble	sturdy, strong, powerful
foolish	Wise
fast	Slow
few	Many
famous	Unknown
forelegs	hind legs
fat	Thin
find	Lose
first	Last
freedom	Captivity
fold	Unfold
frequent	Seldom
forget	Remember
found	Lost
fresh	Stale
friend	Enemy
fortunate	Unfortunate
frank	Secretive
full	Empty
generous	Mean
gentle	Rough
gather	Distribute
glad	Sorry
gloomy	Cheerful
giant	dwarf, pygmy
granted	Refused
great	minute, small, little
guardian	Ward
guest	Host
guilty	Innocent
happy	sad, miserable
hard	Soft
harmful	Harmless
hasten	Dawdle
hate	Love
healthy	unhealthy, ill, diseased
here	There
heavy	Light
height	Depth
hero	Coward
hill	Valley
horizontal	Vertical
hinder	aid, help
honest	Dishonest
humble	Proud
hunger	Thirst
imitation	Genuine
immense	tiny, minute
imprison	Free
include	Exclude
increase	Decrease
inhabited	Uninhabited
inferior	Superior
inside	Outside
intelligent	unintelligent, stupid
inhale	Exhale
interior	exterior, outside
interesting	uninteresting, dull
internal	External
intentional	Accidental
join	Separate
junior	Senior
justice	Injustice
king	Subject
knowledge	Ignorance
laugh	Cry
lawful	Unlawful
lazy	industrious, energetic
land	Sea
landlord	Tenant
large	little, small
last	First
lawyer	Client
lecturer	Student
lender	Borrower
lengthen	Shorten
left	Right
less	More
light	dark, heavy
like	dislike, unlike
likely	Unlikely
leader	Follower
little	large, much, big
lofty	Lowly
long	Short
loud	Soft
loss	find, win
low	High
loyal	Disloyal
mad	Sane
magnetize	Demagnetize
master	Servant
mature	Immature
maximum	Minimum
me	You
merry	mirthless, sad
minority	Majority
miser	Spendthrift
misunderstand	Understand
narrow	Wide
near	far, distant
neat	Untidy
new	Old
night	Day
noisy	Quiet
North	South
obedient	Disobedient
odd	Even
offer	Refuse
open	Shut
optimist	Pessimist
out	In
parent	Child
past	Present
patient	Impatient
peace	War
permanent	Temporary
please	Displease
plentiful	Scarce
poetry	Prose
possible	Impossible
poverty	Wealth
powerful	feeble, weak
polite	impolite, rude
private	Public
prudent	Imprudent
pretty	unsightly, ugly
pure	Impure
qualified	Unqualified
rapid	Slow
regularly	Irregularly
rich	Poor
right	wrong, left
rigid	pliable, soft
rough	Smooth
satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
security	Insecurity
scatter	Collect
serious	Trivial
second-hand	New
sense	Nonsense
shopkeeper	Customer
singular	Plural
simple	Complicated
slim	thick, stout
solid	Liquid
sober	Drunk
speaker	Listener
sour	Sweet
sorrow	Joy
sow	Reap
stand	Lie
straight	Crooked
strong	Weak
success	Failure
sunny	Cloudy
take	Give
tall	Short
tame	Wild
teacher	Pupil
thick	Thin
tight	slack, loose
top	Bottom
transparent	Opaque
truth	untruth, lie
up	Down
vacant	Occupied
valuable	Valueless
victory	Defeat
virtue	Vice
visible	Invisible
voluntary	Compulsory
vowel	Consonant
wax	Wane
wisdom	Folly
within	Without

For further reference :      SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS