The door won't/can't open!

[kadioguy]

will
modal verb

used for stating what is true or possible in a particular case

This jar will hold a kilo.
The door won't open!
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/will_1?q=will

Compare:

can
modal verb

used for saying that something sometimes happens or is sometimes possible or true

Temperatures can reach 40 degrees C in the summer.
Even minor head injuries can be serious.
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/can_1

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Are the following interchangeable? Could you tell me the reason?

1. This jar will/can hold a kilo.
2. The door won't/can't open!
3. ... the places where you can break a word and add a hyphen if all of it will not/cannot fit at the end of a line of print or writing.

From https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...of-it-will-not-fit-at-the-end-of-a-line/page2 post #17

The original thread was a little complicated and no native speaker replied this question, so I am posting a new one here.

 

[Roman55]

I find the versions with will more natural, but can does work in 1. and 3. (I presume 1. should have been will/can and not hold/can). I don't like can't in 2. but I daresay some people would say that.

 

[kadioguy]

(I presume 1. should have been will/can and not hold/can).

Yes, you are right. I have fixed this typo. Thank you.

 

[bhaisahab]

I can imagine a toddler perhaps saying 'The door can't open'. I can't imagine any adult native English speaker saying it. One might say 'I can't open the door' but a door obviously can't open itself.

 

[jutfrank]

will: used for stating what is true or possible in a particular case

can: used for saying that something sometimes happens or is sometimes possible or true

Are the following interchangeable? Could you tell me the reason?

Can you understand the difference between these two uses? They are not the same, which means that you should not ask whether they are interchangeable.

The boot of your Nissan Qashqai can comfortably hold up to four dead bodies. (This is a general statement of possibility.)

The dead body won't fit in my Lamborghini. Can I borrow your Nissan Qashqai? (This statement is about my specific case.)

 

[GoesStation]

You should have considered such practicalities before you bought it.

 

[kadioguy]

The boot of your Nissan Qashqai can comfortably hold up to four dead bodies. (This is a general statement of possibility.)

The dead body won't fit in my Lamborghini. Can I borrow your Nissan Qashqai? (This statement is about my specific case.)

Thank you. But I would think the following in the same dictionary is more suitable for your first sentence.
------
can
modal verb

1. have the ability or means to do something
a. to have the necessary ability, knowledge, money, or equipment to do something

‘Can you swim?’ ‘No I can’t.’
Ingrid could play the violin by the time she was six.
The machine can translate simple messages into 24 different languages.
They couldn’t afford to pay for a proper funeral.
The UN has promised to help as much as it can.

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/can_1

 

[kadioguy]

can: used for saying that something sometimes happens or is sometimes possible or true

The boot of your Nissan Qashqai can comfortably hold up to four dead bodies. (This is a general statement of possibility.)

But I think 'sometimes' and 'general' are not the same. :shock:

 

[bhaisahab]

No-one said they were.

 

[kadioguy]

No-one said they were.

But when I saw post #5, I thought teacher jutfrank meant following are the same:

can: used for saying that something sometimes happens or is sometimes possible or true
---------------
The boot of your Nissan Qashqai can comfortably hold up to four dead bodies. (This is a general statement of possibility.)

-----
If not, why did he/she say that? :shock:

 

[jutfrank]

I'd like to reiterate what post #12 above is trying to teach you.

I think you are focusing too much on dictionary definitions, which is leading to confusion. It is very difficult to define the uses of modal verbs, and so you will see differences in how dictionaries do this. This is usually done using words such as ability, possibility, which themselves can have very similar meanings and so can be difficult to define. (Notice my use of can in the last sentence.)

You should focus on trying first to understand the meaning of the text (phrase/sentence/parargraph) within which the modal verb is used, and then you will be able to tune in on the particular use of the modal verb that way.

 

[lagoo]

but a door obviously can't open itself.

If a door can't open itself, why is "a door won't open" acceptable?
This has been puzzling me from the early days of my learning English. "The door opened" is considered as correct, but a door never opens itself.

 

[jutfrank]

If a door can't open itself, why is "a door won't open" acceptable?
This has been puzzling me from the early days of my learning English. "The door opened" is considered as correct, but a door never opens itself.

This is an intransitive use of open. Of course it doesn't mean the door opened itself.

 

[kadioguy]

Four years later, I reviewed the whole thread again and found there might be some things I was not sure about.

I think you are focusing too much on dictionary definitions, which is leading to confusion. It is very difficult to define the uses of modal verbs, and so you will see differences in how dictionaries do this. This is usually done using words such as ability, possibility, which themselves can have very similar meanings and so can be difficult to define. (Notice my use of can in the last sentence.)

1. Does the "this" refer to "to define the uses of modal verbs"?
2. Does the "which" refer to "words such as ability, possibility"?

[Edit: Changed "something" to "some things".]

 

[jutfrank]

1. Yes.
2. Yes.

 

[Tarheel]

Four years later, I reviewed the whole thread again and found there might be something I am still not sure about.

1. Does the "this" refer to "to defining the uses of modal verbs"?
2. Does the "which" refer to "words such as ability, possibility"?

1. Yes.
2. Yes.