ex1. complete each sentence with can / could / be able to { not }

1. _______________ you swim when you were 10 ?

2. we ________ get to the meeting on the ttime yesterday because the train was delayed by one hour

3. he __________ arrive at the party on the time even after misting the train , so he was very pleased

4. he's amezing , he _____________ speak 5 langusges including chinese

5. I _____________ drive a car until I was 34 , then I moved to the countryside so I had to learn

6. I looked everywhere for my glasses but I _______________ find them anywhere

7. I searched for your house for ages , luckily I ____________ find it in the end

ex2. complete each sentence with can / could / be able to { not }

1. I ____________________ understand the chapter we had to read for homework . It was so diffcult

2. I ______________ lift this box - it's too heavy . would you help me ?

3. lucy _____________ make it to our meeting after all. she's stuck in traffic at the moment

4. john ________________ play tennis really well . he's champion of his club

5. unfortunately , I really ___________sting at all . no - one in my family is musical either

6. when the car broke down I was really pleased because I _________ solve the problem

7. julian _____________ play excellent goft when he was only ten

MODAL VERBS

Exercise 1. Put in „can‟ / „can‟t‟ / „could‟ / „couldn‟t‟. If none is possible, use „be able to‟ in the correct tense:

1. you swim when you were 10?

2. We get to the meeting on time yesterday because the train was delayed by one hour.

3. He arrive at the party on time, even after missing the train, so he was very pleased.

4. He’s amazing, he speak 5 languages including Chinese.

5. I _ drive a car until I was 34, then I moved to the countryside so I had to learn.

6. I looked everywhere for my glasses but I find them anywhere.

7. I searched for your house for ages, luckily I find it in the end.

8. She’s 7 years old but she read yet – her parents are getting her extra lessons.

9. I read the book three times but I understand it.

10. James speak Japanese when he lived in Japan, but he’s forgotten most of it now.

11. I _ understand the chapter we had to read for homework. It was so difficult.

12. I _ lift this box – it’s too heavy! Would you help me?

13. Lucy make it to our meeting after all. She’s stuck in traffic at the moment.

14. John play tennis really well. He’s champion of his club.

15. Unfortunately, I really sing at all! No-one in my family is musical either.

16. When the car broke down I was really pleased because I solve the problem.

17. Julian play excellent golf when he was only ten.

18. My grandmother use a computer until last month. Since then, she’s been taking lessons at the library.

19. I _ open this window. I think it’s stuck!

20. Gill play the piano. She’s never studied it.

USE IT! Work in pairs. Which of these school issues are the same now as in the past? Which will be different in the future? Use can, can't, could, couldn't or will / won't be able to.

1. choice of subjects

2. ways of learning

3. school uniforms

4. class size

5. rules

The issues we think are the same now as in the past are...

In the past, students couldn't choose unusual subjects. In the future, they will be able to make more unusual choices.

Put the correct form of either "can" or "be able to" for each sentence. Only use "be able to" if absolutely necessary!

1. I haven't ___concentrate recently at work. I don't know what it is.

2. My brother ___ cook very well. He is a chef in a French restaurant.

3. When he was only 2, my friend Lee ___speak quite well.

4. I have to go to a business dinner tomorrow night so I___ (not) come to the party. I'm very sorry.

5. Kevin lived in Italy for six years, so he must ___ speak Italian quite well. He will help you with your homework.

6. This telephone is terrible. I ___(not) hear you at all.

7. When the car drove into the lake, one of the passengers ___ (not) open the door and had to be rescued.

8. Despite the arrival of the storm, they ___finish the football match.

9. When I was very young, I used to ___touch my toes, but I can't now!!

10. The house was totally empty all day yesterday and I ___finish that book I was reading.

11. My mother tells me that her grandfather was one of the best musicians of his time in the city and ___ play the piano like a professional.

12. I hope to ___ speak English very well after this course finishes.

Match sentences 1-5 in exercise 1 with rules a-c.

1. After they graduate, many students will be able to have very successful careers as singers or actors.

2. Young people can join the school from the age of fourteen.

3. They can't forget to do their homework!

4. If you study hard and have a passion for performing arts, you won't be able to resist the BRIT school.

5. People believed that girls couldn't play football as well as boys.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 20 to 25.

FIRST TIME IN THE AIR

When John Mills was going to fly in an aeroplane for the first time, he was frightened. He did not like the idea of being thousands of feet up in the air. “ I also didn't like the fact that I wouldn't be in control,” says John.

“I'm a terrible passenger in the car. When somebody else is driving, I tell them what to so. It drives everybody crazy.”

However John couldn't avoid flying any longer. It was the only way he could visit his grandchildren in Canada. “I had made up my mind that I was going to do it, I couldn't let my son, his wife and their three children travel all the way here to visit me. It would be so expensive for them and I know Tom's business isn't doing so well at the moment – it would also be tiring for the children – it's a nine-hour flight!” he says.

To get ready for the flight John did lots of reading about aeroplanes. When he booked his seat, he was told that he would be flying on a Boeing 747, which is better known as a jumbo jet. “I needed to know as much as possible before getting in that plane. I suppose it was a way of making myself feel better. The Boeing 747 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world at the moment. The first one flew on February 9th 1969 in the USA. It can carry up to 524 passengers and 3.400 pieces of luggage. The fuel for aeroplanes is kept in the wings and the 747 is wings are so big that they can carry enough fuel for an average car to be able to travel 16,000 kilometres a year for 70 years. Isn't that unbelievable? Even though I had discovered all this very interesting information about the jumbo, when I saw it for the first time, just before I was going to travel to Canada, I still couldn't believe that something so enormous was going to get up in the air and fly. I was even more impressed when I saw how big it

was inside with hundreds of people!”

The biggest surprise of all for John was the flight itself. “The take-off itself was much smoother than I expected although I was still quite scared until we were in the air. In the end, I managed to relax, enjoy the food and watch one of the movies and the view from the window was spectacular. I even managed to sleep for a while! Of course,” continues John, “the best reward of all was when I arrived in Canada and saw my son and his family, particularly my beautiful grandchildren. Suddenly, I felt so silly about all the years when I couldn't even think of getting on a plane. I had let my fear of living stop me from seeing the people I love most in the world. I can visit my son and family as often as I like now!”

How did John feel when the aeroplane was taking off?

A. excited

B. happy

C. sad

D. frightened