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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Asking for and giving advice
Hi,
In a TEFl book,'can'and 'should' are introduced as modals used for asking for and giving advice.For example,''Can you tell me a little about Mexico City?'',''What can I do in Mexico City?'',''What should I see there?'',''You can see the Palace of Fine Arts.'',
''You should visit the National Museum.'',''You can't visit some museums on Mondays.''
The problem appeared when the students began to use canand should interchangeablly in the excercises,although the'Answer Key' to those excericises gives only one choice as the correct choice.The book doesn't state any differences betweencanand should,but at the same time asks students for one correct answer.This is an example:
1.A:I can't decide where to go on my vacation.
B:you should go to India.It's my favorite plce to visit. (The answer is should not can.)
2.A:What can I see from Effel Tower?(can not should)
B:You can see all of Paris.
When I tried to tell the difference I couldn't but demonstrate that can shows the meaning it is possible,which stripped canfrom it's main function presented in the book as foradvice.Please help clarify this for me.
Lots of thanks.
In a TEFl book,'can'and 'should' are introduced as modals used for asking for and giving advice.For example,''Can you tell me a little about Mexico City?'',''What can I do in Mexico City?'',''What should I see there?'',''You can see the Palace of Fine Arts.'',
''You should visit the National Museum.'',''You can't visit some museums on Mondays.''
The problem appeared when the students began to use canand should interchangeablly in the excercises,although the'Answer Key' to those excericises gives only one choice as the correct choice.The book doesn't state any differences betweencanand should,but at the same time asks students for one correct answer.This is an example:
1.A:I can't decide where to go on my vacation.
B:you should go to India.It's my favorite plce to visit. (The answer is should not can.)
2.A:What can I see from Effel Tower?(can not should)
B:You can see all of Paris.
When I tried to tell the difference I couldn't but demonstrate that can shows the meaning it is possible,which stripped canfrom it's main function presented in the book as foradvice.Please help clarify this for me.
Lots of thanks.
Top answer
Ah, all textbooks have their little flaws, don't they? That's why I avoid them like the plague. Of course in #2, the 'possibility/ability' meaning of 'can' has slipped right into both turns of the dialogue, which has nothing to do with getting/giving advice at all.
- Ah, all textbooks have their little flaws, don't they?
- That's why I avoid them like the plague.
- Of course in #2, the 'possibility/ability' meaning of 'can' has slipped right into both turns of the dialogue, which has nothing to do with getting/giving advice at all.
- Teaching functions is a nice idea in many ways, but it artificially isolates words from their other meanings...
- and then when another use slips into the scenario, confusion reigns.
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1 Answers
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Ah, all textbooks have their little flaws, don't they? That's why I avoid them like the plague. Of course in #2, the 'possibility/ability' meaning of 'can' has slipped right into both turns of the dialogue, which has nothing to do with getting/giving advice at all.
Teaching functions is a nice idea in many ways, but it artificially isolates words from their other meanings... and then w
Teaching functions is a nice idea in many ways, but it artificially isolates words from their other meanings... and then w
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