Download this free A2–B1 grammar worksheet PDF for English learners and teachers. This lesson helps students practise can, can’t, could and couldn’t for ability, permission, requests, rules and prohibition.
Students learn how to use can and can’t for present or general ability. The worksheet gives clear examples such as Mia can speak Spanish, Leo can’t drive, I can cook and You can’t park here.
The worksheet also teaches could and couldn’t for general ability in the past. Students practise examples such as I could read at age five, She couldn’t swim then, Ravi could speak two languages at age ten and We couldn’t speak English last year.
Students also practise permission questions and requests. The worksheet explains the difference between Can I…? / Could I…? for asking permission and Can you…? / Could you…? for asking another person to do something. It also shows that could is usually more polite in permission questions and requests.
The worksheet also teaches important modal verb form rules. Students learn to use the base verb after can, can’t, could and couldn’t, and to avoid mistakes such as can to swim, cans swim, don’t can, could used and Could you to send…?
The PDF includes a grammar focus section, can / can’t / could / couldn’t exercises, choose-the-correct-form practice, sentence matching, mistake correction, mini-dialogues, sentence rewriting, meaning-and-use practice, speaking practice, writing practice, vocabulary and grammar sentence practice, an error-checking challenge, useful reminders and a full answer key.
This worksheet can be used in one-to-one lessons, group classes, online English lessons, adult ESL lessons, EFL classes, homework or independent grammar practice.
Level: A2–B1
Grammar point: Can, can’t and could: ability, permission and requests
Focus: grammar accuracy, modal verbs, ability now, past ability, permission, requests, rules, prohibition, speaking and writing
Format: Free grammar worksheet PDF with answer key
This free worksheet includes:
- a clear explanation of can, can’t, could and couldn’t
- practice with present and general ability
- practice with present lack of ability
- practice with past ability
- practice with past lack of ability
- practice asking permission with Can I…? and Could I…?
- practice making requests with Can you…? and Could you…?
- practice with rules and prohibition using can’t
- practice with modal questions
- practice with modal negatives
- practice with short answers
- practice using the base verb after modal verbs
- practice avoiding do / does / did in modal questions
- choose-the-correct-form practice
- sentence-to-reason matching
- mistake correction
- mini-dialogues
- sentence rewriting
- meaning-and-use practice
- speaking practice
- writing practice
- vocabulary and grammar sentence practice
- an error-checking challenge
- useful reminder table
- full answer key for teachers and students
The worksheet focuses especially on common A2–B1 mistakes such as She cans swim, I can to help, He doesn’t can drive, Could you to open, Did you could ride, couldn’t spoke, Can I using and you can’t using it. The main classroom point is simple: use can / can’t for ability now, rules and permission, use could / couldn’t for general ability in the past, and always use the base verb after modal verbs.
Preview the worksheet below. To read the full worksheet clearly or open the PDF, use the button below the preview image.
Worksheet preview
More free English worksheets from Britfluency
A2–B2 English Worksheets
B2–C2 English Worksheets
IELTS Practice Materials
Grammar Practice Worksheets
