Can reinforce

Question

Regular testing and recording of your blood glucose level can reinforce your healthy lifestyle choices as well as inform you of your response to other choices and influences.

Please explain to me the use and meaning of "can" in the context.

Which meaning of "can" is used here?

Can:ability, possibility

If we take "can" out, what would sentence mean?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

JigneshbharatiWhich meaning of "can" is used here? ...
ability, possibility

You can phrase it either way.

Regular testing ... [can / gives you the ability to / makes it possible for you to] reinforce ....

Frequently grammar texts say "ability, possibility, potential, ..." — all those words they use to describe "can" — but they are all just slight variations of the same thing. They are not usually very useful in explaining the real-world uses of "can". It is not necessary to know which of these words apply for every use of "can" that you come across in your reading.

JigneshbharatiIf we take "can" out, what would sentence mean?

Regular testing and recording ... (do in fact really) reinforce ....

reinforce says it will truly happen.
can reinforce says maybe it will happen, but there may be other factors involved. It won't happen automatically by itself. You'll have to make an effort yourself to make it happen.

Likewise: If you can read a book, you have the ability to do so, but if you don't want to read the book or have no time to read the book, the book is not going to get read. Even if you canread the book, you have to make the effort to read the book. If you never make the effort, you won't ever be able to say "I'm reading the book". The book will just gather dust somewhere on a shelf.

CJ

Can reinforce

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