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From a leg brace to three golds: could, was able to and managed to for past ability

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches managed to, could and was able to through the story of Wilma Rudolph, who won three Olympic golds in 1960.

Grammar
Could for general past ability (By about 12, she could walk without it.), was able to and managed to for one success (She managed to win three golds.), and three ways to say one failure.
Topic
Wilma Rudolph of Clarksville, Tennessee, and the 1960 Olympics in Rome, with track words such as baton, anchor, headwind and starting blocks.
Activities
A feature by Darius, a studio talk and a voice message, self-checking drills, a coach's chat after a race and open boxes about sporting moments.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1On your marks!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: on the trackVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Reading: from a brace to the track

    • Look at the photo: the finish linePictureUnlock
    • Read the story: from a leg brace to three goldsArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Listening: drumroll, please!

    • Listen to Jade and Darius in the studioListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's TakeListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: she managed to win!

    • Study the scheme: could, was able to, managed toGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: could, was able to or managed toFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Fill in the table: was able to or were able toFill in the tableTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Darius's school racesDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is right?QuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Speaking: after the race

    • Choose the right replies: after the raceChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: your sporting momentsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the words into the correct columnsSort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: make sentences about past abilityFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: short answers and meaningQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Darius's answer to LorenaChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: a short biographyDrag and dropUnlock

32 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • leg brace
  • baton
  • anchor
  • headwind
  • stopwatch
  • starting blocks
  • spikes
  • teammate
  • champion

Grammar: could, was able to and managed to

English separates what you could do in general, many times, from what you managed to do once. Wilma Rudolph's story has both, from She couldn't walk without a brace to In 1960, she managed to win three golds. Learners keep could for general ability, use was able to or managed to for one success, and learn three equal ways to say one failure.

She couldn't walk. She managed to win.

could = what you were able to do in general, many times. was / were able to and managed to = one success, at one time.

In general or one time?

Could is for ability in general, true many times: By about 12, she could walk without it. One success takes was able to or managed to: At 16, she was able to win a bronze medal. In 1960, she managed to win three golds.

could or managed to?

could = in general, many times

  • As a girl, she couldn't walk without a brace.
  • By about 12, she could walk without it.
  • Jade could name every planet at five.

was able to / managed to = one success

  • In 1960, she managed to win three golds.
  • In July 1960, she was able to run the 200 m in 22.9 seconds.
  • The baton pass was poor, but the team managed to win.

Wilma, Darius and you

  • As a little girl, Wilma couldn't walk without a brace.
  • By about 12, she could walk without it.
  • At 16, she was able to win a bronze medal.
  • In 1960, she managed to win three gold medals.
  • Darius never managed to win a race at school.
  • Were you able to beat your best time? – Yes, I was!

Not could for one success

For one success, could is wrong: In 1960 she could win three golds becomes she managed to win. Managed to says it was difficult: She ran into a strong headwind, but she managed to win. With see and hear, one-time could is fine: We could see the finish line.

One success: not could

For one success at one time, use was / were able to or managed to, not could. Not: In 1960 she could win three golds. managed to also says it was difficult: She ran into a strong headwind, but she managed to win. With see and hear, could is fine for one time too: We could see the finish line.

Every person, then the base form

Could and managed to are the same for every person; be able to takes was or were: He was able to finish second. We were able to get good seats. All three take the base form, and after didn't it's manage: He didn't manage to win.

Every person

Whocould (in general)was / were able to (one time)managed to (one time)
II could swim at six.I was able to finish the race.I managed to beat my brother.
youYou could run fast as a kid.You were able to get tickets.You managed to catch the bus.
heHe could play basketball for hours.He was able to finish second.He managed to pass two runners.
sheShe could walk without a brace at about 12.She was able to win a bronze.She managed to win three golds.
it (the team)It could beat most teams.It was able to win the final.It managed to win the relay.
weWe could ride our bikes to school.We were able to get good seats.We managed to find the stadium.
theyThey could sprint really fast.They were able to finish the race.They managed to win anyway.

The forms

All three take the base form: she could run (not: could to run), he was able to win (not: was able win), they managed to win (not: managed win). Negatives and questions: didn't manage to (not: didn't managed), Did you manage to…? – Yes, I did. Were you able to…? – No, I wasn't.

