# could vs. can



## jj88

Hi. I have an awkward sentence that just doesn't seem to sound right:

The school will provide the foundation that will mold me into the most open-minded, creative, and innovative doctor I could be.

Is "could" the right word for that sentence? Or should it be "can"? Or should it be something else?


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## cuchuflete

jj88 said:
			
		

> Hi. I have an awkward sentence that just doesn't seem to sound right:
> 
> The school will provide the foundation that will mold me into the most open-minded, creative, and innovative doctor I could be.
> 
> Is "could" the right word for that sentence? Or should it be "can"? Or should it be something else?



Personal preferences drive these few edits:

The school will provide an environment  foundation[foundations don't mold anything, in my experience.]  that will mold me into the most open-minded, creative, and innovative doctor I can become.


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## foxfirebrand

I'd change "that will mold me" to "to mold me," simply because my ear balks at the repetition of "will."  

I agree that "can" is best, not "could."  And Cuchu's suggestion is fine, but I don't see anything wrong with "be" that warrants ruining the cadence the way "become" does.  Clunk!
.


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## jj88

Much better now, thank you.


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## elroy

I agree with FFB: my vote is for "can be."  

I would also suggest "the right" or "the ideal" instead of "an" - sounds stronger somehow and achieves the same effect as "the environment that will mold me" without necessitating another "will."    

*This school will provide the right/ideal environment to mold me into the most open-minded, creative, and innovative doctor I can be.*


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## M56

jj88 said:
			
		

> Hi. I have an awkward sentence that just doesn't seem to sound right:
> 
> The school will provide the foundation that will mold me into the most open-minded, creative, and innovative doctor I could be.
> 
> Is "could" the right word for that sentence? Or should it be "can"? Or should it be something else?


 
It isn't sure that you will become an open-minded, creative and innovative doctor, even though the school will provide all the means for you to do so. "Could" expresses that better.


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## foxfirebrand

M56 said:
			
		

> It isn't sure that you will become an open-minded, creative and innovative doctor, even though the school will provide all the means for you to do so. "Could" expresses that better.


 Not in AE. The environment provides the conditions, but the outcome is what it is-- or is what it becomes. The outcome itself isn't conditional, it just isn't known in advance.

I'm an advocate of restoring the subjunctive, even in AE, but not every statement about a possible outcome is a case that calls for it. You say it "isn't sure," but the unknowability of outcome isn't a matter of doubt. It's a matter of limitation.

Doubt, calling for the subjunctive, is qualitative-- a matter of ifs and maybes. The degree of development achieved is quantitative-- unless you make a point of imposing an editorial negativism. That could be a cultural, rather than a linguistic AE/BE thing-- but it could be a personal or indivicual thing. The more optimistic declarative mood is more appropriate I think, given the context.

Finally, according to FFB's Law, *"might" means the same as "might not"* The use of "could" here partakes of the same principle, and this statement of possibilities is not one about a school providing an environment for students _to develop into what they might not be._  That is absurd.
.


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> Finally, according to FFB's Law, *"might" means the same as "might not"* The use of "could" here partakes of the same principle, and this statement of possibilities is not one about a school providing an environment for students _to develop into what they might not be._ That is absurd.
> .


 
If you read the topic post, you will see that the school is not the one making the statement.

Maybe you have a touch of the, very American, "You can be whatever you want to be.", but my British "You could be whatever you want to be" is more honest, IMO.


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## cuchuflete

It appears that the thread starter is working on a school application.  All the conditionality in the world may appeal to a notion of grammatical propriety, but won't help the writer make his case for admission.   

This may be an academic discussion for some, but I suspect that jj88 is seeking help in writing an effective statement, rather than trying to be right for the sake of being right.  

"Could" may better express future uncertain outcomes.  The future is uncertain. So what?   In the context of an application letter, that isn't the point, and may be counterproductive.


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## foxfirebrand

M56 said:
			
		

> If you read the topic post, you will see that the school is not the one making the statement.


Please ake a look at what I wrote.  "...this statement of possibilities is not one *about* a school providing an environment for students _to develop into what they might not be.

