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can result

 
 
WBYeats
 
Reply Sat 11 Jan, 2014 09:09 pm
eg Prolonged exposure to such toys can result in organ damage.

Does CAN mean possible here? I am not sure because a long time ago, my teacher told us if the meaning is POSSIBLE, CAN is wrong:

-It couldn't be better. (now)
-It couldn't have been better. (past)

Did my teacher tell me the wrong thing or has the language changed? Or can we now say IT CAN'T BE BETTER etc. even when CAN means POSSIBLE?
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Type: Question • Score: 4 • Views: 753 • Replies: 15
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contrex
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 03:01 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:

eg Prolonged exposure to such toys can result in organ damage.

Does CAN mean possible here?


Yes. We may use 'can' to express possibility, ability or potential - a bear can kill a man, walking near a cliff can result in a fall, a hot thing can burn you, etc.






WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 05:59 am
@contrex,
Thank you, Con.

If so, can we now say IT CAN'T BE BETTER etc. even when CAN means POSSIBLE?
Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 06:31 am
Sure, English speakers say that all the time. They mean that it is not possible for the situation to be better.
contrex
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 07:28 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:
If so, can we now say IT CAN'T BE BETTER etc. even when CAN means POSSIBLE?


'Can' doesn't just signify possibility; it also signifies ability, as I said before.

We may use 'can' if we mean "It is not possible for it to be better". Of course this could be ambiguous. It could mean (for example):

It cannot be better because it is perfect (It is definitely very good)

It cannot be better because it is as good as it can be in the present circumstances (It could be bad, good, or very good)

It cannot be better because it there is inherently no possibility of improvement. (Likewise)
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WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 08:37 am
@Setanta,
Thank you~

What does 'all the time' mean? Often or always?
contrex
 
  1  
Reply Sun 12 Jan, 2014 09:41 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:

Thank you~

What does 'all the time' mean? Often or always?


It can mean either; in this case it means "very often" or "commonly".
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Mon 13 Jan, 2014 09:17 am
@contrex,
Thank you~~
0 Replies
 
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Fri 17 Jan, 2014 05:41 am
If CAN can means possible, then why can't we say this?:

-More than half of the population CAN win a prize

when a fast food shop is holding/going to hold a lottery.
contrex
 
  1  
Reply Sat 18 Jan, 2014 07:56 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:

If CAN can means possible, then why can't we say this?:

-More than half of the population CAN win a prize

when a fast food shop is holding/going to hold a lottery.


'Can' doesn't just signify possibility; it also signifies ability, as I am now saying for the third time.

More than half of the population CAN read
More than half of the population CAN write
More than half of the population CAN ride a bicycle
More than half of the population CAN speak French

To signify future possibility or potentiality we use 'could'.

More than half of the population CAN buy a lottery ticket and COULD win a prize.

Many bridges have cracks and could collapse.

We use 'can' to signify possibility in a generic sense:

A (generic, hypothetical) building constructed of inferior materials can collapse in an earthquake. That (actual, physical) building over there is constructed of inferior materials and could collapse in an earthquake.

PUNKEY
 
  1  
Reply Sat 18 Jan, 2014 08:35 am
When I went to school, "can" was listed as a helping verb - along with may, might, and will.



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WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Sun 19 Jan, 2014 10:31 pm
@contrex,
Very good answer. Thank you~
0 Replies
 
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Wed 5 Feb, 2014 09:35 am
@contrex,
Quote:

To signify future possibility or potentiality we use 'could'.

More than half of the population CAN buy a lottery ticket and COULD win a prize.


Then why can we say CAN?:

-If it's raining towmorrow, the sports CAN take place indoors.
0 Replies
 
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Sun 30 Mar, 2014 10:57 pm
@Setanta,
In dictionaries I can't find this; but is it correct?:

-I can't agree more.
0 Replies
 
WBYeats
 
  1  
Reply Fri 2 May, 2014 03:08 am
Are they both correct?:

-Genetic defects can/could become apparent in the next generation.
contrex
 
  1  
Reply Fri 2 May, 2014 03:57 am
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:

Are they both correct?:

-Genetic defects can/could become apparent in the next generation.


Yes.
0 Replies
 
 

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