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How to give a permission and permissions in the past.

In this blog, let us learn about ‘how to give a permission and how to talk about permissions in the past.

In our previous blog, we have discussed about how to ask for a permission. We also have learnt how ‘may, can or could’ can be used while asking for a permission.

How to give a permission?

Now, let us look at the ways to give a permission. We know that, we use ‘may, can or could’ to ask somebody for a permission. But, when giving a permission, we use only ‘may or can’ but not ‘could’.

The point to remember here is, irrespective of the modal verb the permission seeker uses, we always use ‘may or can’ either to give a permission or not to give a permission.

For a better understanding, let us look at some examples.

Examples | How to give a permission

Someone asks you for a permission saying….

1. May I come in, Sir/Madam?

In this case, if you wish to give the permission, you say….

“Yes, you may” or “Yes, you can”

2. Can I use your mobile?

Here again, to give a permission, you say….

“Yes, you may” or “Yes, you can”

3. Could I drink some water?

To give a permission, we say….

“Yes, you may” or “Yes, you can”

(Note: The seeker of the permission, in this case, used ‘could’ to ask for a permission. But we still respond using either ‘may or can’, not ‘could’.)

Fine, as we have learnt how to give a permission, let us now know how to respond if we don’t want to give a permission.

How to say a ‘NO’ | How to give a permission

Well, when somebody asks you for a permission and you don’t want to respond in a positive manner, you say….

“No, you can’t”

Irrespective of what the seeker of the permission uses while asking for a permission, we simply respond using ‘can’ with a negation when we don’t want to give a permission.

Examples

1. May I know your phone number?

Response: ” No, you can’t “

2. Can I use your bike for a day?

Response: “No, you can’t”

3. Could I use your Laptop for an hour?

Response: “No, you can’t”

I hope, now, you are clear with the idea of how to give a permission whether in a positive way or in a negative way.

Permissions in the past

Let us now know and learn about how to talk about the permissions in the past.

We use ‘could or was allowed to/were allowed to’ to talk about the permissions which have been granted in the past. But, there is a minor difference between the usage of ‘could’ and ‘was allowed to/were allowed to’.

How to use “could” and “was allowed to/were allowed to”

‘Could’ is used for ‘General Permissions’ in the past where as for “Special Permissions”, we use ‘ was allowed to/were allowed to’.

General Permissions | Permissions in the past

The permissions that are common for everybody in a perticular situation or locality are General Permissions.

To get you understand this a little more clearly, let me give an example. The roads in a city/town are meant for the public transport. In other words, the people are granted the permission to use the roads commonly. This is a General Permission. ( Some roads are given permission to use to only people who pay some toll charges. We would discuss about this kind of permission later.)

Examples

Let us look at some examples as how to use could to talk about General Permissions in the past.

1. Imagine there was a public meeting the previous day and you have attended the meeting. Because the meeting was a public one, everybody had the permission to attend it. That means, it was a general permission. So, to talk about you had already attended the meeting, you would say…..

I could attend the public meeting yesterday.

2. As a student, I could travel by bus at a discounted fare.

(Generally, all students are permitted to travel by local/city bus at discounted price. So, general permission; we use ‘could’)

3. I could get vaccinated at the Govt. Hospital. ( all people got the permission to get vaccinated to be safe from Corona Virus. General permission, so, we used ‘could’.)

Hope, you got an idea of how to use ‘could’ to talk about general permissions in the past.

Special Permissions | Permissions in the past

Special permissions are those which are not meant for everybody. Only a few people are given permission under specific situations. So, to talk about these special permissions, we use ‘ was allowed to’ or ‘were allowed to’.

‘Was allowed to’ is used with the subjects(doer of the action) he, she, it, third person singular and I.

‘Were allowed to’ is used with the subjects you, we and they.

1. You attended a public meeting. There you were on the stage along with other VIPs. Then, you say…..

I was allowed to be there on the stage at the public meeting.

2. Generally, all students can go home after the school hours. Imagine you got a permission to leave the school at an early time. In this case, you say…..

I was allowed to go home early.

3. At a Music Concert, your friend was given a permission to perform along with the band. So, you would say…..

My friend was allowed to perform along with the touring band at their music concert.

All three examples above talk about special permissions, So, we have used ‘was allowed to’ to talk about those permissions.

I think, now, you might have got some clarity as how to use ‘could’ or ‘was allowed to/were allowed to’ to talk about the permissions in the past.

Thank you. If you need any further clarity, information, or examples, please comment. I would try to explain you and give you some more examples.

I will talk to you soon with another blog about some other topic.

Thank you.

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