_About a school, by an applicant.  Cuchu makes a point about the purpose of the language used in the application, and the intended effect it is hoping to have on those receiving it.  Rhetorical critique can't ignore the primacy of that consideration-- grammar is only a small part of rhetorical analysis.

Yes, that paragraph begins with a sentence fragment.  I'll save you the quibble.
.


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## GenJen54

"Be all that you can be...."

Hmmmm.  "Be all that you could be..." just doesn't have the same ring to it.  "Can" given the context, is much more confident sounding.


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## river

I would name the school:

Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will mould me into a creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor.


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## M56

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> "Be all that you can be...."
> 
> Hmmmm. "Be all that you could be..." just doesn't have the same ring to it. "Can" given the context, is much more confident sounding.


 
Very clever, but "You can be whatever you want to be." and "Be all you can be" are different animals.


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## M56

river said:
			
		

> I would name the school:
> 
> Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will mould me into a creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor.


 
Why not "that will enable me to become". Much more active on the part of the applicant.


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## GenJen54

M56 said:
			
		

> Why not "that will enable me to become".


 
I agree with you on this one.  I like "that will enable me to become."  Mould seems stuffy.


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## river

Can (or is that could?) you imagine us collaborating on a book? We can't even do a sentence.

Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will enable me to become a creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor.

What does jj88 think?


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## M56

river said:
			
		

> Can (or is that could?) you imagine us collaborating on a book? We can't even do a sentence.
> 
> Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will enable me to become a creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor.
> 
> What does jj88 think?


 
I like it. I'm sure JH will also like it:

"The mission of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is to educate medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in accordance with the highest professional standards; to prepare clinicians to practice patient-centered medicine of the highest standard; and to identify and answer fundamental questions in the mechanisms, prevention and treatment of disease, in health care delivery and in the  basic sciences."

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/index.html

Quite similar in register really.


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## elroy

First of all, how do we know the school is Johns Hopkins?

Secondly, I like River's suggestion, but I'd make a few changes (sorry!):

*Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will help me become the most creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor I can be.*

Call me too American, but I like the "the most...I can be" bit. It has a nice ring to it (which I agree with Jen that "could be" does not.) 

Another variation:

*Johns Hopkins offers a learning environment that will help me on my way to becoming the most creative, innovative, and open-minded doctor I can be.*


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## river

The problem is "the most. . .that I can be" may not be very much. A mediocre surgeon may be the best that I can be. I don't want to be "the most open-minded I can be."  I want to be open-minded.


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## jj88

Thanks for everyone's help


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## foxfirebrand

"To help mold me" instead of "to mold me?"

"Or to help me develop into..."

_Favorable_ instead of _ideal_ would also convey the idea that the environment is helping you, and you are doing the developing.


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> "To help mold me" instead of "to mold me?"
> 
> "Or to help me develop into..."
> 
> _Favorable_ instead of _ideal_ would also convey the idea that the environment is helping you, and you are doing the developing.


 
Interesting how "enable" is found much more in the academic register than many others. I think that "enable" fits much better than "help" and is, possibly, expected in an application to university. The figures shown are appearances in 1 million words.

enable:

*REGISTER* 

*SPOKEN* *18.3 *
*FICTION* *4.8 *
*NEWS* *26.0*
*ACADEMIC 70.8* 
*NONFIC MISC* *76.06*
*OTHER MISC* *4.9*

help:

*REGISTER* 

*SPOKEN* *315.6*
*FICTION* *404.4*
*NEWS* *497.7*
*ACADEMIC* *237.4*
*NONFIC MISC* *346.7*
*OTHER MISC* *436.7*


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## foxfirebrand

I'm not sure why you're addressing your opinions on what is appropriate to the "academic register" to my post.  Your googling methodology doesn't address what I'm saying about usage, and it's the last approach to intellectual discourse I would expect from an academician of any stripe.  And it's not exactly an alien world to me.  Fancified or jargonistic speech is not more erudite than simplicity, and "help" is an apt a word in any setting as "enable," including the wild wacky world of Academia.  In my years in that milieu, rhetorical instruction was largely a struggle getting students to unlearn the bombast and puffery that passes for "style" in secondary education, and convincing them that "plain and to the point" is the heart and soul of good style.

