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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Could for past possibility

An English grammar book reads: 'Could is used to express general possibility or past ability'. The book gives the example:
'I could answer all the questions in the examination.'
1. Does or mean that 'general possibility' is also in the past?
2. Does the example show general possibility in the past or past ability?
  

Top answer

Anonymous 1. Does or mean that 'general possibility' is also in the past? There are 2 meanings possible: 1.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Anonymous 1.
  • Does or mean that 'general possibility' is also in the past?
  • There are 2 meanings possible: 1.
  • possibility in the past, 2.
  • ability in the past.
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4 Answers
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Anonymous1. Does or mean that 'general possibility' is also in the past?
There are 2 meanings possible: 1. possibility in the past, 2. ability in the past.
Anonymous'I could answer all the questions in the examination.'
I could answer ... = I was able to answer ... = I knew how to answer ...
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AnonymousAn English grammar book reads: 'Could is used to express general possibility or past ability'. The book gives the example:'I could answer all the questions in the examination.'1. Does or mean that 'general possibility' is also in the past?2. Does the example show general possibility in the past or past ability?
I don't know where this text occurs with
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Thank you CJ. As always you have been of great help. Below is the grammar note as it is from the book. If you could elaborate, I would appreciate it.

Use could to describe general possibility or ability in the past.
I could answer all the questions in the test.
I
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AnonymousIf you could elaborate, ...
We do not usually use could for something that happened on a particular occasion. In this case, we use was / were able to.
Here's an example that will illustrate the point.

We ran fast, but even so, we could not catch the bus. (~ We failed to catch the bus.) Th
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