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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Usage of 'was able to' and 'could'

How many apples (were you able to / could you) get yesterday?

Tom (was able to / could) get in last night even though he lost his key?

He (was able to / could) leave work early. He's not in the office now.

Jack was an excellent tennis player. He (was able to / could) beat anybody.

If you do not mind which one is correct in each bracket? And when can I use 'was able to' or 'could'? Thank you so much in advance.
  

Top answer

1. was able to 2. was able to 3.

— Ivanhr

  • 1.
  • was able to 2.
  • was able to 3.
  • could "could" indicates a past ability.
  • "was able to" denotes one occasion in the past when you did something/managed to do something.
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4 Answers
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1. was able to
2. was able to
3. could

"could" indicates a past ability. "was able to" denotes one occasion in the past when you did something/managed to do something.

Of course, your sentences are given out of context so I can't be sure whether either "was able to" or "could" is the best or even correct choice.
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Thank you and there are four brackets so I need four answers but you gave me three answers. So I am now confused where I have to draw lines. But I know it is my fault. I made it unclear by not putting numbers in front. If you do not mind, could you help me out again
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AnonymousHow many ...
Correct answers underlined.

How many apples (were you able to / could you) get yesterday?

Tom (was able to / could) get in last night even though he lost his key.

He (was able to / could) leave work early. He's not in the office now.
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Sorry, my answers were for #1, #2 and #4. I must've seen your third sentence, but somehow it didn't register.
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