#1 Thanks to his help,she could finish her homework.
#2 Thanks to his help,she was able to finish her homework.
2006-06-24 01:26:03 · 6 answers · asked by Black Dog 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The second one is better in this sentence because it implies that she actually _did_ do her homework. The first one implies only having the capacity to do homework.
Example:
'The firemen could rescue all of the people' - yes, but _did_ they?
'The firemen were able to rescue all of the people' - they succeeded. Nobody died.
2006-06-24 01:30:37 · answer #1 · answered by XYZ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The word 'can' has a general meaning, and the expression 'to be able to' has a specific meaning (meaning:once), and in continuous tenses it is better to use it.
2006-06-24 08:34:19 · answer #2 · answered by eDiNa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The word "can" is mostly used with willingness to do something while the expression "be able to do" indicates ability to do it.
Hope i was of help.
2006-06-24 08:35:01 · answer #3 · answered by gheeflex 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They mean the same thing
2006-06-24 09:19:05 · answer #4 · answered by Taivo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"could" denotes future tense..
"was able to" shows past tense
2006-06-24 08:43:52 · answer #5 · answered by maya 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they mean the same thing
2006-06-24 08:44:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