To express ability, you can use either can or be able to.  The most common way is with can, which is used for the present or the future:  I can swim.  I can meet you tomorrow.  In the past can becomes could:  I could run faster when I was younger.  With be able to the verb be can be in different tenses:  I am able to sleep anywhere.  I will be able to sleep later.  I was able to sleep on my flight.  I’ve been able to sleep better since I found a job.

When you’re talking about a general ability in the present, you can use can or be able to.  Most English speakers use can most often.

Examples:
I can run pretty fast if I have to.
I’m able to run pretty fast if I have to.
She can have a family and a career at the same time.
She’s able to have a family and a career at the same time.

When you’re talking about a general ability in the future, use can or will be able to.  Most English speakers use can most often.

Examples:
I can help you this weekend.
I’ll be able to help you this weekend.
The doctor can see you at 4:00 today.
The doctor will be able to see you at 4:00 today.

When you’re talking about a general ability in the past, use could or was able to.

Examples:
When I was a child, I could climb almost any tree.
When I was a child, I was able to climb almost any tree.
She could walk to school in ten minutes.
She was able to walk to school in ten minutes.

However, when you’re talking about a one-time ability in the past, you can only use was able to.

Examples:
I was able to get tickets for the concert.
NOT: I could get tickets for the concert.
They were able to help us find our dog.
NOT:  They could help us find our dog.

Exception:

In the negative you can use both couldn’t and wasn’t able to.

Examples:
She asked me but I couldn’t help.
She asked me but I wasn’t able to help.
Couldn’t you get tickets for the game?
Weren’t you able to get tickets for the game?

One last thing.  You cannot use can or could with another modal verb or as an infinitive.  You must use be able to.

Examples:
I may be able to help you on the weekend.
NOT:  I may can help you on the weekend.

We should be able to finish by dinnertime.
NOT:  We should can finish by dinnertime.

She wants to be able to graduate by next summer.
NOT:  She wants to can graduate by next summer.

Here are some expressions in English that always use can rather than be able to.

I can get started right away.
Can you believe that!
Can you help me?
If I can, I will.
I can’t tell you how sorry I am.
You can’t miss it.
Can’t you do something?
You can’t tell me you didn’t know.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

Conversation:

Hank: My history professor really spelled it out for us this morning.  She told us that apart from having chapter quizzes every week, mid-term and final exams, and a 3000-word research paper, there may also be some other marked assignments in store but she didn’t give us any details.

John: It sounds like your prof wants everyone to toe the line. You’d better get down to work right away.

Hank: I will. Also, she keeps after us to make sure we’ve done the reading assignment for that day. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. She told us she could decide to give a quiz on the spur of the moment.

John: I hate pop quizzes.  It sounds like you’re going to be busy this term.

Hank: You can say that again. But you know, as a rule I respond well to teachers like her. She makes me want to work hard and even go the extra mile.
John: Well, good luck. I hope you’re not in over your head.
Hank: I doubt it. I think I’ll make out just fine.

Vocabulary:

apart from:  in addition to
marked assignments:  work that the teacher will give a mark for
details:  complete information
’d better (had better):  must
pop quizzes:  tests that students can’t prepare for
doubt it:  don’t think so

Idioms:

• spell it out (for someone)                         explain something (to someone)
• in store                                                             planned for the future
• toe the line                                                        follow the rules, do what’s expected
• get down to                                                       start (an activity)
• keep after (someone)                                 remind (someone) constantly
• the tip of the iceberg                                   a small piece of the whole
• on the spur of the moment                     impulsively, suddenly
• you can say that again                               what you said is true
• as a rule                                                             generally, usually
• go the extra mile                                           do more than is necessary
• in over one’s head                                        have more than one can handle
• make out                                                            have a result / see clearly

Notes:

Make out has 2 meanings.  The other one is “see clearly.”  Example:  Can you make out that sign in the distance?

 

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

allow:  to let, to give permission
The police wouldn’t allow the homeowners to enter their home.
Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Baron Roth.

blush:  to turn red (skin)
His direct question made her blush.
You could see her embarrassment when she blushed.

claim: to say that something is true
They claim not to know the victim.
He claimed he didn’t leave the party till 1:00 am.

depend:  to trust (someone) to do something
You can depend on me to bring the supplies.
Children depend on their parents to feed them.

expect:  to think something is going to happen
We expected you to arrive tomorrow morning..
I don’t expect you to believe me, but that’s the truth.

imagine:  to create in your mind
I can imagine how she feels.
Can you imagine winning the lottery?

