Is could the past tense of can?

[metal56]

Metal,

According to you, I can list more use of CAN:

CAN expresses red color:
Ex: It can be red.

CAN expresses blue color:
Ex: It can be blue.

CAN expresses white color:
Ex: It can be white.

CAN expresses black color:
Ex: It can be black.

CAN expresses purple color:
Ex: It can be purple.

Am I correct?

What is it that can be red? In normal English circles, the adjective "red" expresses red color. That's what adjectives do, they describe nouns.

*That red color can be red sometimes.

That color could be red, but then I'm colorblind, so...

Back to remoteness:


I can/could swim. - close/distant in time

I could/can be there at six, if all goes well. - low/high probability of outcome.

Can/could you help me? - informal/formal manner of address


Can you help me?
He asked if I could help him. -direct indirect speech.

proximal------------remote

[shuntang]

Metal,

According to you, I can list more use of CAN:

CAN expresses red color:
Ex: It can be red.

CAN expresses blue color:
Ex: It can be blue.

CAN expresses white color:
Ex: It can be white.

CAN expresses black color:
Ex: It can be black.

CAN expresses purple color:
Ex: It can be purple.

Am I correct?

Now you've lost it again!

What colour colour is a black-eye?

It can be...
It has the potential of being...
It has the possibility of being...
It has a tendency to be either...or...
It is sometimes... and other times...
Occassionally it is...and then other times it is...

Do you see the "either...or..." in all those? "Can" expresses potential and not definiteness there. Do you see "is definitely one color" there? No, you don't. "Can expresses the potential for the eye to be either/ or depending on the force of the injury, the phase of the healing, and many other real-world conditions.

As we are talking about the modal verb, people want to see the modern world in it. It is therefore the verb seems difficult.

You've lost it completely. I am not talking the color of the eye. Please try again.

Shun

[shuntang]

Metal56,

In the following example we do see the meaning of red color and therefore, according to usual logic, CAN can express red color.
Ex: It can be red.
I am certain, I am not talking about the color of eye.

It follows that CAN may have a lot of functions we can't possibly put in a grammar:
Ex: It can be white.
Ex: It can be black.
Ex: It can be yellow.
Ex: It can be blue.

The question is, shall we put all these rubbish functions to young students? How can you deny that CAN doesn't have so many functions?

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

Shun

[metal56]

In the following example we do see the meaning of red color and therefore, according to usual logic, CAN can express red color.

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

LOL! By checking if it is a non-native speaker who is putting forward such a silly idea.


"Can" says that it(whatever "it" may be in your sentences) has the potential to be red. That is what "can" expresses there-"potential to be". As I said "red" expresses that something is "red".

Please try not to be so misleading and mystifying.

[metal56]

In the following example we do see the meaning of red color and therefore, according to usual logic, CAN can express red color.
Ex: It can be red.

That's where you are wrong. We see the meaning of something which has, according to the speaker, the potential to be red, but it is not decided that it is red at the time of speaking. Modal verbs = indefineteness.

And please will you tell us what is the it in your examples? It isn't normal to present sentences where the reader cannot tell what the "it" has reference to.

Unclear:

It can be red.

What can?
------------------------

Clear:

It could rain tonight.

The weather.

[shuntang]

Metal56,

In a chemistry room a teacher asked the students: "If we pour this cup of yellow liquid into that cup of blue liquid, do you think the mixture will turn what kind of color?
Student A: "It can be blue."
Student B: "It can be yellow."
Student C: "It can be green."
Student D: "It can be red."
Student E: "It can be white."

Hearing what the students said, a grammarian concluded the modal verb CAN has many functions and expresses different kinds of colors, so the modal verb is very useful.

What I am asking is, do you agree whether the modal verb CAN has so many functions or not?

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

Shun

[metal56]

[

In a chemistry room a teacher asked the students: "If we pour this cup of yellow liquid into that cup of blue liquid, do you think the mixture will turn what kind of color?

Firstly, it would help if that were an acceptable English sentence.

Now...:

Student A: "It can be blue."

Student B: "It can be yellow."
Student C: "It can be green."
Student D: "It can be red."
Student E: "It can be white."

Think what be means there - transformation will take place.

Hearing what the students said, a grammarian concluded the modal verb CAN has many functions and expresses different kinds of colors, so the modal verb is very useful.

You seem to forget the basic function of auxiliary verbs.

Can+ be

What assistance is the modal auxiliary giving to the verb "be"?

What I am asking is, do you agree whether the modal verb CAN has so many functions or not?

Not the functions you are trying to apply here.

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

By saying "It can red" then getting marked incorrect in a test paper.

[shuntang]

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

By saying "It can red" then getting marked incorrect in a test paper.

The discussion is terminated. It is wasting time.

Shun

[metal56]

In a nutshell, can CAN express red color? If not, how to prove it?

By saying "It can red" then getting marked incorrect in a test paper.

The discussion is terminated. It is wasting time.

Shun

I think is was, "I withdraw from the discussion", you needed there. There may be others who wish the dicussion to go on.