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able
- if
someone or something is able to do something, they have skills or qualities
which make it possible for them to do it. |
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capable
- if a person or thing is
capable of doing something, they have the ability, capacity, or potential to
do it. |
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| The different usage between
able
and capable
is ' able ' has a broader meaning in one's ability but '
capable ' shows one's ability in a more specialized aspect. |
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She is an able
teacher. ( She is a teacher with quality ) |
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She is a capable
teacher. ( She has the
ability to be a teacher ) |
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____________________ |
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Capable also shows a
sense of
possibility whereas there is no such usage with able. |
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The situation is capable
of improvement. |
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In this situation, we can't replace
capable
with able to show the possibility for
improvement. |
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____________________ |
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| Ability can be acquired through a
series of training, but capability
has nothing to do with training. |
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I do not doubt
his ability to do the work. |
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