do – English Grammar Profiler
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B1: not believe/understand/hear/say, etc. a word = anything A search in iWeb corpus for: _XX _VV a word 1 N’T SAY A WORD 1726 Don’t say a word against my father. listen 2 NOT SAY A WORD 756 3 N’T UNDERSTAND A WORD 608 It was brilliant, even though I didn’t understand a word of it. listen 4 N’T BELIEVE A …
WORD (phrases) Read More »
In the English Vocabulary Profile, Don’t get me wrong INFORMAL C2 used when you do not want someone to think that you do not like someone or something For example: Now, don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful to be alive, and I am painfully aware that this struggle is a privilege that many don’t get to experience. fsc.org.au Collocates of ‘Don’t get me wrong‘ in the MOVIE corpus: 1 N’T 917 2 LOVE 72 Don’t get me wrong, I love it. listen …
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In the English Vocabulary Profile at B1, so did we/so have I/so is mine, etc. = someone else also does something or that the same thing is true about someone or something else For example: A: I‘m glad you‘re back. B: So am I, dear boy. listen “So am I” in the context above means: “I’m glad I’m …
so are we | so do you | so has he (same thing is true) Read More »
A1 point negative statements of main verbs in the present simple with ‘don’t’ + main verb A search in iWeb for: do n’t _V 1 DO N’T HAVE 997662 We don’t have a car. listen 2 DO N’T KNOW 934031 3 DO N’T WANT 596137 4 DO N’T THINK 536688 5 DO N’T NEED 285746 6 DO N’T GET …
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A2 point 20 in the category of PRESENT/simple: indirect questions with ‘Do you know’ + ‘how’, ‘where’, ‘why’, or ‘what’ An iWeb search: 1 DO YOU KNOW HOW TO 6056 2 DO YOU KNOW OF ANY 4276 3 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE 3051 Do you know what the best way to acquire a new language is? PELIC Arabic male level 4 writing class. …
Do you know … (indirect question) Read More »
The following rare student writing example shows how ‘used not to‘ expresses modality: Also when I was younger, I used not to be allowed to drink coffee. PELIC Korean female level 3 grammar class. It sounds more natural to say: “I didn’t use to be allowed to drink coffee.” *In other words, she did not have permission to drink coffee. Although now she is an adult and can. In the …
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I don’t quite trust the CEFR level Pearson gives to the following grammar construct. GSE 58 B1+ is defined: ‘so’ in sentence-final positions as a placeholder (substitute) for verbs and verb phrases. It was too expensive. – I told you so. John is from Seattle. – I thought so. ‘So’ has many possible meanings and uses near the end of sentences. When we look at the English …
‘SO’ (end of the sentence) Read More »
There are many types of negative adverbials with inversion, that are not in the English Grammar Profile (EGP), so they should be listed at C2. For example: Seldom do orcs journey in the open under the sun, yet these have done so. Listen Examples of some vocabulary items in inversion can be found in the English Vocabulary Profile. For example: LITTLE (adverb) = C1 not …
negative adverbials + inversion Read More »
Here is another group of A2 English Grammar Profile points that overlap multiple categories. Many of these could be all merged into one point. Point 3 in the category of QUESTIONS: yes/no AUXILIARY ‘BE’ + subject + the continuous A search in NOW corpus for: _VB _P _VVG 1 ARE YOU GOING 38887 2 ARE …
BE | HAVE | DO (auxiliary verbs) Read More »
Here are two A2 English Grammar Profile points in different categories that cover imperatives. Point 39 in the category of CLAUSES is defined: affirmative imperative with the base form of a main verb Point 7 in NEGATION: negative imperatives of main verbs with ‘don’t’ + main verb. For example: Now, wait a minute. Sit down, Zero. listen …
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Here are examples of ‘BE going to’ with A1 infinitives: It is going to take time. Listen Are you going to do anything about it? Listen This is a group of people who want to tell you your work is going to live. listen I need a video clip, and you‘re gonna give it to me. listen ‘Snow’ is A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: The weather forecast said it‘s going to snow tonight. listen In the English Grammar Profile, in the category of FUTURE: B1 Point 31 is defined: ‘be going …
am|is|are + going + to-INFINITVE (future) Read More »
Negative questions usually show the speaker’s expectation that the response should be positive. In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 12 in the category of NEGATION is defined as: negative question forms in main clauses and question tags. This is such a general point that overlaps and clashes against so many other points in the …
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B1 Point 21 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: negative ‘yes/no’ questions to involve the listener or reader by seeking agreement. B1 point 4 in the category of PRESENT/simple is defined as: NEGATIVE TAG QUESTIONS ‘don’t you think’ or ‘don’t you agree’ to look for agreement or an opinion. *This is hard to …
negative question (seeking agreement) Read More »
Here’s a student example of a future conditional sentence: If you don’t care about the topic, you will have a confusing party. PELIC Chinese female level 3 writing class. Expert example: And if you don’t give it a rest, you‘re gonna lose your voice completely. American Splendor There are many English Grammar Profile points in multiple categories that highlight the same grammar point. A2 point 15 in the category of PRESENT: Present simple after ‘if‘ to talk …
if CLAUSE + will CLAUSE (FUTURE CONDITIONAL) Read More »
‘Do’ can be put before the imperative verb or auxiliary to make it less abrupt and more persuasive. In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 64 in the category of CLAUSES/imperatives is defined as: ‘DO’: base form of a main verb, for emphasis or in formal contexts A search in iWeb for: . Do _VVI …
DO + verb (imperative) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 79 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as: auxiliary verb ‘do’ in an affirmative declarative clause, for emphasis and affirmation. *Note that ‘did’ for emphasis is C1. A search in iWeb for: do _VVI 1 DO KNOW 89665 2 DO GET 69098 3 DO THINK 68682 I do think that it is important for people who are being …
do + VERB (emphasis) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 36 in the category of PRESENT/simple is NEGATIVE QUESTIONS to check opinions. A search in iWeb for do|does _XX _P * * 1 DO N’T YOU THINK? 5683 2 DOES N’T IT ? 2857 3 DO N’T YOU WANT TO 1768 4 DO N’T YOU THINK THAT 1536 5 DO …
present simple negative question (opinion) Read More »
The English Grammar Profile C1 point 10 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘What’ + noun or pronoun + verb phrase as subject + ‘be’, for focus. Note that Pearson lists this point: GSE 59 B2 clauses with ‘What …’ to emphasise the topic or main point. For example: What we need now is a good night’s sleep. What I said was that I don’t need your help. …
‘What you see is what you get.’ (CLEFT CLAUSE) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 19 in CONJUNCTIONS/coordinating is defined as: inverted auxiliary ‘do’ + the subject after ‘not only’, to give focus. For example: It‘s kind of like the dirty, little secret of poverty, which is that, not only do poor people take in very little income, but also, the income that they take in, they don’t spend it very wisely, and unfortunately, most of that spending is done by men. *This is an overlapping point at multiple levels.
Here are 2 examples of post-modifying a superlative adverb phrase with a clause containing an ellipted modal verb: I do the best I can with what I have. I go about my business, make money, help society the best I can and try to promote free trade in this world. listen You know, I did the best I could with what I had. listen C1 English Grammar Profile point 118 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as: ‘the best’ as a superlative adverb + pronoun + ellipted ‘can’ or ‘could’. …
the best + PRONOUN + can | could Read More »