Improve your English today at ANGLOPOD.COM. Hi everyone, I’m Dan and today we’re going to talk about the verb AFFORD and how we should use it. We normally use this verb to talk about money and how much money we have, although it can be used to refer to other things as well, such as time.

The reason we’re going to focus on AFFORD is because it has a particular verb pattern so we can use it correctly. Let’s look at an example to see what we mean. You could say: I CAN’T AFFORD to go out tonight, I CAN’T AFFORD to go out tonight. In this example, we’re expressing an ability (or lack of ability, in this case) to do something because of cost. This suggests that I don’t have enough money, so I am not able to do this thing, go out tonight.

So to use the verb AFFORD, we have to use the modal verb CAN before it. The verb AFFORD doesn’t make sense on its own. You can’t say: I afford it. You have to say: I CAN AFFORD it, or I CAN’T AFFORD it.

Here are some more examples: I CAN AFFORD to travel by bus, but I CAN’T AFFORD to travel by taxi. I CAN AFFORD to buy a sandwich, but I CAN’T AFFORD to buy a meal. I CAN AFFORD to live in a flat, but I CAN’T AFFORD to live in a house.

So remember, don’t use AFFORD on its own. It won’t make sense. Use it with CAN. That was a simple lesson. Now go to ANGLOPOD.COM and try the quiz. Then write your own example sentences in the comments. Good luck and see you in the next class!

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