Animals and Our Environment
Primary 3 · English
Animals and Our Environment
Lesson 2 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
At break time, Gatete and Umutoni are sitting on the grass, watching the sky.
A bird lifts off the school roof and flies away over the hill. “I wish I could do that,” says Gatete. “A bird can fly. I cannot fly!”
Umutoni laughs. “But you can run — and a fish cannot run. Every animal can do something.”
Today you will learn to use two small words, can and cannot, to say what an animal is able to do.
Look at a bird in the air. We say:
A bird can fly.
Look at a fish in Lake Kivu. We say:
A fish can swim.
Can means is able to do it.
Now put that fish on the ground. It cannot stand up and walk to school!
A fish cannot walk.
Cannot means is not able to. We write it as one word: cannot. When we are talking with a friend we often shorten it to can’t. Both are correct.
Here is the mistake nearly everybody makes at first:
✗ A bird can flies.
✓ A bird can fly.
After can, and after cannot, the action word never takes an s and never changes. It stays plain and simple: fly, swim, run, jump, climb, dig, sing, crawl.
This is true even when you are talking about only one animal: A monkey can climb. Never “can climbs”.
Mutesi wants to write one sentence about her rabbit, and one about her cow.
Now check the action words: jump and fly. No s. No -ing. Plain and short. That is how you know your sentence is right.
To ask a question, simply put can at the front:
Can a snake run? — No, it cannot. A snake has no legs. It crawls.
Can a goat climb a rock? — Yes, it can.
The short answers are easy to remember: Yes, it can. or No, it cannot.
Tip
The can rule, in four words: after can, no s!
Say these like a song: can fly, can swim, can run, can jump. Now try to say “can flies”. It sounds heavy and clumsy, doesn’t it? Trust your ear.
The same goes for cannot: cannot fly, cannot swim. Never “cannot flies”.
Answer out loud first, then tap Show answer to check.
Finish the sentence with an action word: A fish can ___.
Answer: A fish can swim. It lives in water and pushes itself along with its tail.
True, or not true? A cow can climb a tree.
Answer: Not true. A cow is big and heavy, and it has hooves, not hands. Say it properly: A cow cannot climb a tree.
One word is wrong: A monkey can climbs the tree. Which word?
Answer: climbs. After can, the action word has no s: A monkey can climb the tree.
Answer the question in a full sentence: Can a hen swim across Lake Kivu?
Answer: No, it cannot. A hen cannot swim across a lake. It can walk, it can run, and it can flap its wings.
Write one sentence about a bird using can, and one using cannot.
Answer (one good way): A bird can fly. A bird cannot swim under the water like a fish.
What you learned today
Quick check
Which sentence is right?
