Capable of means having the ability or power to do something. It is used about people, machines and organisations: capable of running, capable of great things. Without of, capable means skilled and competent: a capable manager.
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be capable of + noun/-ing; be perfectly capable of + -ing; a capable + person (= skilled)
- This old laptop isn't capable of running the new video editing software.
- Don't worry about Mia; she's perfectly capable of finding the hotel on her own.
- Our new manager is very capable, so the whole team trusts her decisions.
What changed
First versionI think our team is capable to finish the project by May.
RevisionI think our team is capable of finishing the project by May.
The familiar pattern able to + verb is often carried over to capable, since the two words are close in meaning. But capable needs of, and after of the verb takes the -ing form: capable of finishing.
Able to and capable of are close in meaning but built differently: able to finish, capable of finishing. Able to is more common for a specific occasion (I wasn't able to come yesterday), while capable of describes ability in general: He's capable of much better work.
Your turn
My grandmother is 85, but she's still perfectly ___ of looking after her garden on her own.
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capable — The gap is followed by of looking, and only capable combines with of. Able connects a verb through to: able to look after.
Write about a colleague, relative or classmate who is often underestimated. Say what they can do using capable of + an -ing verb, and give a real example.
People think my quiet colleague Dima is shy, but he's capable of calming an angry client in two minutes; last week he did it with our biggest customer.
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