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Question

Difficulty: MediumModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Fill in the blank with the correct modal auxiliary phrase to complete the sentence.

Answer:The storm caused extensive damage to the power grid, but the emergency technical team 【was able to】 restore electricity before midnight.

Answer

was able to
The sentence describes a specific past event in which a team successfully completed a challenging task. In standard English grammar tested by JAMB, 'was able to' (or 'managed to') must be used to express a specific past accomplishment, whereas 'could' is reserved for general past ability.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the statement to determine the nature of the action.
The statement refers to a specific, single occasion in the past where a difficult task was successfully accomplished.
Modal choice in the past tense depends on whether general ability or a specific past achievement is being expressed.
2
Select the correct modal auxiliary phrase for a specific past accomplishment.
'Was able to' (or 'managed to') is the appropriate choice.
While 'could' expresses general ability in the past, 'was/were able to' is required when denoting success in a specific past event or emergency situation.

Key Concept

Expressing specific past achievement versus general past ability
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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