时间:2018-12-02 作者:英语课 分类:手把手教你学口语


英语课

There are two ways of expressing ability in English. One, “can” or “could”. Two, “be able to”. In negative sentences, there’s no difference in meaning. So, “I couldn’t lift the piano” and “I wasn’t able to lift the piano” mean the same thing. However, in affirmative sentences about past ability, “could” usually means 1 “used be able to”. The use of “could” usually indicates that the ability existed in the past, but does not exist now.


For example, “When I was young, I could run fast” means that I can not run fast now. On the other hand, if the speaker is talking about an ability to do something at one particular time in the past, “was/were able to” can be used in affirmative sentences, but “could” cannot.


For example, your car broke down. It stopped working. So you took it to get fixed 2 two days ago. When I saw you today, you told me that the mechanic 3 fixed your car. If you said, “The mechanic could fix my car yesterday”, that sentence is not correct. You must say, “The mechanic was able to fix my car yesterday” or “The mechanic managed to fix my car yesterday.”


Let’s look at another example. I have been looking for a CD I like for a long time. I could not find it. I was not able to find it for a long time. But yesterday I was able to find it. Yesterday I managed to find it. But you cannot say, “Yesterday I could find it.”


Remember “I could not” and “I was not able to” are the same, but “I could” and “I was able to” are not the same. “I could” means I used to be able to, but now I’m not able to. “I was able to” means I have the ability at one particular time in the past.


This has been today’s daily tip on learning 4 English. Tune 5 in tomorrow for another tip.



1 means
n.方法,手段,折中点,物质财富
  • That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
  • We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。
2 fixed
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
3 mechanic
n.技工,机(械)工,机修工
  • The mechanic made the necessary adjustments to the engine.机械师对发动机作了必要的调整。
  • He is a mechanic who buys and sells cars on the side.他是一个兼营买卖汽车的技工。
4 learning
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
5 tune
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
学英语单词
adsorption chromatography
Aguas Zarcas
Aimargues
air feeder
Alleppey
Almen extreme pressure lubricant testing machine
annuniciator
ASCB
barley sugar
beddy-bye(s)
Bethnal Green
blueing process
body-snatcher
broad-brim
Bulbophyllum reptans
carcelle
celery leaf spot
certificate of bank balances
charge position
Computing Surface
curriculums
Dali City
dress-coated
eight-year study
Eun.
extramaster
follow ... inclinations
free-electron laser
fringe setae
frontierlands
gauze kerchief
girals
graverobbers
griddlecakes
higher-ranked
index of scanning helix
keel clearance
Korean Strait
Lented
LF reject
lienomycin
llano
low potential metal
lumped parameter circulator
macroamylasemic
melting speed ratio
mode of deformation
mother-of-thousands
Mount's Bay
non riparian
nonrefugee
north-easterners
Old Pretender
oligodotia
Oloiserri
organouranium compound
passive incontinence
ping-pong buffer
plain module board
planimetric line
plate cylinder
poker coordinates
prefacive
pulpitis
rairoad engineering
range span
record-collector
Rhododendron hukwangense
salween r.
segled card
Selma chalk
shock position
sounding device
stauntonin
stores fund
supernutrition
surirella voigtii
surplus
Suzuka-tōge
swr indicator
syndrome of stagnated gallbladder qi with disturbing phlegm
Sāngla
tetrahedral angle
thermoperiodicity
transverse occipital sulcus
trond
tub-fast
tummy crunch
Turbellaria
two-pence piece
ultra-high-speed lift
unhele
unobservable quantity
unsety
variable quadri-correlator
vicchio
wavefront advance
wet-bulbs
Wohlhynian fever
wtnh
Xuan Duong
zonary placentation