Permission

• To express permission or lack of permission, we use can/can’t (present), could/couldn’t (past) and (not) be allowed to (all tenses): You can give me the money tomorrow. You can’t bring food into class. Can we/ Are we allowed to talk in the library? When I was a child, I couldn’t/wasn’t allowed to stay out after nine. Next year, students will be allowed to use dictionaries in exams.

• May (not) is sometimes used in notices: Students may borrow CDs from the library. Visitors may not take photographs of the paintings.

• Compare the use of could and was/were allowed to: In my last job, I could/was allowed to start at ten. (general permission: could or was/were allowed to)

I was allowed to leave early yesterday, (on a particular occasion: was/were allowed to, not could)

• To ask for permission, we use can, could (more polite) or may (formal). We don’t use be allowed to: Can I go now? Could I use your phone? May I sit here?

To answer yes, we can say: Yes, sure/all right/of course/certainly.

To answer no, we can say: (No,) I’m sorry, but (+ a reason).

Circle the correct answer.

0 You can’t / ’re allowed to / couldn’t smoke here. It’s a no-smoking area.

1 You can’t / couldn’t / weren’t allowed to use your mobile phone in the exam. Switch it off.

2 Members may / can’t / could use the members’ restaurant on the top floor. Please show your membership card to the waiter.

3 I’m sorry, sir. You can’t / weren’t allowed to / couldn’t come in here. Please wait outside.

4 We may / ’re allowed to / could use the computer centre at lunchtime, so I often go there.

5 Next year, we ’re allowed to / ’11 be allowed to / could design a real building as part of our course.

6 He can’t / isn’t allowed to / couldn’t ride a motorbike last year because he wasn’t old enough.

7 We can’t / aren’t allowed to / couldn’t park near the stadium because all the streets near it were closed.

8 We may not / can’t / weren’t allowed to wear jeans at school when I was a student.

9 You can / can’t / couldn’t take the car if you want. I don’t need it.

10 We took some photographs, but we can’t / may not / weren’t allowed to record the interview.