can
modal
noun
verb
kən
modal
1
ABILITY
能力
to
be
able
to
do
something
or
to
know
how
to
do
something
能，会
You
can
swim,
can’t
you?
你会游泳，是吗？
Even
a
small
personal
computer
can
store
vast
amounts
of
information.
即使是一台小型的个人计算机也能储存大量的信息。
Gabriella
can
speak
French
fluently.
加布里埃拉能讲一口流利的法语。
I’m
afraid
Mr
Harding
can’t
see
you
now
–
he’s
busy.
抱歉，哈丁先生现在不能见你，他正忙着呢。
The
police
are
doing
all
they
can
to
find
her.
警方正在尽一切努力寻找她。
2
REQUESTING
请求
used
to
ask
someone
to
do
something
or
give
you
something
[口] 可以…吗？ 能…吗？〔用于拜托或请求〕
spoken
Can
I
have
a
cigarette,
please?
能给我一支香烟吗？
Can
you
help
me
lift
this
box?
你能帮我抬起这个箱子吗？
3
ALLOWED
经允许的
to
be
allowed
to
do
something
or
to
have
the
right
or
power
to
do
something
允许，可以
You
can’t
park
here
–
it’s
a
no
parking
zone.
你不能在这里停车 — 这是非停车区。
‘Can
we
go
home
now,
please?’
‘No
you
can’t.’
“我们现在可以回家了吗？”“不，不可以。”
Any
police
officer
can
insist
on
seeing
a
driver’s
license.
任何一位警察都可以要求查看开车者的驾驶执照。
4
POSSIBILITY
可能性
used
to
say
that
something
is
possible
有可能，会
I
am
confident
a
solution
can
be
found.
我有信心会找到解决办法。
There
can
be
no
doubt
that
he
is
guilty.
他有罪这一点是毋庸置疑的。
The
boxes
can
be
stored
flat.
这些箱子可以平放。
Can
he
still
be
alive
after
all
this
time?
过了这么长的时间，他还可能活着吗？
5
SEEING/HEARING ETC
看到/听到等
used
with
the
verbs
‘see’,
‘hear’,
‘feel’,
‘taste’,
and
‘smell’,
and
with
verbs
connected
with
thinking,
to
mean
that
someone
sees
something,
hears
something
etc
〔与表示感官的动词如 see, hear, feel, taste, smell, 以及与思维有关的动词连用〕
Here
they
are
–
I
can
see
their
car.
他们来了 — 我看到他们的汽车。
Can
you
smell
something
burning?
你闻到什么东西烧焦了吗？
I
can’t
understand
why
you’re
so
upset.
我不明白你为什么这么沮丧。
He
can’t
remember
where
he
put
the
tickets.
他记不起把票放在哪儿了。
6
NOT TRUE
非真实的
used
to
say
that
you
do
not
believe
that
something
is
true
〔表示不相信某事是真实的〕
in negatives 用于否定句
This
can’t
be
the
right
road.
不可能是这条路。
It
can’t
be
easy
caring
for
a
man
and
a
child
who
are
not
your
own.
照顾一个男人和一个不是你亲生的孩子可不是件容易的事。
7
SHOULD NOT
不应该
used
to
say
that
someone
should
not
or
must
not
do
something
〔表示某人不该或不可以做某事〕
in questions and negatives 用于疑问句和否定句
You
can’t
expect
the
world
to
change
overnight.
你不能指望世界一夜之间就变样。
We
can’t
go
on
like
this.
我们不能再这样下去了。
Jill’s
left
her
husband,
but
can
you
blame
her
after
the
way
he
treated
her?
吉尔离开了她丈夫，但是他这样待她，你能责怪她吗？
8
SURPRISE/ANGER
惊奇/愤怒
used
when
you
are
surprised
or
angry
[口] 难道会…; 怎么可以…〔表示惊讶或气愤〕
usually in questions and negatives 一般用于疑问句和否定句 | spoken
You
can’t
be
serious!
你不会是认真的吧！
They
can’t
have
arrived
already,
surely!
他们不可能已经到了，绝对不可能！
How
can
you
be
so
stupid!
你怎么会这么笨！
9
SOMETIMES
有时候
used
to
say
what
sometimes
happens
or
how
someone
sometimes
behaves
有时可能会〔用于表示偶尔的可能性〕
It
can
be
quite
cold
here
at
night.
