Unit 57 A PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM

Listening

Jenny’s 26. She’s a teacher. She’s in class now.
Jenny Now, Martin… can you swim?
Martin Yes, I can… I could swim when I was five.
Jenny Could you?
Martin Yes, Miss… could you swim when you were five?
Jenny I could swim when I was three.
Martin Really, Miss? Could you read and write when you were three?
Jenny No, Martin… of course I couldn’t!

Grammar

THE MODAL VERB: COULD

Affirmative: S + could + V
Negative: S + could not/ couldn’t + V
Question: Could + S + V?

Use
1    to describe general ability in the past
I could swim when I was five.

2    verbs of perception like see, hear, smell…
We could see the village in the distance.
I couldn’t understand what was happening.

Exercise

When Jenny was ten, she could play the piano, and she could ride a bicycle. But she couldn’t speak French, and she couldn’t sew.

Now write ten sentences:
When I was ten, I could read.
When I was ten, I couldn’t speak English.