| Can/can’t – PERMISSION | |
| + | You can play in the garden. |
| – | No, you can’t go to the cinema tonight. |
| ? | Can I sit here? |
EXERCISE 1
Match the following to make short dialogues:
| 1. Can I borrow your pencil, please?
2. Can I see your tickets, please? 3. Can I have another piece of cake? 4. You can take my bicycle if yours 5. Can we stay out late tonight? |
A. No, you’ll get fat.
B. Can I? Thanks. C. No, but you can on Saturday night. D. Yes. Of course you can. E. I’m afraid I’ve lost them. |
EXERCISE 2
E.G. Can I sit here? — Could I sit here?
In the following exercise, make polite requests using ‘could’, as in the example:
e.g. You want a sandwich. What do you say?
Could I have a sandwich, please?
1. You are in a restaurant and you want the waiter to bring you some salt.
What do you say? _____________________________________
2. You are at the airport and you want someone to help you with your suitcases.
What do you say? _____________________________________
3. You want your friend to get you some coffee from the supermarket.
What do you say? _____________________________________
| Can/can’t – POSSIBILITY | |
| + | Learning English can be fun. |
| – | You can’t buy meat at the baker’s. |
| ? | Can you catch fish in this lake? |
EXERCISE 3
Complete the following sentences by choosing the most appropriate phrase:
at the optician’s at the post office in the park on a tennis court
from her balcony to the Maldives at the greengrocer’s from the library
1. You can play tennis____________________.
2. You can buy stamps___________________.
3. You can take the dog for a walk_____________.
4. You can see the Acropolis________________.
5. You can get a suntan if you go on holiday________________.
6. You can get your eyes tested________________.
7. You can buy vegetables_________________.
8. You can borrow books___________________.
EXERCISE 4 | Consolidation
Make statements and questions with ‘can/ can’t’, using the following words:
e.g. I/speak French but l/not speak Chinese.
I can speak French but I can’t speak Chinese.
1. Penguins/not fly. _________________
2. “you/ride a bicycle?” “No, l/not.” __________________
3. I/not come to the party tonight. __________________
4. I/have some more wine, please? _________________