Grammar reference and practice 2.2

2.2 ■ can / can’t for ability

Affirmative
I You He / She / It We They	can		play the piano.
Negative
I You He / She / It We They	can't (= cannot)		ride a bicycle.
Questions and short answers
Can	I you he / she / it we they	speak Italian?	Yes, I can. No, she can't.

Form

■To form the affirmative we use can + infinitive without to.

NOTE: We do not add -s after can in the third person.

He can jump. NOT He cans jump.

■To form the negative we use can't (= cannot) + infinitive without to.

She can't hear you.

■To form questions we use Can + subject + infinitive without to.

Can they swim?

Use

We use can / can't to talk about ability.

I can ride a bicycle but I can't ride a horse.

Can Fred run fast?

1Choose the correct options. 

• 1Can they hear the music?

  Yes, they can't.No, they can't.No, they don't.

• 2Can she speak French?

  Yes, she can.Yes, she is.No, she doesn't.

• 3Can you see the whiteboard?

  Yes, I am.Yes, I can.No, can't I.

• 4Can David play the violin?

  No, he can't.Yes, he does.Yes, it is.

• 5Can Olga and Tanya read?

  Yes, they are.Yes, they can.No, they don't.

• 6Can you swim?

  Yes, I swim.Yes, I am.No, I can't.

2Complete the sentences about Jim and Kath using information from the chart. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task.

	Jim & Kath	Abi
fly a plane	✘	✔
do karate	✔	✘
play the drums	✔	✘
sing	✘	✔
make a cake	✔	✘
speak Spanish	✔	✔

• 1Jim and Kath  a plane.

• 2They  karate.

• 3They  the drums.

• 4They  sing.

• 5They  a cake.

• 6They  Spanish.

 

3Study the chart. Write questions and short answers about Abi. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

	Jim & Kath	Abi
fly a plane	✘	✔
do karate	✔	✘
play the drums	✔	✘
sing	✘	✔
make a cake	✔	✘
speak Spanish	✔	✔

• 1

• 2 she  karate?

• 3 she  the drums?

• 4 she ?

• 5 she  a cake?

• 6 she  Spanish?