Ability and inability

Asking about ability or inability

- Can your mother dance?
- Are you able to listen to native speakers and understand every single word?
- Were he able to start working with us?
- Do you think he’ll be able to write a novel without any help?


Voicing ability

- I can type.
- I’ll do what I can to help you.
- When she was younger she could ride a horse.
- When your mom was your age, she could play basketball like a professional.
- She’d probably be able to carry out the experiment.
- We could express it differently.
- I’m sure you could have become a lawyer.
- I’m a business man and I know how to manage my business.
- She is capable of great things.
- I’m a good teacher.
- It becomes necessary for the team to start working with a database capable of stockingall the data.
- She is strong enough to lift that!
- Don’t worry, I know how to use it.
- It’s perfectly possible.
- That money will enable me to carry on.


Voicing inability

- Most students cannot write effective essays.
- He can’t possibly stop smoking.
- She just can’t imagine that!
- They won’t be able to launch the product before next year.
- I couldn’t skate at the time.
- He couldn’t visit her mother in the hospital because he had to work a double shift.
- He is incapable of lying.
- I am totally unable to float on my back.
- You won’t be capable of carrying so many bags.
- He didn’t manage to land the plane safely.
- I don’t know how to use the switchboard.
- It’s impossible for us to take a different approach.
- It would be too difficult for them to tackle such a subject.
- It’s beyond me!
- Susan is becoming famous in her high school. This is beyond my imagination!
- I am not fit enough to climb that rocky hill.


http://englishlearningbox.com/speaking/ability-and-inability/