English guide
Practise present and past ability, be able to, manage to and modal verb forms with 20 original workplace questions and explanations for every option.
English AIdol · Published · Updated
Prepared with AI assistance and published by English AIdol. No human expert review is claimed.
What this guide covers
Compare the explanations and original examples.
Keep the sentence unchanged and justify one option.
Use the distinction in a new workplace sentence.
An ability statement tells us what someone or something can do, but it does not always report a completed achievement. The analyst could use the old system describes past ability; the analyst managed to recover the file reports a successful action. Read the intended meaning before selecting the form.
Can and could are useful, but they do not supply every verb form a sentence may require. After want to or in a perfect construction, be able to can express the ability with the needed form of be. This lesson also distinguishes a polite request from a literal question about skill.
These original exercises were prepared by English AIdol with AI assistance. A separate AI content review checked every question, answer explanation and teaching section. No human expert or examiner review, ETS endorsement, or calibrated difficulty is claimed. This page does not save answers or estimate an official score.
Part 5 asks you to complete sentences by choosing from four options. The full TOEIC Reading section has 100 questions and a 75-minute limit. This untimed topic lesson is not a complete or equated test. See ETS: About the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test and the ETS: TOEIC Listening & Reading Score User Guide.
The verb immediately after can or could stays in the base form without to or a third-person -s. This applies to statements, negatives and questions.
Change be to fit the construction: is able to, was able to, will be able to, has been able to, or wants to be able to. Keep to before the following main verb.
Could often describes general past ability. For a specific completed achievement, was able to or managed to often makes success clearer. Do not turn this tendency into a ban on could in every past event, especially perception or negative clauses.
Manage to + base verb reports success, often despite difficulty. In negatives, did not manage to reports failure to achieve the action.
Could have + past participle can refer to an action that was possible in the past but did not happen. Context distinguishes this from other meanings of could have.
Could you check this total? often asks someone to act rather than asking whether they possess the skill. The modal’s form does not determine its meaning by itself.
After the upgrade, the scanner will ___ able to read smaller labels.
be
Will takes the base be, and be able to expresses the future ability. Will can is not the standard English construction, so can cannot simply be inserted after will.
Choose the option that completes the printed sentence in standard written English. Keep every other word unchanged. Write your choice and a reason before opening the explanation.
The new scanner can ___ labels printed in either format.
(A) reads
(B) read
(C) reading
(D) to read
Answer: (B) read
Completed sentence: The new scanner can read labels printed in either format.
After training, the assistant will ___ able to process refunds independently.
(A) is
(B) been
(C) being
(D) be
Answer: (D) be
Completed sentence: After training, the assistant will be able to process refunds independently.
In her previous role, Nia could ___ technical manuals in both languages.
(A) translate
(B) translated
(C) translates
(D) translating
Answer: (A) translate
Completed sentence: In her previous role, Nia could translate technical manuals in both languages.
The office has been able ___ accept online bookings since the update.
(A) for
(B) of
(C) to
(D) with
Answer: (C) to
Completed sentence: The office has been able to accept online bookings since the update.
Despite the road closure, the driver managed ___ reach the depot before it shut.
(A) for
(B) to
(C) of
(D) with
Answer: (B) to
Completed sentence: Despite the road closure, the driver managed to reach the depot before it shut.
The receptionist cannot ___ the booking without a confirmation number.
(A) locates
(B) located
(C) to locate
(D) locate
Answer: (D) locate
Completed sentence: The receptionist cannot locate the booking without a confirmation number.
The analyst wants to ___ able to create the monthly report without assistance.
(A) be
(B) can
(C) could
(D) been
Answer: (A) be
Completed sentence: The analyst wants to be able to create the monthly report without assistance.
After three attempts, the technician managed to ___ the corrupted file.
(A) recovered
(B) recovers
(C) recover
(D) recovering
Answer: (C) recover
Completed sentence: After three attempts, the technician managed to recover the corrupted file.
We have not ___ able to contact the supplier since Monday.
