💪 I Couldn't, Now I Can, Soon I'll Be Able To: Ability with can, could, be able to

B1 Grammar Lesson 10 teaches the three forms English uses to talk about ability across time, and the distinction that most commonly appears in B1 exams. The lesson opens with three form cards side-by-side: <b>could</b> / was-were able to for the past, <b>can</b> / am-is-are able to for the present, and <b>will be able to</b> for the future. It then devotes a dedicated section to the could-vs-was-able-to trap: <i>could</i> describes general past ability ("At ten, I could swim"), but a specific one-time achievement requires <b>was/were able to</b> or <b>managed to</b> ("After two hours, I was able to finish the marathon" — not "could finish"). Negatives work either way ("I couldn't find my keys" and "I wasn't able to find my keys" are both fine). The lesson also covers sensing verbs (see, hear, feel, understand) as exceptions, and shows why <b>be able to</b> is grammatically essential: it fills every gap that modals can't (after <i>to</i>, after other modals like <i>must</i>, in perfect forms with <i>have been</i>). Built around 'From Zero to the Harbour', a long feature reading on Noor, 15, from Alexandria, Egypt, who couldn't swim at twelve but is now training for a two-kilometre open-water crossing. Four more teen profiles illustrate different skill journeys: Jun/Seoul (programming), Zara/Karachi (cricket batting), Luís/Lisbon (surfing turns), and Fatou/Dakar (djembe drumming). Students then work through 10 vocabulary items on skills and learning, 6 flashcards, 8 practice MCQs (including the critical could-vs-managed-to distinction), a partner speaking interview with model dialogue, an 80–100 word personal writing task, and a 10-question comprehension quiz.