Cause dan Condition Time dan Place

14 Modul Guru Pembelajar Bahasa Inggris Kelompok Kompetensi Profesional J d. Possibility We use can to express possibility or to question possibilities, for example:  We can go to Rome in June because both of us have a week off work. It is possible for us to go to Rome because we don‟t have to work in June.  Well, how can you be on a diet if you buy so much chocolate? I don‟t think it‟s possible that you are on a diet because you still buy lots of chocolate. e. Guessing and Predicting When we want to guess or predict something, we use can‘t as the negative form of must. We use can‘t have + -ed form as the negative form of must have + - ed. Can‘t and can‘t have + -ed form express strong possibility. Look at the following dialogue: A: Who owns this blue coat? It must be yours. B: It can‟t be mine. It‟s too big. A uses must to guess that the coat belongs to B. He sees this as a strong possibility. B uses can‘t to express strong negative possibility. The coat is too big, so it isn‘t his. A: Roy must have made a lot of money. B: He can‟t have done. He doesn‟t even own a house. A makes a deduction that Roy has made a lot of money. B sees this as very unlikely and so expresses it as a negative possibility. f. Request We use can as a question form to make requests:  Those cakes look so good. Can I try one?  Can I have your surname?  Can you help me with this form? Modul Guru Pembelajar Bahasa Inggris Kelompok Kompetensi Profesional J 15 g. Reproches We use can‘t as a question form to ask people to stop doing something w e don‘t want them to do, or to do something they are not doing which we want them to do:  Can‟t you stop making that awful noise?  Why can‟t you just be nice to her instead of upsetting her? h. Offers We use can as a question form to make offers:  Can I help you lift that?  Can we do anything for you?

2. Could

a. Possibility We often use could to express possibility in the present and the future. Compare: It‟s blue. I am certain that it is blue. It‟s a fact. It could be blue. present I‟m not certain that it is blue. The storm will get worse. I‟m certain that the storm will get worse. The storm could get worse. future I‟m not certain that the storm will get worse. b. Suggestions We often use could to make suggestions. Look at the following dialogue: A: Will‟s party is fancy-dress. B:It‟s Halloween. C:Oh right. I could go as Julius Caesar. B:Again? How many times have you done that? 16 Modul Guru Pembelajar Bahasa Inggris Kelompok Kompetensi Profesional J A:I‟ve got to be in the meeting at 10 and the train doesn‟t get in until 10.15. B:Could you get an earlier train? c. Permission We use could to ask for permission. Could is more formal and polite than can, for example: Could I ask you a personal question? Warning: We don’t use could to give or refuse permission. We use can: A:Could I leave early today? B:Yes, you can.No, you can‟t. Not: Yes, you could.No, you couldn‘t d. Ability We use could to talk about past ability: When I was young, I could easily touch my toes e. Possibility We use could have + -ed form to talk about possibility in the past:  I could have been a lawyer.  They could have taken a taxi home instead of walking and getting wet.  Janette couldn‟t have done any better. f. Guessing and predicting When we want to guess or predict something, we use couldn‘t as the negative form of must. We use couldn‘t have + -ed form as the negative form of must have + - ed. Couldn‘t and couldn‘t have + -ed form express strong possibility:  She must have made a mistake. It couldn‟t be true.  A firework couldn‟t have done all that damage.