“Be able to”: the definition and usage

Able, can, could... are quite familiar words to us, used to express potential abilities. What is "Be able to"? How to use "Be able to"? Let's learn more details about this grammatical structure together with PREP and practice related exercises right in this post below!

I. What is “Be able to”?

Able (adj - adjective) means can/has the ability to do something. "Be able to" is used to express what someone is capable of doing. For example:

• She’s able to take care of her cats.
• My mother wasn’t able to meet you yesterday. 

II. The position of “be able to” in the sentence 

“Be able to” comes before the verb in the sentence. For example:

• My sister is able to dance and sing. 
• My friend is able to cook. 

III. How to use “be able to” in a sentence

Here are the details on how to use the "Be able to" in English that you should take note of:

1. Affirmative form 

"Be able to" in the affirmative form expresses what someone is capable of doing. The formula is:

S + be + able to + V + (O)

For example:

• My father is able to speak two languages. 
• I am able to drive a car.

2. Negative form 

In the negative form, "Be able to" expresses what someone is not capable of doing. The formula is:

S + be + not + able to + V + (O)

For example:

• The boy hasn’t been able to speak. 
• My cat is not able to swim. 
• She was not able to complete the assignment on time.

3. Will be able to 

The usage of "Will be able to" is similar to "Be able to", however, it includes the auxiliary verb "will" which conveys the meaning of something that is potentially able to/will happen in the future.

The affirmative structure:

S + be + not + able to + V + (O)

For example:

• I will be able to visit you next year. 
• She will be able to become a teacher next year. 

The negative structure:

S + won’t be able to + V + O

For example:

• I won’t be able to visit Singapore next year. 
• My boyfriend won’t be able to come here.

IV. “Be able to” synonyms

"Can", "could", and "be able to" all express ability or possibility in English. However, there are some nuances in their usages:

1. Can

“Can” means to have the ability to do something. The negative form of “can” is “cannot”, which means not being able to do anything. The structure is as follows:

S + can(not) + V + (O)

The usage is as follows:

2. Could 

Could is the past tense form of can. Understanding the following knowledge will help you know when to use could and Be able to. Here are some examples of using could:

V. Some notes on “be able to” 

Below are some notes on “be able to”!

• In terms of grammar, focus on correctly conjugating the verb "to be" according to the tense.
• In terms of semantics, consider the various situations and contexts to accurately employ "can/could." 

VI. Exercises on “be able to” with detailed answers

Below are some practice exercises on this phrase:

1. Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer 

1. Will you be able to ______ with the job?
   1. A. cope
   2. B. coping
   3. C. coped
2. I ______ able to phone my boyfriend yesterday.
   1. A. am not
   2. B. is not
   3. C. was not
3. ______ you able to contact her at some point next?
   1. A. Do
   2. B. Are
   3. C. Will
4. They are able _______ in a park.
   1. A. walk
   2. B. walking
   3. C. to walk
5. He ___ never seem to get the temperature right
   1. A. can
   2. B. can’t
   3. C. to be able to

2. Exercise 2: Indicate the mistakes in each sentence

1. I am so happy to be able travelling after the Covid lockdown.
2. He is able to doing that.
3. Will she can to come?
4. I can’t to go out with you tonight. 
5. She could able to drive a car. 

3. Answer keys

Exercise 1: 1. A; 2. C; 3. C; 4. C; 5. A

Exercise 2: 

• 1. Travelling  to travel
• 2. Doing  do 
• 3. Can  be able 
• 4. Can’t  am not able/ can’t go out 
• 5. Can  is/ could drive

VII. Master IELTS Like a Pro 

This article covers the meaning, usage, and exercises related to the "be able to" for your reference. If you want guaranteed improvement in IELTS, don’t miss these game-changing courses :

• IELTS preparation online: Score Big in IELTS With Our Expert Tips!