ملخص الدرس / الثالثة متوسط/اللغة الإنجليزية/File 1/ Can for ability and Can’t for inability
Pronunciation of " can/can't "
/∂/ →arithmetic - flamingo - Peru - sociable -never-manga
/æ/ →Africa - Andes - maths - fan - personality - Algeria
/α:/ →art - answer - plant - classmate - far-hard-working
Can /kən/ and can't /kα:nt/:
Can /kən/ you play the piano?
Yes, I can. /kæn/
I can /kən/ play the piano.
No, I can't. /kα:nt/
I can't /kα:nt/ play the piano.
the rule:
"can" is pronounced /k∂n/ in questions and in the middle of statements.
/k∂n/ is a weak form of "can".
"can" is pronounced /kæn/ at the end of a short answer to a yes/no question.
/kæn/ is a strong form of "can”.
"can't" is pronounced /ka:nt/in British English.
/ka:nt/is a strong form. It has no weak form.
Talking about what I can or can't do (my abilities or inabilities):
To talk about the things I (or another person) can do (abilities), I use: "can + V (stem/base)".
eg: Adamou can watch birds for hours.
To talk about the things I (or another person) can't do inabilities), I use: "can't + V (stem/base)".
eg: Enzo can't play sudoku.
To ask and answer questions about abilities or inabilities, I use:
Question: "Can + subject + V (stem/base) + ............?
Positive answer: "Yes + - pronoun subject + can."
Negative answer: "No + ( + pronoun subject + can't
" eg: Can migratory birds fly hundreds of kilometres a day?
Yes, they can.
No, they can't
"can't"/cannot:
"can't" is the contracted or short form for "cannot".
The apostrophe (’) in the negative modal auxiliary "can't" replaces the letter "o" in the negative word "not".
This apostrophe also replaces the same letter "o" in other negative auxiliaries.
eg: isn't/ aren't/ wasn't/weren't - don't/ doesn't / didn't-mustn't won't.
This apostrophe can also replace other deleted (unpronounced) letters.
eg: I'm - he's / she's / it's - we're you're they're - I'll / he'll, etc.