Learn English, Can or Could?, Been or Being, Will or Would?, Have you ever been…?, After or Later?

Can or Could?

We use ‘can’ to talk about ability.
‘I can speak English.’
‘She can speak three languages.’
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If we are talking about what someone was able to do in the past, you use ‘could’.
‘My grandparents could speak German.’
‘Before I hurt my shoulder I could walk on my hands.’
‘Can’ is also used to talk about what’s possible.
‘It can be over 40 degrees here in summer.’
If you’re talking about what was possible in the past, you use ‘could’.
‘Twenty years ago you could buy a house for a lot less than now.’
You use either ‘can’ or ‘could’ to ask permission. ‘Could’ is more polite and formal.
‘Can I go home?’
‘Could I go home?’
‘Can I please have an ice cream?’
‘Could I please have an ice cream?’
But to give permission you say ‘can’.
‘You can go home.’
‘You can’t have an ice cream.’

Been or Being

‘Been’ is the past participle of the verb ‘be’.
It is used with ‘have’, ‘has’ and ‘had.’
We use ‘been’ to help form perfect continuous tenses:
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‘It has been raining for hours.’
‘She had been working on that painting for months.’
‘By the end of the month I will have been working here for ten years.’
‘Being’ is the present participle of the verb ‘be’ and it is used with ‘am’, ‘is’ and ‘are’ to create the present continuous tense.
We use this tense for actions that are happening now and continuing to happen.
‘I am being serious.’
‘You are being very patient.’
‘Our editor is being very helpful today.’
We also use ‘being’ with ‘was’ and ‘were’ to form the past continuous tense.
‘He was being annoying, so I left.’
‘The neighbours were being so noisy last night.’

Will or Would?

We use ‘will’ to talk about the future.
‘I will do it tomorrow.’
‘I will finish it next week.’...
‘I think I will be in class tomorrow.’
‘I will be in Melbourne next week.’

‘Would’ is the past form of will.
‘I said I would do it today, but I’m not feeling well.’
‘I thought I would be in class but the train was late.’
‘I would have gone to Melbourne but I had to work.’
We use ‘I would like...’ to talk about what we want , or what we want to do:
‘I would like to visit Antarctica.’
‘I would like a piece of cake.’
‘I would like to go home.’
‘Would’ is used for offers and requests
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘Would you pick that up please?’
To say what you prefer you can say ‘I would rather’ or the short version, ‘I’d rather’
‘I’d rather be at home than at work.’
‘I’d rather have a cup of coffee.’

Have you ever been…?

You can use the present perfect to ask about life experiences, like places you have been to.
‘Have you ever been to the Great Barrier Reef?’...
‘Have you ever been overseas?’
‘Have you ever been in love?’
‘Have you ever been on TV?’

We use ‘ever’ to indicate that we are asking about any time before now.
And you can answer like this:
‘Yes, I have.’
‘No I haven’t.’
‘I’ve never been, but I would like to go there one day.’
‘I’ve been overseas once, but I was just a baby.’
‘I’m not sure if I’ve been in love.’

After or Later?

'Later' is an adjective. It is used to talk about something happening after a time you have mentioned.
‘He is going to catch a later train.’
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‘Later’ can be an adverb too. It means at a time in the future, or after the time you have mentioned.
‘He will be back later.’
'After' can also be an adverb. It means later than someone or something else.
‘He arrived at noon and his sister arrived soon after.’
After is usually a preposition meaning that something will follow in time, place or order.
‘Shall we go for a swim after lunch?’
‘After’ can also be used as a conjunction to indicate that something occurred later than another event.
Three months after they left Australia they settled in the UK.