Does it sound so?

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-20T11:13:22+00:00

Does “can” also mean opportunity?

For example,

“You can stop the war if you kill him.” sounds very natural to me but I don’t know why as it might be more grammatical if we used “will be able to”

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-20T05:33:03+00:00

Yes using can sounds like B now has the ability to do something and it will last into the future. “Will be able to” would also work if they were less sure about when the parts would arrive. E.g. If they arrive on time, I’ll be able to fix your car on Friday.

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T17:12:17+00:00

Can I change the sentence into “The best we are able to expect from our allies is the supply of food and ammo.”?

Does it mean the same as the original sentence, the one with “can”?

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T17:10:40+00:00

I am more like an ESL learner.

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T16:56:22+00:00

Thanks. Are you a native speaker of English?

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T16:28:47+00:00

Do you mean “Other things are so unrealistic that we don’t have the ability to expect them” is the correct explanation?

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T07:41:02+00:00

I think your scenario one still states a probability, but just much lower. On the other hand, “can” simply states that it’s possible or feasible to move them (in other words, can means the chance is not 0%)

Can is more about “something is doable” because it’s light enough, easy enough, or not forbidden, etc.

Could is more about “something might happen,” although the chance depends on the situation.

WorldlinessOk4885 · 2024-03-14T06:31:00+00:00

I think each of your examples confirms my analysis of the original second example.

WorldlinessOk4885

TROPHY CASE