modalcafe.pdf

MODAL CAFÉ

Lesson 1

Can

Usage:

Ability

I can speak English

Offering

Can I buy you a drink?

Possibility

I can always go to the canteen and get you one.

MAN A : So what do you think makes the USA so special?

MAN B: Equality. We like to think that everyone is equal. You know, we

say that any American can become President .

MAN A: Yeah, but you don’t really believe that, do you?

MAN B: Sure! Well, that’s the theory, anyway!

Any American can become a President (theoretical possibility)

I can always get you a cup of tea from the canteen (practical possibility)

SHE :

…no, no, it’s been lovely to see you again. Really great. But I’ve

got to go.

HE :

Oh, come on. Stay a bit longer.

SHE :

Aw, you can stay for another half an hour .

SHE :

I can’t! I can’t be late back!

HE :

You can always take a taxi.

You can stay for another half an hour (possibility)

I can’t! I can’t be late back! (lack of practical possibility)

You can always take a taxi (theoretical possibility)

uzupełnij zdania:

1. Mr Brown has to wear glasses. He (can, can’t, couldn’t) see very well.

2. Mrs Brown uses a wheelchair. She (can’t see, can’t hear, can’t walk)

very far.

3. We can do this exercise (next week, last week, yesterday).

HE :

I’ve got to get back to work.

odpowiedzi:

1. see

2. can’t walk

3. next week

Lesson 2

Can

HELEN : Excuseme. Can I sit here?

STEVE : Please.

HELEN : Thanks.

Can I sit here? (asking for permission)

można również powiedzieć:

May I sit here? (sounds more formal)

HELEN :

Hello, Susie? It’s Helen. Listen the traffic’s terrible. I don’t think

I’ll be there for the meeting… Can we meet for lunch? … Ah…

oh dear…well, can we meet for coffee tomorrow? ….Right,

OK, then….bye….

Can we meet for lunch? (suggestion, proposition)

Can we meet for coffee tomorrow? (suggestion, proposition)

STEVE :

Can I help?

HELEN :

I’ve left my money in the office.

STEVE :

Oh dear. Well, er… Can I buy you a drink?

HELEN :

Well, that’s very nice of you but…

HELEN :

A coffee then. Thank you.

STEVE :

Sam. Can we have two coffees, please?

HELEN :

It’s very nice of you. Thank you.

Can I help? (offering)

Can I buy you a drink? (offering)

Can we have two coffees, please (a polite way to order things)

uzupełnij zdania:

1. I haven’t got any money. I (can, can’t, couldn’t) buy you a drink.

2. I’d like a cup of coffee. Can I (have, drink, ask) a coffee, please?

3. It’s not that far. I (may, can, can’t) always walk home.

STEVE :

Please.

odpowiedzi:

1. can’t

2. can I have

3. can

Lesson 3

Could

The negative of ‘could’ is – could not. Usually we join

these two words together. Like this …couldn’t.

Examples:

I could see you tomorrow.

He couldn’t come to the party.

She could’ve seen him yesterday.

Usage:

Ability in the past. I could play the piano when I was

a child.

Requests.Could you help me, please?

Suggestions. You could take the train tomorrow.

Possibilities in the present. He could be in the kitchen.

Possibilities in the future. We could visit my mother

next week.

Possibilities in the past. He could have spoken to her

yesterday.

A key point:

Like ‘can’, all the meanings of ‘could’ have something

to do with what the speaker believes is possible. But

the difference is that with ‘could’ the speaker sees

the possibility as ‘distant’.

NB:

Niektóre zastosowania czasownika could pokrywają się z użyciem

czasownika can

Np:

A polite request

Can you help me?

Could you help me?

Suggestion

You can take the train tomorrow

You could take the train tomorrow

Possibility

I can always phone her

I could always phone her

Jaka jest różnica? Kiedy używamy could , widzimy pewną możliwość jako

bardziej odległą.

could = possibility + distance

Jest to możliwość plus pewien dystans – czasu, odległości, uprzejmości.

Toteż, zwłaszcza, kiedy tworzymy prośby, brzmi ono nieco bardziej uprzejmie,

implikuje pewien dystans.

dlatego na przykład pytanie:

Could you help me?

brzmi nieco bardziej uprzejmie – jest mniej bezpośrednie niż

Can you help me?

WOMAN: Sam.

SAM : Yo!

WOMAN: Could we have two cups of tea and an orange juice, please?

SAM:

No problem.

Could we have two cups of tea and an orange juice, please? (a polite way

to order things)

uzupełnij zdania:

1. I (can, could, can’t) read when I was five.

2. I could have arranged that (tomorrow, next week, yesterday).

3. Could we (drink, take, have) two cups of tea, please?

odpowiedzi:

1. could

2. yesterday

3. have

Lesson 4

Could

Ability in the past

I could run 20 miles when I was young

Polite request

Could you go for a run with me?

Suggestion for the future

We could do it tomorrow

Possibility in the past

We could have gone for a run yesterday

GIRL A :

…he was so nice. But the other thing was, he was really easy to

talk to. The trouble is…

GIRL B :

What?

GIRL A:

I don’t know if he wants to see me again.

GIRL B:

Ah! … you could call him…

GIRL A:

What? Just call him up? No, I don’t think so.

GIRL A:

Stop it! Er… OK, then. Could I borrow your phone?

You could call him (suggestion)

Could I borrow your phone? (polite request)

uzupełnij zdania:

1. We (can, could, could’ve) have gone to see my mother yesterday.

2. We could’ve (see, saw, seen) her yesterday.

3. We could’ve done it, if you (agree, agreed, had agreed).

odpowiedzi:

1. could

2. seen

3. had agreed

Lesson 5

Could and could have

JACK : Hi, Sam

SAM : Hello, Jack. How are you?

JACK : Late. I was supposed to meet Sarah here an hour ago. Have you

seen her?

SAM : Er, well, she was over there but…

JACK : Oh, no.

SAM : No, no, relax, Jack. She could be in the bathroom …

JACK : … or she could have gone . What am I going to do?

SAM : No, no. She couldn’t have gone. She hasn’t paid.

JACK : What? Oh, right. Well, um, if you see her, could you tell her I’m

here?

SAM : Sure.

JACK: … because it was an absolute nightmare journey I had…

GIRL B:

Why not?

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