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I CAN TELL

05 / 05 / 2008

I CAN TELL: meaning and examples

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend.

Today we will look at a use of the verb tell that I have never seen in an English textbook, although it is used quite a bit in spoken English.
 
Today's expression is: I, you, he, she, we, they  CAN TELL (THAT)...

Meaning: to discern or comprehend; to see or judge something correctly; to notice. 

Example 1:
She says that she is happy about Jack's promotion, but I can tell that she is jealous. 

Example 2:
The only way to tell if you like something is by trying it.

Example 3:
I could tell that he was angry from his expression.

You can usually replace the verb tell, in these contexts, with see

Examples with see:
-She says that she is happy about Jack's promotion, but I can see that she is jealous. 
-The only way to see if you like something is by trying it.
-I could see that he was angry from his expression.

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Have a nice day.