-
Could
/modals/
commonly used in
conditional
sentences as the
conditional form of
Examples:
?
Extreme rain
could
cause the river to
flood the city.
POSSIBILITY
?
Nancy
could
ski
like a pro by the age of 11.
PAST
ABILITY
?
You
could
see a movie or go out
to dinner.
SUGGESTION
?
Could
I use your computer to
email my boss?
REQUEST
?
We
could
go on the trip if I
didn't have to work this weekend.
CONDITIONAL
Using
Most modal
verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the
future. Study the chart below to learn how
behaves in different contexts.
Modal Use
Positive Forms
1. = Present
2. = Past
3. = Future
1. John could be the one who stole the
money.
2. John
could have been the one who
stole the
money.
3. John could go to
jail for stealing the
money.
Negative Forms
1. = Present
2. = Past
3. = Future
1. Mary couldn't
be the one who stole the
money.
2. Mary couldn't have been
the one who
stole the money.
3. Mary couldn't possibly
go to jail for the
crime.
1. Even if I had more time, I couldn't
travel around the world.
2. Even if I had had more time, I
couldn't
have traveled around the
world.
3. Even if I had
more time this winter, I
couldn't
travel around the world.
NO NEGATIVE FORMS
You can
also use:
might,
may
could
POSSIBILITY
could
CONDITIONAL
OF
CAN
1. If I had
more time, I could travel around
the
world.
2. If I had had more
time, I could have
traveled around the
world.
3. If I had more
time this winter, I could
travel around
the world.
could
SUGGESTION
1. NO PRESENT FORM
2. You could have spent your vacation
in
Hawaii.
3.
You could spend your vacation in
Hawaii.
could
PAST
ABILITY
I could
run ten miles in my twenties.
I could speak Chinese when I was a kid.
I couldn't run more than a
mile in my
twenties.
I couldn't speak Swahili.
be able to
OULD
CANNOT BE USED IN POSITIVE
SENTENCES IN
WHICH YOU DESCRIBE A
MOMENTARY OR
ONE
-
TIME
ABILITY
.
OULD
CAN BE USED IN NEGATIVE
SENTENCES IN
WHICH YOU DESCRIBE A
MOMENTARY OR
ONE
-
TIME
ABILITY
.
Yesterday, I could lift the couch by
myself.
Not Correct
Yesterday, I couldn't lift
the couch by
myself.
Correct
Couldn't he come with us?
Couldn't you help me with this for just
a
second?
R
EQUESTS USUALLY REFER TO
THE NEAR
FUTURE
.
can,
may,
might
could
POLITE
REQUEST
Could I have something to drink?
Could I borrow your
stapler?
R
EQUESTS USUALLY REFER TO
THE NEAR
FUTURE
.
REMEMBER:
something happens.
Examples:
?
Jack
might not
have the key.
M
AYBE HE DOES NOT HAVE THE
KEY
.
?
Jack
could not
have the key.
I
T IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT HE HAS
THE KEY
.
Would
/modals/
verb
Conditional Tutorial
,
Future in the Past
, and
Would Always
.
Examples:
?
If he were an actor, he
would
be in adventure
movies.
CONDITIONAL
?
I
knew that she
would
be very
successful in her career.
PAST OF
WILL
?
When they first met, they
would
always have picnics on
the beach.
REPETITION
Using
Modal Use
Positive Forms
1. = Present
2. = Past
3. = Future
Negative Forms
1. = Present
2. = Past
3. = Future
You
can