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The fire brigade was able (succeeded in putting, managed) to put out the fire before it destroyed the other buildings. I was able to go to the mountains yesterday as 1 had a day olf (I could and went). I was able to finish my work in an hour (I managed. I could and did it). 2. Possibility (вероятность, возможность). a) possibility due to circumstances: Anybody can make a mistake. (Ошибаться может каждый.) You can hardly blame him for that. (Вряд ли можно его за это винить.) 1 couldn't take your coat without paying you for it. b) possibility due to the existing rules or laws: In old days a man could be sentenced to death for a small crime. (В старые времена можно было приговорить человека к смерти за небольшое преступление.) The Lower House can initiate financial measures. (Только нижняя палата может выносить на рассмотрение финансовые вопросы.) c) possibility of the idea (the so-called «theorctical»possibilitv): The railways can be improved. (It is possible for the railways to be improved, as they are not yet perfect.) In general statements of possibility can has roughly the same meaning as «sometimes*. The sea can be rough. — The sea is sometimes rough. (Море иногда бывает бурным.) Can is generally used in questions about possibility and in statements about impossibility. 93
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