Could V.S was/were able to

Hi Gravedigger;

Both of them are OK.

are you sure?

Hi Gravedigger:

Could is the simple past tense of can.
Definition of can - to be able to, to have the ability to, to have the means to, to have the possibility.

They could escape the building: there were no obstructions for them to get out, and it was possible for them to escape.

gravediggerWhich is correct ? Explain please !
A. The fire spread through the building very quickly, but fortunately everybody was able to escape.
B. The fire spread through the building very quickly, but fortunately everybody could escape

If you wish the meaning to be that everybody succeeded in escaping, you have to use A. B does not h

We use could for general ability. But if you want to say that somebody did something in a specific situation, use was/were able to or managed to ( not could )

With all my respect...

GRAVEDIGGER

Sorry, Gravedigger, but that was not your original question. You asked which sentence was correct, not "do they mean the same thing."
Both sentences are grammatically correct.

CJ is correct, using could means that it was possible for everyone to escape (there were no obstructions, locked doors, etc.), not that they succeeded in doing so.

AlpheccaStarsBoth of them are OK.

gravediggerare Are you sure?

Yes. Both are fine grammatically. It depends on what you want to say because they have different meanings, although I suspect that you were thinking in terms of A, as I said above.

CJ

Hi CJ;
Thanks so much for your gracious mediation.

Would you comment on these variations - it seems that the present perfect and negative can be used in a specific case where not all got out safely:

Although the fire spread through the building very quickly, everybody could have escaped.

The fire spread through the building very quickly and some could not escape.

AlpheccaStarscomment on these variations

The first example, with the "modal perfect", is an expression of the 'potential' usage [imperfect/stative aspect], not the 'success/failure' usage [perfect/eventive aspect].

The second example, with the negative past, is a little different. It shows the 'success/failure' usage, but it may also be read as the '

CJ

Many thanks and mucho gracias, too!

Most of the time I know the language and meanings of passages simply from long usage; the academic analysis takes it to a different level of appreciation.

A-