We don't use "plays" in a question "Can he play the piano?". Why?
Asked
Active
Viewed 75 times
-1
-
Possible duplicate of Are modal verbs finite or non-finite? – Mari-Lou A Jul 01 '18 at 13:54
-
Also related, the question may not be identical but the answers are the same What is the infinitive of “can”? and Modal vs Non-Modal vs Auxiliary modal vs Conjugated Verb – Mari-Lou A Jul 01 '18 at 13:56
1 Answers
1
When we use the verb 'can' to mean 'be able to', when talking about ability or permission, we use the base (infinitive) form of the verb. This is true both in a straightforward statement, such as he can play the piano, he can jump one metre in the air, and also in a question, such as can he play the piano? How high can he jump?
Michael Harvey
- 12,050