I – English Grammar Profiler
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 »
We love the English Grammar Profile, however, there are often times when many grammar points should be one grammar point. For example, there are many points dealing with basic pronouns at the A1 level. 1 ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘we’ and ‘they’ in the subject position before a verb in statements. I like it here, but I don’t like the name. …
basic pronouns in English Read More »
There are complex combinations of grammar structures that are not found in the English Grammar Profile. The following is a combination of an ‘adverb in mid position’ but the fact that it is an infinitive + past participle + a prepositional phrase combination should list it at around C1. A search in iWeb for: to …
To be + adverb + past participle + preposition Read More »
Let’s look at how ‘hoped’ is used to make requests and orders less direct. Even if we would usually say I hope + something happens, we can push the verb ‘hope’ into the past tense not to refer to time. We often do tense shifts in English to express modality. In this case, to express …
hoped + CLAUSE (polite) Read More »
C2 English Grammar Profile point 38 in the category of PRESENT/continuous is defined as: POLITENESS: with verbs that are not usually used in this form to make statements and requests sound less direct. EXAMPLES: I am asking us to use our power to choose. I am asking us to level up. TED We are asking businesses not to produce and consumers not to go out and consume. TED An iWeb search for I|We am|are asking|wanting * …
I am asking | wanting (polite) Read More »
Student examples: So I must study English very hard. PELIC Korean male level 2 writing class. You must do the homework each day without delay. Arabic, female, level 4 writing class I think that teenagers must study. TLC speaking test, female Spain B1 B1 point 88 in the category of MODALITY: ‘must’ (with a wide range of pronouns and nouns) to talk about obligation and necessity A2 …
subject + MUST Read More »
Point 56 in the category of MODALITY: ‘could I’ to seek permission. An iWeb search for: . Could I * * *We have removed anything that is obviously not asking permission but still many entries contain questions related to possibility. 2 . COULD I GET A 93 MMA Conor McGregor asks for Jorge Masvidal …
Could I? Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 101 in MODALITY/adverbs is defined: ‘could’ + subject + ‘possibly’ to make requests more polite *This is a very rare structure across corpora for a B1 structure. This point overlaps the more common and general: B1 questions with adverbs: Could you possibly tell me how to fix this? An iWeb search for: . Could I|you possibly * 1 . …
Could you possibly? Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 21 in the category of PAST is defined as: past simple with ‘wish (that)’ to express regret that things are not different. TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST EXAMPLE: I listen to music a lot and sometimes I wish that my life was a musical. male Spain C2 EXPERT EXAMPLES: I wish I never called. TED There were many moments growing up where I wished that I was white. TED *Note that past perfect is also possible with …
WISH + past simple Read More »
There are three very similar B1 points in the English Grammar Profile in the Category of PRONOUNS/singular reflexive Point 45 is defined as: ‘myself’, ‘yourself’, ‘himself’ and ‘herself’ after prepositions where the object of the preposition is the same as the subject of the verb. Point 65 is: ‘myself’, ‘yourself’, ‘himself’ and ‘herself’ for emphasis. …
himself | herself | myself | yourself Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 22 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: alternative questions with two phrases combined with ‘or’. If we follow the patterns in the EGP examples and search in iWeb with them: or _I _A _NN ? 1 OR IN THE FUTURE? 152 EXAMPLE: Where can we see you perform next or in the future? missguided.co.uk …
phrase + OR + phrase ? (alternative question) Read More »
English Grammar Profile C1 point 80 in the category of PAST is defined as: past simple ‘I thought’ as a politeness structure to sound less direct. However, there is no way to formally decide if this is actually a politeness construction. If it is not, it might still contain B2 modal passive or B1 reporting structures. For …
I thought… (polite) Read More »
The modal verbs: Will / Shall are often used with the pronouns I and we to show our intentions and to make promises with future simple. In the mid-position, the adverbs: ‘always’ and ‘never’ can make it quite clear that these statements are intended to be true for a long time. For example: This is a day we shall …
will | shall + always | never (long-term intention) Read More »
B2 English Grammar Profile point 51 in the category of VERBS/prepositional is defined as: adverb between the verb and the preposition For example: George says the piston’s going to go right through the block any minute now. listen Alex, maybe if everything goes well with the paintings, Victor and I will tour and we could visit you in New York. listen An iWeb search for _VV *ly_R _II 1 GO DIRECTLY TO 17903 We‘re gonna go directly to the airport and get a plane. listen 2 BASED SOLELY ON 13229 We can’t work based solely on rumour, can we? …
VERB + ADVERB + PREPOSITION ‘go directly to’ Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, A1 point 4 in VERBS/prepositional is defined as: limited range of prepositional verbs followed by noun or pronoun objects. The examples in the EGP: listen_VV0 to_II music_NN1 look_VVI after_II her_PPHO1 look_VVI for_IF mushrooms_NN2 Point 31 at B1 is the same as above except: “increasing range”. James, do you think you can cope with the pressure? listen We wish we wouldn’t have to deal with these things. twincities.com …
verb + preposition + object Read More »
In the English Vocabulary Profile at A1: LIKE = to enjoy something or feel that someone or something is pleasant WANT = to hope to have or do something, or to wish for something LIKE AND WANT are transitive verbs (take objects). I like football. I want money. However, they can be followed by verbs. …
like | want (verb pattern) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 60 in the category of PAST is defined as: past continuous to make a request or suggestions more polite or less direct. I was *ing if|that * * * 1 I WAS WONDERING IF THERE IS A 875 2 I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS A 848 3 I WAS …
past continuous (politeness) I was wondering if… Read More »
Here are 10 ways ‘far’ is used ranked by order of frequency: 1. A2 general adverb *Numbers on the right are the frequency in iWeb corpus: (RR) 1578722 ‘far‘ means ‘at, to or from a great distance in space or time‘ For example: Is it far away? I don’t live far from here. Thailand is not far from Vietnam. 2. B1 phrase ‘so far‘ means ‘until now‘ So far …
10 ways ‘FAR’ is used in English grammar. Read More »
Between an adjective and a preposition, a word ending in ‘-ES’ is a plural noun. 1 DIFFERENT (JJ) TYPES (NN2) OF (IO) 214636 2 OTHER (JJ) TYPES (NN2) OF (IO) 88973 3 VARIOUS (JJ) TYPES (NN2) OF (IO) 44725 4 CERTAIN (JJ) TYPES (NN2) OF (IO) 40226 5 EARLY (JJ) STAGES (NN2) OF (IO) 33456 …
adjective + plural noun -es suffix + preposition Read More »