11. You ____ (able) avoid a lot of traffic and delay if you ____ (take) the subway.?

Question

11. You ____ (able) avoid a lot of traffic and delay if you ____ (take) the subway.

a.) Can/take

b.) Are able to/take

c.) Will be able to/ take

Answer 1

Err, it could be a) or b) or c).

Without opening the thread and seeing the options, I was already going to go with can/take - 'You can avoid a lot of traffic and delay if you take the subway'.

As for 'take the subway' not being as good as use the subway, I reckon one has to remember that the english language is not a single, uniform body and there are many versions, all equally correct in their own locales. In my country, the most grammatical answer would definitely be to 'take the subway' (except we wouldn't say subway! Here, we'd say 'take the underground' or 'take the metro') whereas I could imagine Americans saying something like 'use the subway' or 'ride the subway'.

Incidentally, the french say 'take' (prendre) as well - take the bus/prendre l'autobus.

Similarly, the sentence seemed somehow wrong, unbalanced and I had trouble working out what it was meant to say at first...until I realised that 'delay' should (round here, at least, lol!) have been 'delays'. That doesn't mean 'delay' isn't the correct form in another english-speaking country, just that the accepted use in these parts is to use it in the plural, not the singular!!!

Hence, it's almost impossible to come up with any definitive version of anything written correctly in English, lol!

Answer 2

I'm not sure it's good English to say 'take the subway'. You might prefer 'use'.

Answer 3

What's the original, over-riding question? To use present tense? Future? All options work, but it depends on the context.