We must use root word after the word"can"?

Question

even though the word in front it is singular?

eg:She can dance/ she can dances?

Ali can sings /Ali can sing?

Answer 1

The word "can" is the verb, so any action verb that follows will be used in the infinitive form. Imagine using "to be able" instead of "can" in the same sentence.

She is able to dance. (Correct)

She is able to sing.  (Correct)

"To dance" and "to sing" are infinitive forms of the verbs. The same rule of following a conjugated verb with the infinitive of another verb applies with "can", but you only need to use to root word and not "to".

She can dance. (Correct) She can to dance. (Incorrect)

She can dances. (Incorrect). She dances. (Correct)

She can sing. (Correct)

She likes to sing. (Correct)

I can't think of any other examples in which we do not use the root word after can. (Correct) ("to think" is the infinitive)

Good luck in your lessons.

Answer 2

I sing, I can sing.

You sing, you can sing.

He sings, he can sing.

She dances, she can dance.

Ali sings, Ali can sing.

If you want a quick rule:

Use the root of the verb after can, must, should etc.

i.e. without adding 's' or 'es'.

For a complete copy and paste explanation, see below.

Answer 3

I know what you mean by root word! You're talking about the original form of a verb, right? A verb (doing word) has an 'infinitive' form (that's the word you're after). This is the original, unconjugated form.

Verbs change according to their subjects. Subjects are the person or thing *doing* the verb (in your examples, the subjects are "she" and then "Ali".)

This changing of the verb to fit with the subject is called 'conjugation'. So, let's conjugate the verb "to dance" in the present tense:

- I dance

- You dance

- She/he/it dances

- We dance

- They dance

The endings for the present tense conjugation of the verb "to sing" are the same:

- I sing

- You sing

- She/he/it sings

- We sing

- They sing

Now, what happens when we add a word like 'can'? Well, can is a special kind of verb called a 'modal' verb. This type of verb expresses necessity, possibility, certainty or ability. What does that mean? Well, here are some examples of modal verbs:

Modal verb: "can" or "to be able to"

e.g. "I can dance" - this expresses that the person *has the ability* to dance. It could also be written as "I am able to dance."

Modal verb: "must" or "to have to"

e.g. "I must dance" - this expresses that *it is necessary* for the person to dance. It could also be written as "I have to dance."

Modal verb: "will" or "to be going to"

e.g. "I will dance" - this expresses that *it is certain* that the person will dance in the future. It could also be written as "I am going to dance."

Modal verb: "might" or "may"

e.g. "I might dance" - this expresses the *possibility* that the person will dance in the future. It could also be written as "I may dance."

These are just some examples of modal verbs - we use them everyday but often don't realise that they are modal! Anyway, a feature of modal verbs is that the verb that they are modifying *always* takes the infinitive form - rather than the conjugated form! So, to answer your original question:

To dance:

"She dances" = present tense conjugated form

"She can dance" = modified form with the modal verb "can", and "dance" is now in its infinitive (unconjugated) form

To sing:

"Ali sings" = present tense conjugated form

"Ali can sing" = modified form with modal verb "can", and "sing" is now in its infinitive (unconjugated) form

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

the correct way of writing is She can dance

Ali can sing

hope it is clear

what do u mean by root word?