can

can¹ W1S1 [kən strong kæn] modal v negative short form can't

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1¦(ability)¦

2¦(requesting)¦

3¦(allowed)¦

4¦(possibility)¦

5¦(seeing/hearing etc)¦

6¦(not true)¦

7¦(should not)¦

8¦(surprise/anger)¦

9¦(sometimes)¦

10¦(giving orders)¦

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[: Old English; Origin: cunnan]

1.) ¦(ABILITY)¦

to be able to do something or to know how to do something

▪ You can swim, can't you?

▪ Even a small personal computer can store vast amounts of information.

▪ Gabriella can speak French fluently.

▪ I'm afraid Mr Harding can't see you now - he's busy.

▪ The police are doing all they can to find her.

2.) ¦(REQUESTING)¦

spoken used to ask someone to do something or give you something

▪ Can I have a cigarette, please?

▪ Can you help me lift this box?

3.) ¦(ALLOWED)¦

to be allowed to do something or to have the right or power to do something

▪ You can't park here - it's a no parking zone.

▪ 'Can we go home now, please?' 'No you can't.'

▪ Any police officer can insist on seeing a driver's license.

4.) ¦(POSSIBILITY)¦

used to say that something is possible

▪ I am confident that a solution can be found.

▪ There can be no doubt that he is guilty.

▪ Some packaging cartons can be stored flat.

▪ Can he still be alive after all this time?

5.) ¦(SEEING/HEARING ETC)¦

used with the verbs 'see', 'hear', 'feel', 'taste', and 'smell', and with verbs connected with thinking, to mean that someone sees something, hears something etc

▪ Here they are - I can see their car.

▪ Can you smell something burning?

▪ I can't understand why you're so upset.

▪ He can't remember where he put the tickets.

6.) ¦(NOT TRUE)¦ [in negatives]

used to say that you do not believe that something is true

▪ This can't be the right road.

▪ It can't be easy caring for a man and a child who are not your own.

7.) ¦(SHOULD NOT)¦ [in questions and negatives]

used to say that someone should not or must not do something

▪ You can't expect the world to change overnight.

▪ We can't go on like this.

▪ Jill's left her husband, but can you blame her after the way he treated her?

8.) ¦(SURPRISE/ANGER)¦ [usually in questions and negatives]

spoken used when you are surprised or angry

▪ You can't be serious!

▪ They can't have arrived already, surely!

▪ How can you be so stupid!

9.) ¦(SOMETIMES)¦

used to say what sometimes happens or how someone sometimes behaves

▪ It can be quite cold here at night.

▪ Peter can be really annoying.

10.) ¦(GIVING ORDERS)¦

spoken used to tell someone in an angry way to do something

▪ And you can stop that quarrelling, the pair of you.

▪ If you won't keep quiet, you can get out.

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WORD CHOICE: can, could, be able to

Use can and be able to to say that someone has the ability to do something. Be able to is more formal : Can you swim? | Young children are not able to open the bottle.

Use could to say that someone has the ability to do something, but does not do it : He could do a lot better.

Could is also the past form of can . Use could or a past form of be able to to say that someone had the ability to do something in the past : She could ride a bike when she was three. | He was able to walk with a stick.

!! In the following cases, you cannot use can . You must use be able to :

with used to , to say that someone had the ability to do something in the past but no longer does : I used to be able to play the violin.

to talk about future ability. Use will be able to : After only a few lessons, you will be able to understand basic Spanish.

after other verbs, for example might , may , would , want , or hope : He might be able to fix your car. | You should be able to taste the difference. |I want her to be able to use a computer.

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can ²

can² S2 [kæn] n

[: Old English; Origin: canne]

1.) a metal container in which food or drink is preserved without air

▪ a Coke can

can of

▪ All we've got is a couple of cans of soup.

2.) a special metal container that keeps the liquid inside it under pressure. The liquid is released as a ↑spray when you press the button

can of

▪ a can of hairspray

3.) especially AmE a metal container with a lid that can be removed, used for holding liquid

▪ Two large cans of paint ought to be enough.

4.) can of worms

a very complicated situation that causes a lot of problems when you start to deal with it

▪ I just don't know what to do - every solution I can think of would just open up a whole new can of worms .

5.) in the can informal

a film that is in the can is complete and ready to be shown

6.) the can informal

a) a prison

b) AmE a toilet

→carry the can at ↑carry¹ (26)

can ³

can³ past tense and past participle canned present participle canning

v [T] AmE

1.) to preserve food by putting it into a metal container from which all the air is removed

British Equivalent: tin

→↑canned

2.) informal to dismiss someone from a job

= ↑sack

3.) can it!

spoken used to tell someone to stop talking or making a noise