| MODALITY |
can |
A1 |
USE: POSSIBILITY
Can use 'can' to talk about possibility. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
A1 |
USE: REQUESTS
Can use 'can' to make a request. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
A2 |
USE: PERMISSION
Can use 'can' to give and refuse permission or talk about what is forbidden. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B1 |
FORM: NEGATIVE QUESTIONS
Can use the negative question forms in main clauses and question tags. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B1 |
FORM: WITH ADVERBS
Can use 'can' with a limited range of adverbs (including 'also', 'always', 'even', 'just', 'only', 'really', 'still') in the normal mid position after the modal verb. ► adverbs |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B1 |
USE: GENERAL TRUTHS AND TENDENCIES
Can use 'can be' to talk about general truths and tendencies. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B1 |
USE: SURPRISE
Can use 'can you believe' to express surprise. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B2 |
FORM: WITH ADVERBS
Can use 'can' with an increasing range of adverbs (including 'easily', 'hardly', 'now', 'probably', 'sometimes', 'still') in the normal mid position after the modal verb or after the subject in questions. ► adverbs |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B2 |
USE: GENERAL TRUTHS AND TENDENCIES
Can use 'can' to talk about general truths and tendencies. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B2 |
USE: GUESSES AND PREDICTIONS
Can use the negative forms of 'can't' and 'cannot' to guess, predict and deduce. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
B2 |
USE: REPROACHES AND APPEALS
Can use negative forms of 'can' to make reproaches or appeals. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
C1 |
FORM/USE: PAST NEGATIVE, DEDUCTIONS
Can use 'can't' or 'cannot have' + '-ed' to make deductions. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
C1 |
FORM: PASSIVE
Can use 'can' in passive reporting clauses in a more formal impersonal style (e.g. for reports and academic contexts), such as 'It can be said that', 'It can be argued (that)', 'It can be concluded that', 'It can be considered'.► passives |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
C1 |
FORM: WITH ADVERBS
Can use a wide range of adverbs with 'can' in the normal mid position after the modal verb). ► adverbs |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
C1 |
USE: EMPHASIS
Can use expressions with 'can' or 'can’t' to give focus or add emphasis, such as 'as you can see', 'I can't say', 'I can tell you that', 'as you can imagine', 'I can say that', 'I can assure you that'. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
can |
C2 |
USE: REFLECTIONS
Can use 'how can' to reflect, through rhetorical questions. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
dare |
B2 |
FORM: AFFIRMATIVE
Can use affirmative form dare + infinitive without to. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
dare |
B2 |
FORM: NEGATIVE
Can use negative form dare not and daren't + infinitive without to. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
dare |
B2 |
USE: BRAVADO
Can use semi-modal 'dare' to talk about being brave enough to do something. |
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Details |
| MODALITY |
dare |
C1 |
FORM/USE: 'I DARE SAY'
Can use the fixed expression 'I dare say' to say that something is probably true. |
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Details |