judge:  to determine right and wrong, good and bad.
Don’t judge me until you’ve been in my shoes.
Her job was to judge singers for a singing contest.

mention:  to say briefly
Did I mention that he was single?
He never mentioned being in the army when he was young.

occur:  to happen
The robbery occurred some time between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning.
The next full moon will occur in two weeks.

present:  to give, to introduce
May I present my wife, Sharleen.
His coach presented him with the Most Valuable Player award.

realize:   to know for the first time
When I got to work, I realized that I had forgotten my iPhone.
She realized she was in a bad relationship, so she broke up with him.

request:  to ask for
The couple requested a room with a view of the mountains.
He called the radio station and requested his favorite song to be played.

state:  to say (something) officially
Please state your full name for the court.
He stated his innocence many times.

support:  to help (someone) when they need it
His parents supported him through university.
I support the arts by donating money every year

treat:  to act toward someone in a certain way
Everyone treated her well on her first day of school.
They treated him with respect.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

In North American English, advice is most often given using should.  The advice can be direct when one person talks to another or to themselves, or  indirect when the person isn’t giving the advice to the person, but is saying what he/she believes is the right thing to do.  Should is always followed by the simple form of the verb.

Examples:
You should be more careful crossing the street.  (talking directly to the person)
They should try and save some money for the future.  (saying what you believe is right)
She should tell her father everything.  (saying what you believe is right)

Ought to is not used as much, but sometimes you hear it.

Examples:
You ought to see a dentist about that toothache.
There ought to be a law against that.
I ought to give my daughter a cell phone.

In the negative shouldn’t is used 99% of the time.  Ought not to or ought not are correct but are rarely used.   (NEVER use oughtn’t to)

Examples:
We shouldn’t interrupt his phone call.
We ought not to interrupt his phone call.  (rarely said.)
We ought not interrupt his phone call.  (rarely said.)

You shouldn’t leave your dirty clothes on the floor.
You ought not to leave your dirty clothes on the floor.  (rarely said.)
You ought not leave your dirty clothes on the floor.  (rarely said.)

Her parents shouldn’t dictate what kind of wedding she has.
Her parents ought not to dictate what kind of wedding she has.  (rarely said.)
Her parents ought not dictate what kind of wedding she has.  (rarely said.)

In the interrogative (question form) only should is used.

Examples:
Should we leave for the theater now?
(NEVER: Ought we to leave for the theater now?)

Should I go help them with their move?
(NEVER:  Ought I to go help them with their move?)

Shouldn’t you be studying for your test tomorrow?
(NEVER:  Ought not you to be studying for your test tomorrow?)

 

Another modal to use for advice is had better or ’d better.  These words are very strong.  When you use them, you are saying that there will be a bad result if the person doesn’t do what you advise.  The simple form of the verb follows.

Examples:
You’d better remember your keys this time.  (Bad result = not being able to unlock doors.)
He’d better pay me back by Friday.  (Bad result = I’ll get angry.)
We had better not be late for class.  (Bad result = The professor won’t like it.)
NOTE:  When people speak, they often drop the middle word and say You better, He better, We better, etc., but don’t write it this way  When writing, always include “had” or ” ‘d.”

If you want to say the result (which is in the future), add or before it.

Examples:
You’d better get here on time, or you’ll miss the beginning of the movie.
She had better not forget to bring the tickets, or we won’t be able to get in.
I’d better get started, or I won’t finish on time.

There are other ways to give advice without using modals.  The first of these is If I were you, I would or just I would.  This is the present conditional (Conditional II), so remember to use were instead of was.

Examples:
If I were you, I would apologize to her immediately.
I would apologize to her immediately.

If I were you, I would place that sofa against the far wall.
I would place that sofa against the far wall.

If I were you, I would think twice about making him jealous.
I would think twice about making him jealous.

A second way to give advice is to say My advice is to.  This is followed by the simple form of the verb.

Examples:
My advice is to start planning your vacation right away.
My advice is to stop complaining and do something.
My advice is to buy a monthly bus pass.

 

Lastly, you can also give advice after a bad result has already happened.  The past modals should have, ought to have and had better have are used.  These are all followed by the past participle of the verb.

Examples:
You should have finished your homework before you went to bed.
You shouldn’t have wasted all those years.
You ought to have remembered his name.
You ought not to have made them angry at you.
You’d better have apologized to her for saying that.
You’d better not have forgotten the traveler’s cheques.

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

by The Alternate Routes

an American rock band formed in 2002 by Tim Warren and Eric Donnelly with drummer Kurt Leon and base player Mike Sembos.  This song was released as a single in 2013.