Unless you're enabling cookies or your pop-up blocker.  Sometimes I wish-- oh, sometimes _how_ I wish.
.


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> I'm not sure why you're addressing your opinions on what is appropriate to the "academic register" to my post. Your googling methodology doesn't address what I'm saying about usage, and it's the last approach to intellectual discourse I would expect from an academician of any stripe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The information supplied was not from Google but the British National Corpus (BNC). Corpus Linguistics is far from "the last approach to intellectual discourse" so I would ask you to leave personal comments out of this. The BNC shows that "enable" is an extremely useful word if one wants to write in the academic register. The next step a student would need to make regarding university application is to check out whether "help" and other _neutral_ verbs are used more than "enable" and other _dynamic_ verbs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fancified or jargonistic speech is not more erudite than simplicity, and "help" is an apt a word in any setting as "enable," including the wild wacky world of Academia.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> That you see "enable" as fancified or jargonistic is strange to say the least. Fact is, there are certain things expected of a writer/speaker in certain contexts. The more one knows about what is the norm, the more effective one can be in one's communication. It's simple really.
Click to expand...


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## cuchuflete

It's really simple to take a statistical compilation and draw unsubstantiated conclusions.  The previous post shows frequency distribution. Period.  It does nothing more.



> The BNC shows that "enable" is an extremely useful word if one wants to write in the academic register.



By that logic, frequency equals usefulness. The BNC data do not draw such conclusions.  The BNC data show greater frequency of use for the word help, but that doesn't imply anything about usefulness either.

The proposition that one or another word is expected, possibly, in a university application is totally unsubstantiated by the data presented.


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## elroy

Furthermore, "enable" and "help" are not synonyms, such that a discussion of which is more _dynamic_ is pointless and irrelevant.

Given that these two words mean _different_ things, I simply find "help" more suitable in this context.


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## M56

> elroy said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Furthermore, "enable" and "help" are not synonyms, such that a discussion of which is more _dynamic_ is pointless and irrelevant.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you really saying that there is nothing synonymous in these?
> 
> Your actions will:
> 
> help me become a good doctor
> enable me to become a good doctor
> allow me to become a good doctor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Given that these two words mean _different_ things, I simply find "help" more suitable in this context.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> That's fine.
Click to expand...


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## elroy

M56 said:
			
		

> Are you really saying that there is nothing synonymous in these?
> 
> Your actions will:
> 
> help me become a good doctor
> enable me to become a good doctor
> allow me to become a good doctor


 
No. I don't, in fact, find them synonymous. To me,

#1 means "contribute in some way to my becoming a good doctor"
#2 means "be the cause (or a primary cause) of my becoming a good doctor" (implication: I wouldn't become a good doctor without you)
#3 means "permit me to become a good doctor; provide an outlet for me to become a good doctor"

I find #1 the most suitable, as per my previous comments.


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## M56

elroy said:
			
		

> No. I don't, in fact, find them synonymous. To me,
> 
> #1 means "contribute in some way to my becoming a good doctor"
> #2 means "be the cause (or a primary cause) of my becoming a good doctor" (implication: I wouldn't become a good doctor without you)
> #3 means "permit me to become a good doctor; provide an outlet for me to become a good doctor"
> 
> I find #1 the most suitable, as per my previous comments.


 
I see. So for you, enabling someone to do something is not a helping action.


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## cuchuflete

He wants to commit suicide, but lacks the means.
I'll hand him a rope, a loaded gun, and a vial of poison, just to be helpful.


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## M56

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> He wants to commit suicide, but lacks the means.
> I'll hand him a rope, a loaded gun, and a vial of poison, just to be helpful.


 
I that post on topic? If so, who is it referring to?


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## elroy

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> He wants to commit suicide, but lacks the means.
> I'll hand him a rope, a loaded gun, and a vial of poison, just to be helpful.


 
I want to explain the difference.  I try; it doesn't seem to work.  Cuchu comes along and helps me do so.  My mental capacities (presumably) enabled me to do so, but Cuchu's contribution was instrumental.


