How to Use ‘Able’ Correctly: Boost Your IELTS Vocabulary
Learn the proper usage of the word ‘able’ to enhance your English skills for the IELTS exam. This video covers the word’s meaning, history, synonyms, antonyms, and common usage errors to help you speak and write more confidently.
Imagine you’re at a job interview, and the interviewer asks if you’re able to work under pressure. How confidently could you use the word able in your response?
Today, we’re going to explore this useful word to help boost your IELTS vocabulary.
Word type: Able is primarily used as an adjective in English.
It can also be used as a suffix, which we’ll touch on later.
Meaning: As an adjective, able means having the power, skill, means, or opportunity to do something.
It describes someone who is capable, talented, or competent.
Word history: The word able comes from Latin, through Old French, and entered the English language in the 14th century.
Antonyms: Some opposites of able include unable, incapable, and incompetent.
Synonyms: Words with similar meanings to able are capable, competent, and skilled.
Examples use in sentences: Let’s look at how to use able in different contexts. She is able to speak three languages fluently.
Are you able to attend the meeting tomorrow? The firefighters were able to rescue everyone from the burning building.
As a suffix, able is added to verbs to form adjectives. For example: This solution is acceptable. Here, accept becomes acceptable.
The noise from the construction site was unbearable. Common errors in use: One common mistake is confusing able with can.
While they’re similar, able often implies having a skill or capability, while can is more about permission or possibility.
For example: Incorrect: I can to swim. Correct: I am able to swim. Or: I can swim. Another error is using able alone when it should be followed by to and a verb.
For example: Incorrect: She is able speak English. Correct: She is able to speak English. Remember, being able to use able correctly will make you sound more natural and confident in English.
Practice using it in your speaking and writing to improve your IELTS score.
