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I am looking for a single word (possibly short phrase) to convey the following meaning.

Taking introduction to Calculus allows you to compute integrals.

What the confusion/dislike from the word allows is that it implies that you were not allowed to do the action before. The context I am using it in is not educational so I cannot use the word teaches.

eg., Vertical Jump training allows you to jump higher. (or something similar to this).

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  • You've given good context and examples for your request. Have you checked a thesaurus?
    – Kit Z. Fox ♦
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 17:05
  • I suspect your aversion to allows because of connotations of grants permission previously withheld marks you out as a non-native speaker. You'd probably do better to get used to native speaker usages, rather than encourage yourself to cling to that erroneous preconception.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 17:10
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    I agree with @FumbleFingers. But using let instead of allows is often clearer in this regard (including for non-native readers). Let often has more of a connotation of enable, and allows can have more of a connotation of permit.
    – Drew
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 17:37
  • @Drew: You say you agree with me, but the rest of your comment seems to be a ringing endorsement of OP's (mistaken) perspective. It's very much in the nature of English that many words have many meanings (directly, indirectly, or un- related). Learners do themselves no favours by ignoring this, and native speakers are unlikely to significantly tailor their vocabulary to those who perceive irrelevant associations.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:12
  • @FumbleFingers: I agreed with your statement that allows can mean more than just permission, and I applaud your pointing this out to a non-native speaker. It is the case, however (IMO), that allows can have different connotations from let, and the latter can better communicate what is meant here. This is one of the reasons that some user-doc style guides favor let over allow. (But they can also favor you can over both X lets you and X allows you to.) And past your first sentence, I see nothing in what you wrote that is pertinent to my comment.
    – Drew
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:27

6 Answers 6

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Enable might be what you're looking for:

to make (someone or something) able to do or to be something (Merriam-Webster.com)

Synonyms listed by Merriam-Webster are allow, empower, let, permit. The shared element is the idea of "making (something) possible".

Equip (listed in the "related words" in the Merriam-Webster thesaurus) is also a possibility; the meaning given is "to prepare (someone) for a particular activity or problem".

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It can be as simple as "Taking introduction to calculus helps you to compute integrals"

or

"Taking introduction to calculus aids you in computing integrals."

Also, "taking introduction to calculus eases the computation of integrals."

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  • +1 for the simple helps. Anyone can do integrals, you don't need a course but it might help.
    – Frank
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:53
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how about

"Taking introduction to Calculus will show you how to compute integrals" "Taking introduction to Calculus will help you to compute integrals"

or

"Introduction to Calculus describes how to compute integrals"

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If you haven't already taken Introduction to Calculus,
you haven't got any idea what an integral is, in the first place.
Let alone what it means to compute integrals.
Except maybe that it sounds like a cool superpower.

In fact, even if you have taken Introduction to Calculus,
you may well not be able to calculate integrals, especially following the traditional syllabus:

First term: differential calculus; Second term: integral calculus.

As for the verb request, I would reframe:

  • Introduction to Calculus covers all methods of calculating integrals.

(assuming, of course, that that's what you intend to say).

Since so many integrals can't be calculated and hafta be approximated algorithmically,
an Intro Calc that deals with (for instance) series approximations would be very interesting.

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  • "... covers all methods of calculating integrals" doesn't sound like what the OP is asking for; it's focused on the course content, not the course taker. I don't understand how the rest answers the question.
    – Matt Gutting
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 17:51
  • One can never guarantee the success of the course taker. Or, rather, if one does, one may be liable. Of course, we don't know the intended larger context of the sentence.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 17:57
  • Understood; but the OP wasn't questioning what sort of statement he ought to make here, but rather how to phrase this particular statement. In other words, he's decided what he wants to say, which appears to be different from what you or I might recommend that he say (perhaps he has a fuller understanding of the situation); his question is strictly about how to say it.
    – Matt Gutting
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:00
  • If he's decided what he wants to say, he should just say it. I'm not responsible for decoding and meeting unexpressed desires; I'm just here to answer interesting questions. Sorry, @MattGutting, I'm not competing with you; I hadn't noticed your answer. I'm not after the prize, honest.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:08
  • Understood; I didn't mean to give that impression. :-/
    – Matt Gutting
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 18:20
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prerequisite (n.) --something that must be accomplished before proceeding on to the next step. 'Taking introduction to calculus is a prerequisite to computing integrals (integral calculus?).

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Taking "Introduction to Calculus" gives you the ability to compute integrals.

And I agree with @Matt that enables you is also good.

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  • -1 Sorry but Gives you the ability suggests that otherwise you couldn't.
    – Frank
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 19:01
  • @Frank: Of course it does -- couldn't in the sense of lack of ability. What the OP wanted to avoid was the connotation that you were not allowed to do it otherwise, not that you were incapable of doing it otherwise.
    – Drew
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 20:24
  • I read it as he didn't want any word that had the vaguest suggestion of 'without this course you'll not be doing integrals ever in your life' but you're right, it's not the clearest of question so I'll reverso my DV (which it won't let me do unless the question is edited - stupid rulez).
    – Frank
    Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 5:57

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