One failure: three right answers

For one failure, all three negatives are correct: She couldn't win a medal in the 200 m in 1956 means the same with wasn't able to or didn't manage to. So no drill in the lesson makes students choose between them.

couldn'twasn't / weren't able todidn't manage to
She couldn't win a medal in the 200 m in 1956.She wasn't able to win a medal in the 200 m in 1956.She didn't manage to win a medal in the 200 m in 1956.
We couldn't find our seats.We weren't able to find our seats.We didn't manage to find our seats.

Common mistakes

  • In 1960 she could win three golds.

    In 1960 she managed to win three golds.

    one success: managed to / was able to

  • She managed win the race.

    She managed to win the race.

    managed + to + base form

  • She could to run fast.

    She could run fast.

    could + base form, no to

  • He didn't managed to win.

    He didn't manage to win.

    didn't + manage

More lessons on this grammar: Modal verbs lessons and exercises

Try the could and managed to exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 19 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • describe general ability in the past with could and couldn't: As a little girl, Wilma couldn't walk without a brace. Jade could name every planet at five.
  • tell one success at one time with was able to or managed to: In 1960, she managed to win three gold medals, not she could win
  • say one failure in three correct ways: We couldn't find our seats. We weren't able to find our seats. We didn't manage to find our seats.
  • ask and answer about a past success: Were you able to beat your best time? – Yes, I was! Did you manage to get tickets? – Yes, I did.

Lesson 25 opens Sporting moments, unit 7 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. It builds on A2.1 lesson 8, where could and couldn't described past ability, and on the short answers with was, were and did from A2.1 lessons 5 and 6. Lesson 26 moves on to for, during and while. Wilma Rudolph's life fits the grammar well: a girl who couldn't walk without a brace later managed to win three Olympic golds.

Students spin a wheel of questions about races and childhood skills, then learn twelve words, from manage and sprint to baton and starting blocks, with pictures and audio. They read Darius's feature on Wilma Rudolph, then hear him tell the story to Jade in the studio and Lorena, a 16-year-old runner from Tennessee, leave a voice message, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter pairs the scheme with five self-checking drills, among them a table of was able to and were able to. In the speaking chapter, Talia, a track coach, chats with the student after a race, and open boxes ask about their own sporting moments.

All ten homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram, a gap-fill and a column sort for the words, then a choice of forms, gap-fills about past ability, word order, a quiz on short answers and meaning, Darius's reply to Lorena and a short biography of Wilma Rudolph to complete.

Grammar:
could / couldn't · was / were able to · managed to · past ability and success
Topic:
Wilma Rudolph · the 1960 Olympics · track and field · relay races · Clarksville, Tennessee · sporting moments · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Draw Wilma's timeline on the board: the brace, about age 12, Melbourne in 1956 and Rome in 1960. Students add one sentence to each point with couldn't, could, was able to or managed to.
  • Ask “What made it hard?” whenever a student says I managed to…: a strong headwind, a poor baton pass, a late bus. The answer keeps the extra meaning of managed to in view.
  • Play the studio talk twice: first for Wilma's story, then for what Darius and Jade could and couldn't do at school. Students raise a hand at each form and say whether it's general or one time.
  • After the chat with the coach, pair students as runner and coach: the coach asks Were you able to…? and Did you manage to…?, and the runner gives a short answer and one detail.

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Travel smart

    the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to

    1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
    2. Lesson 2Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
    4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to

  2. Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

    will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to

    1. Lesson 5Would you jump off a moving boat for a job?Will have to, will be able to and will be allowed to
    2. Lesson 6Working from anywherePresent perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 7Could you be a camp counselor?Present perfect simple vs continuous
    4. Lesson 8Would you live in a lighthouse?Would vs used to for the past

  3. Unit 3 Space and discovery

    it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to

    1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
    2. Lesson 10Who will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
    3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
    4. Lesson 12A helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive

  4. Unit 4 Life online

    the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow

    1. Lesson 13The internet's first word was “LO”Comparative and comparative; the more…, the more…
    2. Lesson 14Who sent the first spam?Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans
    3. Lesson 15Is your password really safe?Ought to and had better for advice and warnings
    4. Lesson 16Who writes Wikipedia?Let, make and allow + someone

  5. Unit 5 Screen and page

    -ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general

    1. Lesson 17Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
    2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
    3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
    4. Lesson 20Where are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things

  6. Unit 6 Green living

    few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less

    1. Lesson 21A year's trash in one jar?Few, a few, little and a little
    2. Lesson 22No food in the trash!All, most, some and none (of)
    3. Lesson 23A farm in the middle of DetroitEach and every
    4. Lesson 24A trash collector with googly eyesFewer and less

