English Help Online's Blog

Today, I’m going to write about the verb, to “cope”. We use this word when we want to talk about how we can emotionally handle a difficult situation in life. Here are some ways to use it in sentences.

My sister’s husband just left her, and she’s not coping well with it.

My friend has six children. I don’t know how she can cope with so many children.

A: I heard Bruce just lost his job. How is he coping?

B: He’s actually coping really well. He’s a strong person.

I don’t think I could cope if I ever lost my job.

We often use this verb with the words “can”, “can’t”, “could” and “couldn’t”. When we use these words, we are emphasizing the person’s ability to handle the situation.

We also often use the word “well” with this verb, as in my first and third examples. In these cases, we usually use the present continuous tense. It can be used in a negative way, as in the first example, or in a positive way, as in the third example. In these cases, the person is already dealing with the difficult situation, and is either handling it well or badly.