Scott,

I didn't want to go into the reasons for the error made by francophones for obvious reasons.  However, as you have indirectly raised the issue, French uses the imperfect (pouvais) to refer to capacity and the simple past (ai pu) for an actual instantiation of that capacity.  The problem for them is that they learn that both can mean 'could' but are are not often taught the difference between 'could' and 'was able'.when there is one

Ron Sheen
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Scott Woods 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 10:02 AM
  Subject: Re: modals and tense


  Ron, et al., 

  It is, of course, incorrect to say "I could run" when one means "I ran," yet when one is comparing one's realized capabilities of yesterday with one's realized capabilities of today, focusing on the change in capability, it could be a perfectly correct way of expressing the fact that one was faster or slower yesterday, as in "Yesterday, I could run the distance in 10 seconds, but today it took me 15 seconds."  The modal contributes to the shift of focus from the time it took to the change in the time.  (I suspect that this is not the problem  experienced by francophones.)  

  Has anyone on the list looked at how modals are used to change focus in this way?  

  Scott Woods

  Ronald Sheen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

    One interesting sidelight more to do with the problems of francophones 
    learning English is the following. They have to be taught that it is 
    incorrect in English to say, 'Yesterday, I could run the distance in 10 
    seconds' referring to an actual running of the race.



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