And offers

1. Can and could are used to:

· ask for permission and requests. Can I use your pen? Can I possibly sit here?

· give permission: You can wait in my office.

· refuse permission: You cannot stay out late!

Note: Could is more polite and formal than can: Could I borrow your book? Do you thinkI could use your office?

To be allowed to is used to say that the permission resulted in a particular action, something that really happened. I was allowed to leave work early yesterday. We were allowed to enter the showing room when we looked around the station.

2. Can and could are also found to offer to do things for people, could makes the offer more polite: Can I help you? Could I help you?

§ 5 Can/could in set phrases

Learn the following set phrases with can/could:

· Can’t help doing means that you can’t stop yourself doing it, something makes you, even though you are being careful not to: She is a naughty girl but I can’t help admiring her. Its rendered as: не могу не делать чего-то).

· Can’t but/can’t help but + Infinitive without to show the same meaning: I can’t but ask him about. I couldn’t but refuse her. It’s rendered in Russian as: не могу удержаться от…. or ничего другого не остается, как…

· Can’t stand/Can’t bear doing something say that you dislike or hate doing something: She can’t bear being alone. It is rendered in Russian as: терпеть не могу…