To be humble, to be kind.
It is the giving of the peace in your mind.
To a stranger, to a friend
To give in such a way that has no end.

We are love, we are one
We are how we treat each other when the day is done.
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more

To be bold, to be brave.
It is the thinking that the heart can still be saved
And the darkness can come quick
The danger’s in the anger and the hanging on to it.

We are love, we are one
We are how we treat each other when the day is done.
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more

Tell me what it is that you see
A world that’s filled with endless possibility?
Heroes don’t look like they used to, they look like you do.

We are love, we are one
We are how we treat each other when the day is done.
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more
We are how we treat each other and nothing more
We are how we treat each other

Vocabulary:

humble:  not thinking you’re important
peace: calmness
treat: interact with (others)
bold:  not afraid
brave:  fearless, courageous
hanging on:  keeping, not releasing
heroes:  people who do brave things
used to:  did in the past

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only  

 

by Michael Pollan (illustrations by Kerry Hyndman)

an American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

First, preview the vocabulary below.  Then click the exercise below, read a question and then listen for the answer.  When you hear the answer, pause the video and answer the question.  Then read the next question and do the same thing.  If you get the answer wrong, then go back to where the answer is given and listen again.

Vocabulary:

nutrition:  the process of taking in food
nutrients:  food
consuming:  eating
calorie:  a unit of energy in food
diet:  the food you eat
corporation:  big business
vast amounts:  a lot
ingredients:  things you mix with other things
addictive:  forcing you into a habit
press our buttons:  make us feel good (idiom)
cravings:  food that we feel we must eat often
food industry:  all the companies that sell food
labor intensive:  requiring lots of work
spatter: hit with tiny drops of grease
it’s a pain:  it’s hard to do (idiom)
special occasion:  birthdays, anniversaries, graduations
© 2014 Ambien Malecot

 

Conversation:

Judy: Hey Lana, you’ll never guess what I heard through the grapevine.

Lana: Tell me!

Judy: Do you want the long version, or should I tell it in a nutshell?

Lana: I want all the juicy details.

Judy: Well, Tina has been keeping everyone in the dark, including Tom.  It turns out she’s been cheating on him — with her fitness coach!

Lana: No way! Really?

Judy: Yes. When I heard the news, I called Tom on his cell phone and heard firsthand that he moved out last month.  He told me he had been feeling so good about everything, so Tina’s confession came from out of the blue.

Lana: Well now that the cat’s out of the bag, everyone’s going to have to take sides, you know.  Personally, I’m on her side.  First of all, she’s my oldest friend, and secondly, Tom is a really dull guy.  He never wanted to do the things she liked.  I guess it was only a matter of time before she wanted more out of life.  I can’t hold that against her.

Judy: You know, I just may ask him out.  Good husbands are hard to come by.

Vocabulary:

version:  the story according to someone
juicy:  fascinating, intriguing
confession:  admitting that she had a lover
personally:  what’s true for me
dull:  boring, unexciting

Idioms:

• hear through the grapevine                 hear indirectly through other people
• in a nutshell                                                   in a very few words
• in the dark                                                      not knowing
• cheat on (someone)                                  betray one’s spouse by making love to someone else
• no way                                                               that’s not possible
• hear firsthand (from)                               hear directly (from someone involved)
• from out of the blue                                  without warning, unexpectedly
• the cat is out of the bag                           something is no longer a secre
• take (or choose) sides                               support one person or group in an argument or break-up
• a matter of time                                            definitely going to happen in the future
• hold that (or it) against (someone)   not forgive (someone)
• hard to come by                                            difficult to get

Notes:

From out of the blue can also be out of the blue.  Example:  Out of the blue he told her that he loved her.
The cat is out of the bag is similar to (someone) let the cat out of the bag, but the first one is a condition and the second is an action implying that the person who told the secret should not have done so.  Example:  Peter was wrong to let the cat out of the bag so soon.
Take sides and choose sides have the same meaning.
Hold that against (someone) and hold it against (someone) have the same meaning.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The first mention of soap dates from about 2800 BCE in ancient Babylon.  It was made by mixing oil from the cassia tree and ashes from a fire and boiling the two together in water.  A white foam would form at the top of the pot, and this would harden into soap when cooled.  In other parts of the world, people started making soap with other plant oils, but the method was the same.  In ancient Rome animal fat rather than plant oil was used.  The process of making soap was expensive, however,  so it was only used by the rich.  In the 8th century when production increased, soap became common in Italy, France and Spain, but people in the rest of Europe rarely used it until the 17th century.  Even in 1672 when an Italian gentleman sent a bar of soap to his German lady friend, he had to include instructions on how to use it.  In the late 18th century,  the use of soap increased because of the industrialized production of bar soap and because people understood that using soap made them healthier because it washed away microorganisms.  Around 1790 Nicolas Leblanc, a French chemist, figured out how to get sodium hydroxide (commonly known as lye) from salt, and used this in place of wood ash to make soap.  Today soap is used by people all over the world.  It is made from palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil or laurel oil.  If combined with sodium hydroxide, a harder soap results, and if combined with potassium hydroxide, a softer soap results.

