Ex. 1. (a, b) explain the meaning of “can” (ability, permission, request, prohibition, possible action) in the following sentences. 1. she is unwell, she can’t leave her room. 2.can i smoke here, mrs right? 3. the teacher said theycould all go home. 4. a policeman arrived and told him hecouldn't park there. 5. my son is not in town; but he’ll be here before long. -can i give him any message? 6. wecan discuss it now. 7 .1could never understand what made her behave as she did. 8. ifyou are tired youcan lie on the sofa for a bit. 9. “life,”the old man said,“can only be understood when you are old. now i see all the mistakes icould have avoided. ” 10. we are in charge of this great business. wecannot leave our responsibility to others. 11. he was surprised that shecould paint so well. 12. she is not married though shecould marry anybody she chose.
2. In the second sentence, "can I smoke here, Mrs. Right?" the word "can" is used to ask for permission. The person is asking if it is allowed or permitted to smoke in that location.
3. In the third sentence, "the teacher said they could all go home," the word "could" is used to indicate permission. The teacher gave permission for everyone to go home.
4. In the fourth sentence, "a policeman arrived and told him he couldn't park there," the word "couldn't" is used to indicate prohibition or not being allowed to do something. The policeman informed him that parking in that location was not allowed.
5. In the fifth sentence, "my son is not in town; but he'll be here before long - can I give him any message?" the word "can" is used to ask for permission. The person is asking if it is possible for them to give a message to their son when he arrives.
6. In the sixth sentence, "we can discuss it now," the word "can" is used to indicate possibility. It means that it is possible for them to discuss the topic at that moment.
7. In the seventh sentence, "I could never understand what made her behave as she did," the word "could" is used to indicate inability or lack of ability. It means that the speaker was unable to understand why she behaved in a certain way.
8. In the eighth sentence, "if you are tired, you can lie on the sofa for a bit," the word "can" is used to indicate possibility. It means that it is possible for the person to lie on the sofa if they are tired.
9. In the ninth sentence, "life, the old man said, can only be understood when you are old. Now I see all the mistakes I could have avoided," the word "can" is used to indicate possibility. The old man is saying that it is only possible to understand life when one is old, and now he sees all the mistakes that he had the ability to avoid.
10. In the tenth sentence, "we cannot leave our responsibility to others," the word "cannot" is used to indicate prohibition or not being allowed to do something. It means that they are not allowed to leave their responsibility to others.
11. In the eleventh sentence, "he was surprised that she could paint so well," the word "could" is used to indicate ability. It means that she had the ability to paint very well, which surprised him.
12. In the twelfth sentence, "she is not married though she could marry anybody she chose," the word "could" is used to indicate ability. It means that she had the ability to marry anyone she wanted, but she chose not to get married.
Overall, the word "can" is used in these sentences to indicate ability, permission, request, prohibition, and possible actions. Understanding how "can" is used in different contexts helps us understand the meaning and intentions behind each sentence.