Page 63
• Ability: can and could
• Questions with How
I can talk about prodigies.
Ability: can and could
1. Change the words in bold from affirmative to negative, or negative to affirmative, to make sentences.
1. Most children can read until they're six.
2. Mozart couldn't compose music when he was five.
2. Look at the sentences in exercise 1 again and choose the correct words in the Rules.
| RULES |
| 1. We use can to talk about the present / past and could to talk about the present / past. 2. We use a base form with / without to after can and could. 3. The he / she / it form of can is can / cans. 4. The negative forms are don't can and didn't can / can't and couldn't. 5. We use / don't use do and did to make questions with can and could. For example: At what age can most people talk? When could you first speak English? |
3. Complete the text with affirmative and negative forms of can and could.
William Sidis
Supergenius
Most people can't read until they're six and they (1) _______ usually speak one, two or maybe three languages as children. William Sidis was born in 1898, and when he was eighteen months old, he (2) _______ read. Before he was eight he wrote four books and (3) _______ speak eight languages. William was a genius with a very high IQ, but in the end he lived a lonely life. He went to university at eleven, but he (4) _______ make friends and was very unhappy. William died in 1944. Prodigies (5) _______ do special or amazing things, but they (6) _______ always find a place in society. Life is sometimes difficult when you're different.
Questions with How ... ?
4. Match 1-6 with a-f to make questions. Can you remember the answers? Ask and answer the questions with your partner.
1. How much a. should a bodybuilder have eggs per day?
2. How fast b. potassium does a banana contain?
3. How high c. words can Twista rap in a minute?
4. How often d. was William Sidis when he started reading?
5. How many e. is Mount Everest?
6. How old f. could Carl Lewis run?
5. 
USE IT! Make questions with How ...? and the words in the table. Then ask and answer the questions with your partner.
| How ... | high far many strict tall often cold/hot much long | words can you say in ten seconds? can you keep your eyes open? is your teacher? are you? can you run and swim? can you jump? is your town in winter? does a burger cost? are you late for school? |
How high can you jump?
Just over a metre, I think.
Finished?
Write sentences about things you couldn't do in the past, but that you can do now.
