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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
could
Why is "could" (used in a positive sense) not used to express an ability to do something on one particular occasion.
Top answer
I assume you're refering to past events. For example, you could say I was able to swim back to the boat. ) In example like the one above , you should use "was able" instead of "could".
- I assume you're refering to past events.
- For example, you could say I was able to swim back to the boat.
- ) In example like the one above , you should use "was able" instead of "could".
- As for the reason why you can't use 'could', I suppose it's because 'could' is normally used for both past and present events/situations , so to avoid any ambiguity we use "was/were able to" for past events, but I'm just speculating here.
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1 Answers
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I assume you're refering to past events. For example, you could say
I was able to swim back to the boat. (I could swim back to the boat.)
In example like the one above , you should use "was able" instead of "could".
As for the reason why you can't use 'could', I suppose it's because 'could' is normally used for both past and present events/situations , so to
I was able to swim back to the boat. (
In example like the one above , you should use "was able" instead of "could".
As for the reason why you can't use 'could', I suppose it's because 'could' is normally used for both past and present events/situations , so to
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