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© Luke Donovan | Game of English | CC BY-SA 4.0

GZ12.02 - Possibility

Choose a grammar card

A - Can - General Possibility

B - Could - Specific Possibility

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© Luke Donovan | Game of English | CC BY-SA 4.0

GZ12.02A - Can - General Possibility

[A] = Action (base verb)

Use can to describe something that is sometimes possible in general.

It + can + [A] (base verb)

It can snow here in October.

This describes a general possibility, not a prediction about one particular occasion. Can is followed by the base verb without to.

✓ It can snow here in October.

✗ It can to snow here in October.

✗ It cans snow here in October.

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© Luke Donovan | Game of English | CC BY-SA 4.0

GZ12.02B - Could - Specific Possibility

[A] = Action (base verb)

Use could when something is possible in a particular situation or in the future.

It + could + [A] (base verb)

It could rain this afternoon.

Could shows uncertainty: rain is possible, but not certain. Unlike general possibility with can, this refers to a particular occasion. The next verb stays in its base form.

✓ It could rain this afternoon.

✗ It could rains this afternoon.

✗ It could to rain this afternoon.

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