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Can-and-could-dvd-titles.pdf is another lesson plan that uses images obtained from www.amazon.com. It exploits 21 DVD titles each of which contains either the auxiliary ‘can’ or the auxiliary ‘could’.

The activity requires learners to translate these 21 ‘minitexts’ into their own language and then translate them back into English. It is hoped that this process will contribute to their understanding/appreciation of the grammar and semantics of the target language.

This activity could be given to a class in response to the question: What is the difference between ‘can’ and ‘could’? Following the activity, learners could attempt to form the rules themselves before comparing their ideas with those in a standard learner grammar book (Murphy’s English Grammar in use, for example).