Grammar: can, could and was/were able to

Modals

 

Can, could and was/were able to

We use "could"to talk about an ability somebody had in the past.
We use "was/were able to" to talk about a specific event in the past.

Examples:

It was very windy last weekend so I could sail my boat very fast.
Last Saturday evening it was raining so he didn’t go for a walk.
He
could sunbathe every weekend last summer because it was very hot.
He
was able to ride a bike to work last week because it was sunny.
They
couldn’t drive to work today because it was too foggy.
They
were able to build lots of snowmen last winter because it snowed a lot.

We can also use "managed to" in place of was/were able to.

Examples:

He was able to get a suntan lying in the sun.= He managed to get a suntan lying in the sun.
I
was able to have a day off school because the weather was so bad. = I managed to have a day off school because the weather was so bad.

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