Rebecca
"In the cold light of day" is an idiom that means a time when you can think about a situation clearly and objectively! It's like the sky during the "day" is clear, compared to at night, when you can't see anything. Ex: In the cold light of day, this plan seems like a terrible idea. Ex: Ryan sat down in the cold light of day to think about what he needed to do.
06/23
1
Can I use "can" instead of "be able to" here? What are the different ways to use "be able to" and "can"?
Firstly, due to the structure of this sentence, we absolutely cannot replace "be able to" with "can". This sentence is talking about future abilities. We only use "will be able to" to talk about a future skill or ability that you don’t have yet, but you will have in the future, whether in the negative form (as here with "never") or in the positive. We never use "can" for an ability that you will only have in the future. Ex: I will be able to see better with my new glasses. Ex: I'll never be able to understand algebra. "Can" and "be able to" are often interchangeable and you can usually use either one without a difference in meaning. But not always. "Can" is a modal auxiliary verb that expresses general ability in the present tense, or "could" for general ability in the past tense. "Be able to" is not a modal auxiliary verb, it’s just the verb “be” + the adverb “able” + the infinitive “to”. So for the present tense ability, we can use either "can" or "be able to", although "can" is generally more common as it feels less formal. Ex: I can speak three languages. Ex: I am able to speak three languages.
2
Why should there be "in" after "following"? Does it not make sense if I say "following the footsteps"?
No, the meaning would be slightly different if you omit "in" in "following in the footsteps." "Following in the footsteps" means to metaphorically place one's feet directly into someone else's footsteps, as if you were doing things exactly the way they did. "Following the footsteps" would mean to just follow the steps in general and not directly placing your feet "in" the footsteps. This phrase is also very common, so if you said it without "in," it may sound slightly unnatural. Ex: I'm following in the footsteps of my dad by becoming a doctor. Ex: I'm following the footsteps on the ground to see where this person went.
3
why is the plural form is used in this context? Would it not make sense if I use "the clock" instead?
Good question! The answer is that both "let's wind the clocks back" and "let's wind the clock back" are acceptable. However, the plural form of "clocks" is more commonly used with this expression. My guess is that because this expression is aimed at a general audience of many people, it may feel a bit awkward to use the singular form "clock" as it might give the feeling that there is only one clock being shared by all these people. Ex: Let's wind the clocks back to 2018. Ex: If we could wind the clocks back a year, what would you do? If you were speaking about yourself, it might feel more natural to use "clock" in the singular form. Ex: I just want to wind the clock back and do things over. Ex: If only I could wind back the clock..
4
Can I say "I waited this for my entire life" instead?
You can say "I waited my entire life for this" or "I waited for this my entire life." "For this" can be moved around in this sentence, but the word order of "for this" cannot be changed. Ex: I waited all week for this party. Ex: I waited for this party all week.
5
"'em" is abbreviation for what?
'em is shorten for "them".
Complete the expression with a quiz!