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## cuchuflete

Some people might confuse enablement with helpfulness on a regular basis.  To allow or make possible, to remove obstacles, may be helpful or unhelpful, depending on circumstances.  

Of course 'to enable' and 'to help' may overlap at times, which does not qualify them as synonyms.  

In the particular context in which they were first discussed here, the meanings would not be synonymous.  Enable would mean to remove obstacles, or make possible. Help would mean to assist or aid in achieving the stated goal.


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## M56

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> In the particular context in which they were first discussed here, the meanings would not be synonymous. Enable would mean to remove obstacles, or make possible. Help would mean to assist or aid in achieving the stated goal.


 
*Which would you prefer here? Or could either be used?*


1. You will begin to develop abilities in three core competencies that will help/enable you to achieve greater success in your job or personal life.

2. A logical approach would be to decide which area of performance needs improving and look for experts in this field to enable/help you to achieve the appropriate improvement.

3. Set realistic and reachable goals based on your own wants and needs and what you have accomplished in the past. This will help/enable you to achieve and also will lead to a greater sense of self-esteem. 



> To allow or make possible, to remove obstacles, may be helpful or unhelpful, depending on circumstances.


 
Really? In which circumstances could it be negative to allow, make possible, or remove obstacles?


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## cuchuflete

> Really? In which circumstances could it be negative to allow, make possible, or remove obstacles? http://forum.wordreference.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=545742


Pass the heroin to the addict.  Enablement doesn't equal help.


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## foxfirebrand

In the currently-trendy psychobabble I encounter (in other forums, of course), an "enabler" is the friend or partner of a neurotic who oh-so-helpfully reinforces his self-defeating patterns, and aggravates the symptomology of his particular disorder.

Narcissistic personality disorder, for example. Let's say a neurotic who sees everything in the social environment as a manifestation of an underlying negativity aimed at *him,* and who picks quarrels over every little misperceived slight-- will tend to have a "better half" they can turn to for encouragement, which is to say validation of the mildly-delusional mindset.

"Yes, I think you _were_ being taunted a little by that cherries-jubilee remark-- but you sure told _them._"

Are such people "helpful?" That's the crux of the question re enablers, and it goes to the heart of this definitional parsing of the words _enable_ and _help._ I'd add that it illustrates why a simpler and more generic word is so often preferable-- the more "book-larned" term will often bear connotational baggage, some of which may be unknown to the user.

I vote for the "keep it simple, stupid" faction in this disputation. Aside from being "correct" more often, we simpletons are also an arguably happier lot.
.


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## river

But as the French say,
_Réussir au monde qu’elle n’est pas asse’à être stupide, vous doit également être poli._ (To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.)
(*Voltaire)*


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## foxfirebrand

river said:
			
		

> But as the French say,
> _Réussir au monde qu’elle n’est pas asse’à être stupide, vous doit également être poli._ (To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.)
> (*Voltaire)*


Damn!  I knew there was some part of the formula for happiness I was leaving out.  This is going to be tougher than I thought.
.


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## M56

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Pass the heroin to the addict. Enablement doesn't equal help.


 
In the mind of the addict, it might.


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> I vote for the "keep it simple, stupid" faction in this disputation. Aside from being "correct" more often, we simpletons are also an arguably happier lot.
> .


 
But could you all win entry to the John Hopkins School of Medicine?


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> Damn! I knew there was some part of the formula for happiness I was leaving out. This is going to be tougher than I thought.
> .


 
In the meantime, thank God we have the moderators to keep you in place.


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## cuchuflete

In the words of FFB, "...might means 'might not'."

Now that we have established the correct answer, with an absolute lack of certainty...


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## cuchuflete

M56 said:
			
		

> But could you all win entry to the John*s* Hopkins School of Medicine?




_____________


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## foxfirebrand

M56 said:
			
		

> But could you all win entry to the John Hopkins School of Medicine?


At my age?  As a donation, maybe.


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## M56

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> _____________


 
Sorry. Typo. Thanks.


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## M56

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> At my age? As a donation, maybe.


 
Arrgghhhh!


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