Entraînement à la Grammaire Anglaise à Distance

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Can I sit down?

Quiz

Can, may, or both can and may. Choose which modal or modals can complete the sentence, and then state what modal meaning is expressed: permission, ability, mere possibility or epistemic possibility.

1. ______ I sit down for a few minutes?

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

2. These species ______ only be grown in hot climates. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS ONE

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

3. This bacteria ______ cause middle ear infection.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

4. You never know, I ______ eventually find a full-time job.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

5. Books ______ not be taken from the library's premises.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

6. Swedish winters ______ be cold, dark and bitter.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

7. You ______ want to try adding some more sugar next time.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility
Note that while this form communicates epistemic possibility (maybe you will want to try this), the speaker clearly wants to do more than simply say that (wanting to) add sugar is possible. Her utterance will be understood as a suggestion: please add some sugar, you should add some sugar, it would be a good idea to add some sugar.

Quiz

8. Flickering lights ______ cause epileptic seizures.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

9. ______ you speak any East European languages?

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Quiz

10. She ______ be disappointed when you tell her what happened yesterday.

Expected answer

can
may
can OR may
permission (< non-epistemic possibility)
ability (< non-epistemic possibility)
mere possibility (< non-epistemic possibility)
epistemic possibility

Correction Restart

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Introduction
Question formation
Constituents
Identifying forms and functions.
Identifying functions.
Identify Forms
Complementation
Interrogative clauses
Interrogative clauses - question tags
Lexical verbs and auxiliary verbs
Passive
Review
Auxiliary verbs
Ellipsis
Phrasal verbs
Identifying future time reference
Identifying modal meanings
Identifying past time reference with modals
Identifying situation types
Negation with modal verbs
Perfect tenses
Present tense
Tense and aspect overview
The function of progressive aspect
Time reference of modal verbs
Using modals
Using necessity modals
Using possibility modals
- A luxury hotel
- Can I sit down?
- He may have cooked dinner
Using tenses
Will and shall

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Ilse Depraetere, Chad Langford, Benoit Leclercq - Université de Lille - SHS