  7. Unit 7 Sporting moments

    could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags

    1. Lesson 25 · you're hereFrom a leg brace to three goldsCould, was able to and managed to
    2. Lesson 26A doctor and an Olympic champion?For, during and while
    3. Lesson 27Who's that runner coming from behind?Present simple and continuous for live commentary
    4. Lesson 28Why do high jumpers go backward?Question tags

  8. Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

    both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

    1. Lesson 29A calendar made of posts?Both… and, either… or, neither… nor
    2. Lesson 30What was the Great House for?Uncountable abstract nouns
    3. Lesson 31What does Newspaper Rock say?Certainty about the future
    4. Lesson 32What are the Marfa Lights?Unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

What does managed to mean?
Managed to + verb means succeeded in doing something difficult: She ran into a strong headwind, but she still managed to win. It tells one success at one time: In 1960, she managed to win three gold medals. The negative is didn't manage to, and the question is Did you manage to…? The B1 lesson From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai teaches it through Wilma Rudolph's Olympic story.
What's the difference between could and was able to?
Could is for general ability in the past: By about 12, she could walk without a brace. Was able to can also tell one success at one time, which could can't: At 16, she was able to win a bronze medal, not she could win. In negatives, both work: She couldn't or wasn't able to win a medal in the 200 m in 1956. From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai compares them.
Is it "she could win" or "she managed to win"?
For one success, it's she managed to win or she was able to win: In 1960, she managed to win three golds. In 1960 she could win three golds is a common mistake, because could describes general ability, not one result. With see and hear, one-time could is fine: We could see the finish line. A quiz in From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai tests exactly this.
Is it "managed to win" or "managed win"?
It's managed to win, with to before the base form. The same goes for was able to win, never was able win. Could is the other way around: She could run fast, never could to run. After didn't, manage loses its -ed: He didn't manage to win, not didn't managed. The chat in From a leg brace to three golds, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, offers these slips as wrong replies.
Do you say couldn't, wasn't able to or didn't manage to?
For one failure, any of the three is right: We couldn't find our seats, We weren't able to find our seats and We didn't manage to find our seats mean the same. The choice between could and managed to matters for a success, not a failure. The scheme in From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai shows the three side by side, with an example from Melbourne in 1956.
Who was Wilma Rudolph?
Wilma Rudolph was an American runner from Clarksville, Tennessee. As a child she had polio and wore a leg brace; by about age 12 she could walk without it. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, she won the 100 m, the 200 m and the 4 x 100 m relay. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at one Olympics. From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai tells her story.
Why didn't Wilma Rudolph's 100 m time count as a world record?
Her 11.0 seconds in the 100 m final in Rome, on September 2, 1960, didn't count because the wind behind her was too strong. Earlier that day, in the semifinal, she ran 11.3 and equaled the world record. Her faster time in the final never counted. Darius's feature in From a leg brace to three golds, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, tells this, and a true-or-false item checks it.
How do I teach could and managed to to B1 students?
Start with a life that has a turning point, such as Wilma Rudolph's: what she couldn't do as a child, then what she managed to do in 1960. Ask which sentences describe a skill over time and which describe one result, then show the forms. From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai moves from Darius's feature and a studio talk to the scheme and five drills.
What's a good game for practicing could and managed to?
Open-the-box prompts about real sporting moments work well: one box asks for a race or a game you managed to win, another for what you could do really well as a child, and the student answers aloud. For a twist, play “find someone who” with lines such as Find someone who could swim at five and …who managed to beat a best time this year.
What's good homework for practicing past ability?
Good homework checks the forms and the meaning in turn: gap-fills from prompts such as (manage / finish), a choice between could and managed to, short answers such as Yes, I did and No, I wasn't, then a short biography to complete. All ten homework tasks in From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai check themselves.
How do you practice managed to one-to-one?
Swap sporting stories, then ask follow-up questions: the student tells about a race or a game, and the teacher asks Were you able to…? and Did you manage to…?, expecting Yes, I was or No, I didn't. The chat in From a leg brace to three golds on edio.ai needs no partner: Talia, a track coach, asks about the student's race and marks each reply.
Are there interactive exercises for could and was able to?
Yes: a fill-in table and a chat that marks replies. This page plays three parts of From a leg brace to three golds, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: Darius telling Jade the story in the studio, a table of was able to and were able to for every person, and the chat with Talia after a race. The rest of the lesson needs an account.
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