could and was aable to

[afoua80]

what is the different between could and was able to :roll: :roll:

 

[Wuisi]

Hi,
(not a teacher).
To talk about ABILITY in the past you can use both but 'could' expresses ability in general, i.e. at any time - (I could read when I was four) whereas 'was/were able to' refers to a particular occasion - (I was able to read her letter in spite of her terrible handwriting). If you find this distinction difficult try using 'managed to' or 'succeded in' instead of 'was/were able to'. In negative sentences both can be used with no difference when expressing ABILITY.
Hope you find this helpful.

 

[vil]

Hi afous80,

You could personally (in the flesh) compare "could" and "was able to" in this example:

"Jack was an excellent tennis player. He could beat anybody." (=He had the ability to beat anybody.)

"But once he had a difficult game against Bob. Bob played very well, but in the en Jack was able to beat him." (= He managed to beat him in this particular game.)

Regards.

V.