(A) be
(B) been
(C) being
(D) are
Answer: (B) been
Completed sentence: We have not been able to contact the supplier since Monday.
Could you ___ the revised timetable to the team, please?
(A) sent
(B) sends
(C) to send
(D) send
Answer: (D) send
Completed sentence: Could you send the revised timetable to the team, please?
We could have ___ the spare projector, but we decided to postpone the presentation.
(A) used
(B) use
(C) uses
(D) using
Answer: (A) used
Completed sentence: We could have used the spare projector, but we decided to postpone the presentation.
The replacement system is able to ___ more simultaneous users.
(A) supports
(B) supported
(C) support
(D) supporting
Answer: (C) support
Completed sentence: The replacement system is able to support more simultaneous users.
Before the lighting was repaired, the guard could not ___ the number on the gate.
(A) saw
(B) see
(C) seen
(D) seeing
Answer: (B) see
Completed sentence: Before the lighting was repaired, the guard could not see the number on the gate.
The team did not manage to ___ the archived recordings before the server was replaced.
(A) retrieved
(B) retrieves
(C) retrieving
(D) retrieve
Answer: (D) retrieve
Completed sentence: The team did not manage to retrieve the archived recordings before the server was replaced.
After the access restriction was removed, both advisers ___ able to open the account file.
(A) were
(B) was
(C) been
(D) being
Answer: (A) were
Completed sentence: After the access restriction was removed, both advisers were able to open the account file.
Can the portable printer ___ on recycled card as well as standard paper?
(A) prints
(B) printed
(C) print
(D) to print
Answer: (C) print
Completed sentence: Can the portable printer print on recycled card as well as standard paper?
The technician should ___ able to finish once the replacement part arrives.
(A) can
(B) be
(C) could
(D) been
Answer: (B) be
Completed sentence: The technician should be able to finish once the replacement part arrives.
The buyer could have ___ the samples herself, but she requested courier delivery instead.
(A) collect
(B) collects
(C) collecting
(D) collected
Answer: (D) collected
Completed sentence: The buyer could have collected the samples herself, but she requested courier delivery instead.
Although the first call failed, the receptionist ___ to reach the guest on a second number.
(A) managed
(B) managing
(C) management
(D) manage
Answer: (A) managed
Completed sentence: Although the first call failed, the receptionist managed to reach the guest on a second number.
Since the permissions changed, I have been ___ to edit the shared calendar.
(A) ability
(B) ably
(C) able
(D) enable
Answer: (C) able
Completed sentence: Since the permissions changed, I have been able to edit the shared calendar.
Explain the distinction in your own words, then try these tasks without copying a practice sentence. The answers illustrate possible responses; alternatives may work where the task allows them.
Rewrite “I can use the new system” after the opening “I want to ...”.
I want to be able to use the new system.
Can has no to-infinitive; be able to supplies the form required after want.
Describe a successful recovery despite difficulty using manage.
After several attempts, the technician managed to recover the file.
Managed to reports that the action actually succeeded, rather than only describing a general skill.
Explain the likely purpose of “Could you unlock the meeting room, please?”.
It is a polite request for the person to unlock the room.
The question usually requests an action rather than testing the person’s physical ability.
Describe an option that was available yesterday but not chosen using could have.
We could have used the larger room, but we stayed in the smaller one.
The final clause makes the unused-opportunity meaning explicit.
Sources checked on . The examples, questions and explanations are original teaching material, not official or recalled test items. This correction replaces the earlier lesson’s inappropriate IELTS-style scoring. An answer count on these exercises does not convert to an official TOEIC score.
Continue with the TOEIC study page. For a factual correction, see our editorial policy.
Standard English does not combine these two central modals that way. Will be able to expresses the future ability with the required verb forms.
No. It can also express a possibility or function in a polite request. Read the context and the purpose of the message.
No. Negative and perception statements, among others, can use could. For an affirmative report of an achieved task, managed to or was able to often makes the success clearer.
No. These original, untimed teaching questions have not been equated to an ETS form. Use them to explain and practise a language pattern, not to calculate an official score.