Can you | we ? (QUESTION)

A1, active, affirmative, MODALITY, QUESTIONS, request

At A1 in the category of MODALITY, there are two points:

  1. affirmative question form.
  2.  ‘can’ to make a request.

and in the category of QUESTIONS:

a limited range of modal verbs + subject + main verb to form ‘yes/no’

*Because these points clash with higher levels, the main difference to note is that all the examples from the English Grammar Profile for these points have the pronouns can + ‘you’ or ‘we’.

In the following, we did a search in iWeb corpus for: . Can you|we * ?

and then extended the results with the aim to demonstrate the usage of “can” in forming longer questions based on the given format. They provide additional context and specific scenarios to illustrate the usage of the question structure.

  1. CAN YOU HELP? 2403  Can you help me with my homework tonight? I’m struggling with math.
  2. CAN YOU IMAGINE? 593 Extended Example: Can you imagine living in a world without technology? How different do you think it would be?
  3. CAN YOU EXPLAIN? 208 Extended Example: Can you explain how this new software works? I’m not familiar with its features.
  4. CAN YOU RELATE? 184 Extended Example: Can you relate to the challenges of being a working parent? How do you manage your time?
  5. CAN YOU ELABORATE? 170 Extended Example: Can you elaborate on your previous statement? I would like to understand it in more detail.
  6. CAN YOU TELL? 145 Extended Example: Can you tell me where the nearest post office is located? I need to mail a package.
  7. CAN YOU CLARIFY? 127 Extended Example: Can you clarify the instructions for this assignment? I want to make sure I’m doing it correctly.
  8. CAN YOU ADVISE? 110 Extended Example: Can you advise me on which laptop to purchase? I’m looking for one with good performance and durability.
  9. CAN YOU CONFIRM? 82 Extended Example: Can you confirm if the meeting has been rescheduled to next week? I need to update my calendar.
  10. CAN YOU GUESS? 59 Extended Example: Can you guess what my favorite movie is? I’ll give you a hint—it’s a classic from the 80s.
  11. CAN YOU ASSIST? 47 Extended Example: Can you assist me in setting up my new smartphone? I’m not sure how to transfer my data.
  12. CAN YOU COMMENT? 42 Extended Example: Can you comment on the current political situation? What are your thoughts on recent developments?
  13. CAN WE TALK? 33 Can we talk about our plans for the upcoming vacation? I have some ideas I‘d like to discuss.
  14. CAN YOU SURVIVE? 22 Extended Example: Can you survive without your smartphone for a week? How dependent are you on technology?
  15. CAN YOU SEE? 20 Extended Example: Can you see the beautiful sunset from your window? It’s truly breathtaking.
  16. CAN YOU READ? 17 Extended Example: Can you read the sign at the entrance? I want to make sure we’re in the right place.
  17. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND? 16 Extended Example: Can you understand the lyrics of this song? The artist has a unique style of writing.
  18. CAN YOU EVEN? 15 Extended Example: Can you even believe the incredible performance we witnessed last night? It was truly remarkable.
  19. CAN WE GO? 13 Extended Example: Can we go to the new coffee shop downtown? I’ve heard great things about their specialty drinks.