Curious Question – Can vs.

Can’t

Transcript

Robin: Hi everyone, this is Robin

Maura: And Maura

Robin: And we’re here with the Culips Questions podcast where we answer your
English questions.

Maura: Do you have a question that you don’t know the answer to about English?

Robin: Well if you do you’re in the right place because this is where we deal with all
your English language questions. Please ask us! You can email us at
questions@culips.com, that’s C-U-L-I-P-S.com.

Maura: Today we’re going to look at a question about pronunciation. It is about a

little T on the end of a word. Let’s listen to David from Greece.

Robin: I am having a difficult time telling the difference between can’t and can.
Their meanings are totally opposite of each other. Help me better understand
the pronunciation. Please give tips and examples of sentences using can’t
and can.

Robin: First of all I want to say don’t worry about asking people to clarify. You can
easily ask: “Did you say can or can’t?” Native speakers need to do this too.
The T is such a little sound that sometimes we can’t be sure either. I said,
“can’t be sure.”

Maura: For this one, I looked around online and asked some friends to see what
other people were saying and what I found was that it is very divided. Can
and can’t are explained differently by different people. I think the reason is
that there are varied pronunciations of can and can’t. Depending on
accents, even within North America in the same regions, there are
differences.

Robin: Here is the best advice that I’ve got. Sometimes can sounds like kun. An
example: I kun do that for you. And can’t never sounds like kun. At least not
in Canada, as far as I know.

Here are some examples:

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 One: I kun hear you.
I can’t hear you.

Two: She kun tell you how.

She can’t tell you how.

Maura: Also, use your instincts. This is good advice in any language situation.
Sometimes you know if the speaker used can or can’t from the context. If
someone says to me, “Maura, you can drive,” I know that it could not be
can’t because I know that I can drive. Does that make sense? I hope so.

Robin: The difference in writing is the same in pronunciation. That is, you can hear
the T sound at the end of can’t when it is negative. It is such a little sound
and a subtle sound that it can be hard to hear.

Maura: The difference between a positive and negative form is one little letter and it
can be especially difficult if the next word also starts with a T like “I can’t talk
properly”. There was a T at the end of can’t and a T at the beginning of talk.

Robin: Do you know the expression “practice makes perfect”? Well, unfortunately, in
this case there is no quick fix for this difficulty in comprehension. One just
needs to practice to get better at hearing this difference.

Maura: I will give you a few more examples. Now, see if you can tell the difference.

Robin: Example 1: They can’t decide where to go.

They can decide where to go.

Maura: Example 2: I haven’t told them I can’t go yet.

I haven’t told them I can go yet.

Robin: Example 3: He can’t tell them.

He can tell them.

Maura: Did you hear the difference? In all three examples the negative can’t was
first. Listen to them again if you are not sure.

Robin: So in this case of can’t and can, just keep on practicing and listening. And
don’t feel bad if you can’t hear the difference so easily. Like I mentioned at
the beginning, sometimes native English speakers need to clarify if
someone said can or can’t too.

Maura: One thing is for sure: You can’t give up!

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 And that’s about all the time for this question today. Hopefully it is a
bit more clear for you when listening to can or can’t.

Robin: I hope you enjoyed this podcast and I hope we answered a question for you
this time. Please join us again next week as we explore more questions at
Curious Questions at Culips.com. This has been Robin.

Maura: And Maura. See you next time!

Robin: Bye-bye!

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Detailed Explanation
Can
What can I tell you about can that wasn’t in this episode?

I am sure that everyone reading knows that meaning for can.

It can mean the ability or the knowledge of how to do something. We also use can when
we talk about permission and when we talk about possibilities.

And also remember, we cannot use can with “to”.

I mean, we do not say:

I can to eat. Or I want to can eat.

You probably know this already! I just wanted to include a reminder.

The transcripts explain a lot about the difference between the positive can and the
negative can’t. The best advice is to practice by saying it yourself and by paying extra
attention when you hear can or can’t being used. We usually can hear the small
difference when someone says the T at the end of can’t and makes the word negative.

One more hint: Tone. The tone of voice is another clue to whether can or can’t was used.
In a positive sentence the voice and tone generally raise, or go up, at the end of the
sentence. In a negative sentence the voice and tone generally go down at the end. The
tone of voice can help us determine if the speaker said can or can’t.

Example:
I can’t go to the party. – negative
I can go to the party. – positive

It can be difficult to tell the difference between can and can’t when there is a T at the
beginning of the word following can and can’t. But listening for the tone can help.

Example:
She can’t talk right now. – negative
She can talk right now. – positive

Let’s look at other ways we can use can.

Other uses for can

A can is a metal container, a cylinder shape that usually is holding or has held food. In fact,
we even call it canned food. You can also have a can of worms when you go fishing.

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You can also use can as a verb in another way. To can something is to put something into
a jar and keep it for later, usually for the winter. Fruit is often put in a jar to be preserved
for the winter. So I can say, this weekend I am going to can fruit with my mother. This
means I am going to prepare fruit and put it in a sealed jar. This canned fruit will be eaten
later in the year.

Slang with Can

We can use the verb to can to mean to fire, or for when someone is asked to leave their
job because they can no longer work there.

Example:
My friend got canned because he was always showing up late.

Here’s another one. Be careful with this one.

The can is also slang for toilet.

Example:
I will be right back. I’ve got to go to the can.

The can-can
This is a special kind of dance that is done with a line of people, traditionally women, who
kick their legs up one at a time, at the same time.

Here is a photo of the can-can:

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Quiz (see the answers at the bottom of this Lipservice)

1. Which of the following sentences is correct?

a) She can to go to the movies.

b) She cannot to go to the movies.
c) She can’t to go to the movies.
d) She can go to the movies.

2. Which of the following is the negative form of can?

a) cant
b) cannot
c) can’t
d) Both cannot and can`t

3. Which of the following is NOT true about can’t ?

a) Sometimes it sounds like can.

b) Sometimes it is hard to hear the T at the end of the word.
c) Its long form is cannot.

4. Can spoken slowly sounds like:

a) Lan
b) Mother
c) Taxi
d) None of the above

5. Can spoken quickly sounds like:

a) Kun
b) Laser
c) Audio
d) Refrigerator

Answers: 1.d 2.d 3.a 4.a 5.a

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