The simple past
The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.
For example:
Positive = I spoke
Negatie= I did not speak
Question = Did you speak?
He visited his parents every weekend.
I called you yesterday
Modal Verbs
Modal auxiliary verbs may sound difficult but in fact they're easy. They are invariable (no conjugation). And the main verb is always the "bare infinitive"
Can, Could, Be able to.
Can and could are modal auxiliary verbs. Be able to is NOT an auxiliary verb (it uses the verb be as a main verb). We include be able to here for convenience.Can
Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:- talk about possibility and ability
- make requests
- ask for or give permission
Structure of Can
subject + can + main verbPositive = I can play tennis
Negative = He can't play tennis
question = Can you play tennis?
Could
Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:- talk about past possibility or ability
- make requests
Structure of Could
subject + could + main verb
Exxample:
Positive = My mother could swim
negative = She couldn't walk
Question = Could your mother swim?