'I am able to' or ' I will'

Question

What is the meaning and purpose of 'able to'? What kind of grammar is this? I ask because I think 'I will' or even 'I can' has the same meaning.

For example,

'I am able to attend the ceremony'.

Instead, why not write

'I will attend the ceremony'

'I can attend the ceremony'

'Able to' has no meaning to me, and I would like you to give meaning to it, so I will consider using it where and how it is supposed to be used.

Thank you.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Anonymous'I am able to attend the ceremony'.

= I can attend the ceremony.

Both "am able to" and "can" mean "have the ability to" in your sentences. It means you can if you want to.

In contrast, "will" signifies more than ability. It's more like promising to attend.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your reply.

If I want to be concise in my writing, I am thinking that I ought to use 'can' instead of 'am able to' simply because meaning is conveyed via one word, not three words.

Is there any situation where 'am able to' cannot be substituted with 'can'? If they both have equal meaning, how did 'am able to' come about because for it to come about, it must have a purpose. So, either it is more concise than 'can' in certain sentences, or it is very ancient English used by educated elderly people.

'I am able to walk without a walking stick'

I understand that they can walk without need of a walking stick but I also feel that they are walking just below the point at which they need a walking stick. So, it sounds limiting and restricting if this makes sense.

Thank you.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIf I want to be concise in my writing, I am thinking that I ought to use 'can' instead of 'am able to' simply because meaning is conveyed via one word, not three words.

Well, of course you can do that if you want, but you might want to keep in mind that having some variety in your writing is also good, so you could still put an 'able to' into your writing from time to time for that reason.

AnonymousIs there any situation where 'am able to' cannot be substituted with 'can'?

Not that I'm aware of. I can't think of anything just now.

Anonymoushow did 'am able to' come about because for it to come about, it must have a purpose.

I am not a historian of English, so I don't know how all of this happened historically. However, this case is not unique. There are many other meanings that can be expressed in multiple ways in English. I suppose each case has its own unique story to tell.

Anonymous'I am able to walk without a walking stick' I understand that they can walk without need of a walking stick but I also feel that they are walking just below the point at which they need a walking stick. So, it sounds limiting and restricting if this makes sense.

This example gives me the impression that someone is recovering from a health condition. He is asked how he is improving, so he says "I am able to walk without a walking stick". He could just as easily say "I can ...", but then that's what almost everybody can say as long as they are not disabled in some way. In this case you might say that "be able" indicates something more special while "can" indicates something more ordinary.

CJ

'I am able to' or ' I will'

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