How might 'could' express a past ability to lead?

Dec 31, 2022 ... Can is always be used in the present tense whereas could is always be used in the past tense. In short could is the past form of can. Apr 21, 2023 ... The English language can be sometimes confusing. One specific topic that may be confusing is knowing the difference between "would" and ... Jul 10, 2016 ... An oft-neglected consideration in audition preparation that could be the difference between a winning ... There's not a whole lot that can be ... Both can and could (and other modals, especially may and might) are used to express various kinds of possibility, ability, permission and potential. Feb 13, 2013 ... "Can" is a rude way to ask, it's like giving a command. "Could" is a polite way to ask, it's like a requesting. Mar 12, 2010 ... “Can you” is the most casual, “could you” is more polite and “would you” is the most formal and polite. Mar 6, 2024 ... “Could you help me?” is more polite and formal while “Can you help me?” is more direct and casual. Apr 5, 2017 ... Shall & Should. So “shall” and “should”. “Shall” and “should”. And this also goes with “ought to”, but that's not really used that much at least ... As the page says, can is used for general statements about possibility while could is more specific. In your examples, the first sentence is a general statement ... Dec 17, 2020 ... In checkmate, the king is in check and can't escape. In stalemate, the king isn't in check and the player has no legal moves.