This document provides a lesson on expressing ability in English. It discusses using modals like "can" and "could" to talk about present, future, and past abilities. Examples are given such as "Melissa can type very quickly" for present ability and "Two years ago, they couldn't afford to buy a house" for past ability. The lesson also covers using the expression "be able to" along with changing the form of "be" to talk about abilities in the present, past and future tenses. Students are provided practice questions to reinforce the concepts taught.

4. CLASS – VI
ENGLISH
Topic - Expressing
Ability
Mrs. Sundari
K.V.Tirumalagiri

5. Expressing AbilityAbility in
English
• In this grammar presentation,
you will learn how to talk
about:
•Present AbilityPresent Ability
•Future AbilityFuture Ability
•Past AbilityPast Ability

6. Modals are special auxiliaries that
have meaning. Can & could are
used in English to describe our
abilities.
• Use can to talk about present
or future abilities
• Use could to talk about past

7. Examples . . .
Present Abilities:
1. Melissa can type very quickly.
22. My friends know how to play
the piano. They can play very
well..
3.3. I can’t speak Italian,
but I’d like to learn.

8. Future abilities:
1. The teacher can sing this song
for you tomorrow
2. We can help you
move this weekend if
you’d like.
3. You can improve your
computer skills in the next
workshop.

9. Past Abilities:
1. Two years ago, they couldn’t afford to
buy a house in San Diego, but now they
can.
2. The test was difficult. I couldn’t
figure out some of the answers.
3. Sara couldn’t attend the
party because she already had
plans.

10. Use ___________ or
_____________ to talk about:
• Present (current) abilities
• Future abilities
Use ______________ or
______________ to talk about:
•Abilities in the Past

11. What FORM of the main
verb comes after CAN or
COULD?
She can ____________ many
languages.
When I was a child, I could
____________ very well.

12. Final Note . . .
Because CAN and COULD are
auxiliaries, they are used with ALL
subjects in English. For example:
CAN
learn
English.
COULD

13. Practice!
What are some abilities or skills that
you currently have? What can you
do?
--Share some examples with your
class.
What were some abilities or skills
that you had when you were a
child? What things could you do?

14. • Another way to talk about abilities
in English is by using the expression:
BE ABLE TO.
• This expression can be used to talk
about present, future or past
abilities. To change the tense, you
must change the verb BE to the
appropriate form.

15. What are the present tense forms of the verb
BE?
What are the past tense forms of the verb
BE?
He, she,
it
3rd
person
singular
I
You, We,
They
3rd
person
plural
I
He, She,
It
3rd
person
singular
You, We,
They
3rd
person
plural

16. For the future form, use:
Notice that it’s much easier to use
WILL for the future.

17. Present Tense:
1. I am able to give you a ride home
today.
To make these sentences negative, simply put
NOT after the verb “BE.” To practice, say these
sentences in the negative form with your
classmates.
2. Sandra is able to work overtime at
her job.
3.. The students are able
to study for free
at ECC.

18. Past Tense:
1. I was able to buy my new DVD
player at a discount at
Costco.
2. The students were able to practice
the spelling and vocabulary words
last week on the computer.
Now, say these sentences in the
negative form with your classmates.

19. Future Tense:
3. The counselor is going to be able
to meet with you later this
afternoon.
Now, say these sentences in the
1. Next Friday, you will be able to sleep
late because it’s a holiday and we won’t
have class.
2. They will be able to take a
vacation next year if they start
saving their money now.

20. Go to the following website address to
practice the grammar:
www.quia.com/quiz/725567.html