这里夜间有时可能很冷。
Peter
can
be
really
annoying.
彼得有时很讨厌。
10
GIVING ORDERS
发命令
used
to
tell
someone
in
an
angry
way
to
do
something
[口] 必须〔表示愤怒〕
spoken
And
you
can
stop
that
quarrelling,
the
pair
of
you.
你们两个，别吵了。
If
you
won’t
keep
quiet,
you
can
get
out.
如果你不肯保持安静的话，就请出去。
11
can be able to Be able to
Use
and
to
say
that
someone
has
the
ability
to
do
something.
is
more
formal.
用
can
和 be able to 来表示某人有能力做某事，be able to 更为正式
Can
you
swim?
你会游泳吗？
Young
children
are
not
able
to
open
the
bottle.
小孩子打不开这个瓶子。
12
could Could can could be able to
Use
to
say
that
someone
has
the
ability
to
do
something,
but
does
not
do
it.
用
could
is
also
the
past
form
of
.
Use
or
a
past
form
of
to
say
that
someone
had
the
ability
to
do
something
in
the
past.
could
也是 can 的过去式。 用 could 或 be able to 的过去式来表示某人在过去有能力做某事
He
could
do
a
lot
better.
他可以做得好得多。
She
could
ride
a
bike
when
she
was
three.
她三岁时能骑自行车。
He
was
able
to
walk
with
a
stick.
他能拄着拐杖行走。
13
can be able to
In
the
following
cases,
you
cannot
use
.
You
must
use
.
以下情况不能使用 can，而必须用 be able to
14
used to
with
,
to
say
that
someone
had
the
ability
to
do
something
in
the
past
but
no
longer
does.
和 used to 连用，表示某人过去有能力做某事，但现在已不能了
I
used
to
be
able
to
play
the
violin.
我以前会拉小提琴。
15
will be able to
to
talk
about
future
ability.
Use
表示将来的能力，用 will be able to
After
only
a
few
lessons,
you
will
be
able
to
understand
basic
Spanish.
只需几节课之后，你就能听懂最基本的西班牙语了。
16
might may would want hope
after
other
verbs,
for
example
,
,
,
,or
.
用在其他动词之后，如 might, may, would, want 或 hope
He
might
be
able
to
fix
your
car.
他也许能修好你的汽车。
You
should
be
able
to
taste
the
difference.
你应该能尝出味道有什么不同。
I
want
her
to
be
able
to
use
a
computer.
我想让她学会用计算机。
kæn
noun
17
a
metal
container
in
which
food
or
drink
is
preserved
without
air
罐
a
Coke
can
可乐罐
[+
of
]
All
we’ve
got
is
a
couple
of
cans
of
soup.
我们只有几听罐头汤。
18
a
special
metal
container
that
keeps
the
liquid
inside
it
under
pressure.
The
liquid
is
released
as
a
spray
when
you
press
the
button
喷雾罐
[+
of
]
a
can
of
hairspray
一罐喷发定型剂
19
a
metal
container
with
a
lid
that
can
be
removed,
used
for
holding
liquid
[尤美] 有盖金属圆罐 （桶 ）
especially AmE
Two
large
cans
of
paint
ought
to
be
enough.
两大桶油漆应该够了。
20
can of worms
a
very
complicated
situation
that
causes
a
lot
of
problems
when
you
start
to
deal
with
it
极为棘手 （困难，麻烦 ）的局面
I
just
don’t
know
what
to
do
–
every
solution
I
can
think
of
would
just
open
up
a
whole
new
can
of
worms
.
我都不知道该怎么办 — 我能想到的每一个办法都会引出新的问题。
21
in the can
a
film
that
is
in
the
can
is
complete
and
ready
to
be
shown
[非正式] 〔影片〕已拍摄好的，录制完毕的
informal
22
the can
a.
a
prison
b.
a
toilet
[美] 厕所
informal AmE
verb
23
to
preserve
food
by
putting
it
into
a
metal
container
from
which
all
the
air
is
removed
把…制成罐头;
BrE
24
to
dismiss
someone
from
a
job
[非正式] 解雇，开除;
informal
25
can it!
used
to
tell
someone
to
stop
talking
or
making
a
noise
[口] 闭嘴！
spoken