The clerk came over and said, “Could I help you?”
•Clerk: May I help you? Mary: No thanks, I'm just looking.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
could — [ weak kəd, strong kud ] modal verb *** Could is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I m glad you could come. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I came as quickly as I could. Could does not change its form, so the… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
could */*/*/ — strong UK [kʊd] / US weak UK [kəd] / US modal verb Summary: Could is usually followed by an infinitive without to : I m glad you could come. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: I came as quickly as I could. Could does not change… … English dictionary
could */*/*/ — weak [kəd] , strong [kʊd] modal verb summary: ■ Could is used as the past tense of can when it means that someone had the ability to do something, or that something was possible: The Roman army could march 30 miles in a day. ■ Could is usually… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
could — W1S1 [kəd strong kud] modal v negative short form couldn t ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(past ability)¦ 2¦(possibility)¦ 3¦(emphasizing your feelings)¦ 4¦(requesting)¦ 5¦(suggesting)¦ 6¦(annoyance)¦ 7 couldn t be better/worse/more pleased etc 8 I couldn t … Dictionary of contemporary English
help — verb. Help is one of the oldest words in English, going back to the time of King Alfred (9c). It has two principal meanings in current English: ‘to assist’ (Can I help you?) and ‘to prevent’ (I can t help it). The connection between these two… … Modern English usage
help — [[t]he̱lp[/t]] ♦ helps, helping, helped 1) VERB If you help someone, you make it easier for them to do something, for example by doing part of the work for them or by giving them advice or money. [V to inf/inf] He has helped to raise a lot of… … English dictionary
help — help1 W1S1 [help] v [: Old English; Origin: helpan] 1.) [I and T] to make it possible or easier for someone to do something by doing part of their work or by giving them something they need ▪ If there s anything I can do to help, just give me a… … Dictionary of contemporary English
help — I UK [help] / US verb Word forms help : present tense I/you/we/they help he/she/it helps present participle helping past tense helped past participle helped *** Get it right: help: The verb help is not used with the ing form of another verb. It… … English dictionary
help — help1 [ help ] verb *** 1. ) intransitive or transitive to give someone support or information so that they can do something more easily: If you are finding that difficult I could help you. Mary was anxious to help. help someone (to) do something … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
help — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ big, considerable, enormous, great, huge, immense, invaluable, real, substantial, tremendous … Collocations dictionary
help — 1 /help/ verb 1 MAKE POSSIBLE OR EASIER (I, T) to make it possible or easier for someone to do something by doing part of their work or by giving them something they need: If there s anything I can do to help, just give me a call. | She devoted… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