Click on the audio recording below to hear the lesson.

Vocabulary:

mention of:  writing about
BCE:  Before Common Era (used to be BC)
ancient:  very very old
cassia tree:  a tree native to south China and southern and eastern Asia which produces cinnamon
ashes:  the powder that remains after burning
boiling:  raising the temperature so that bubbles form
foam:  many tiny bubbles
harden:  become hard
method:  the way to do something
process:  the way to make something
the rich:  rich people
production:  the making (of something)
rarely:  almost never
industrialized:  made in large quantities by factories
microorganisms:  tiny tiny animals that live on your skin
figured out:  solved the problem of
sodium hydroxide:  NaOH
potassium hydroxide:  KOH

Pronunciation Exercise:  Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

© 2014 Ambien Malecot

 

by Simon & Garfunkel

an American duo who started recording songs in 1957.  They became popular with the younger generation in the 60s. Paul Simon wrote all the songs and Art Garfunkel sang the harmony.  This song was on their 1966 album “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.”

Slow down, you’re moving too fast
You gotta make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feeling groovy

Hello lamppost; what you knowing?
I’ve come to watch your flowers growing
Ain’t you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-it-in-doo doo, feeling groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feeling groovy

I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life I love you, all is groovy

Ba da da da da da da …

Vocabulary:

gotta:  got to (have to)
kicking down:  walking slowly with no destination
cobblestones:  an old road made of stones
groovy:  wonderful, happy
lamppost:  street light
you:  pronounced “cha” after a word ending in “t”
ain’t you got no:  (slang) don’t you have any
rhymes:  inspiration for lyrics for a song
deeds:  tasks, little jobs
dappled:  lying under a tree with spots of sunlight on me
drowsy:  feeling sleepy
petals:  blossoms from the tree

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only 

 

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When you are asked about yourself in a job interview, or you’re describing someone, the best way to do that is to use the following personal qualities:

accurate:              able to do the work with no mistakes
adaptable:           able to change to a new situation
ambitious:           wanting more and better things in life
amusing:              able to make people laugh
athletic:                 being in shape and able to do sports
bold:                        fearless, doing things before others do them
caring:                   caring about other people
confident:             knowing who you are and what you can do
conscientious:    always doing the right thing
considerate:        thinking of other people’s needs and emotions
cooperative:        able to work well with other people
creative:                able to make things no one has made before
curious:                wanting to know something
decisive:                able to make decisions quickly
dependable:         always doing what you say you’ll do
determined:        willing to do what’s necessary to achieve a goal
diligent:                 making a constant effort
disciplined:         able to control yourself
efficient:                able to get a lot done in a short amount of time
energetic:              having a lot of energy and not getting tired
enthusiastic:       very interested and excited
flexible:                  able to change in a new situation
generous:              sharing what’s yours with other people
honest:                    telling the truth and doing the right thing
informed:              knowing a lot of information
loyal:                         faithful to your friends or to an organization
mature:                   acting like an adult and not a child
modest:                   not telling other people what good things you have done
motivated               having good reasons to do well
open-minded:       able to listen to opposite sides of an argument
optimistic:             able to see the good things in life
organized:              knowing where everything is and what needs to be done
passionate:            having strong emotions about something
patient:                    able to do hard or boring jobs and not get angry or bored
personable             well-liked by others, friendly
persuasive:            able to make other people agree with you
practical:                 doing things that you know are going to work
proactive:                doing things to stop a future problem from happening
punctual:                 on time
qualified:                 having the training, education or experience to do a job
resourceful:           able to solve problems creatively by using what is available
responsible:            feeling like it’s your duty to do a job
sensible:                   having good judgment
sensitive:                  able to feel your own and others’ emotions
sincere:                     honest and open in feelings and thoughts
talented:                    having an easy ability to do something
thorough:                  doing everything that is required and then more
trustworthy:           able to be trusted
versatile:                   able to do many different skillful things
well-balanced:         doing equal work and equal play, having a lot of interests
well-groomed:         having a neat and clean appearance

Use these flashcards to help you study.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot