more – English Grammar Profiler
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B2: to make matters worse = to make a situation more difficult, unpleasant, etc. If the most common example of to-infinitive + noun + comparative is listed at B2, then it would make sense that other less common should also be considered as B2. The closest form which is clearly …
to-infinitive + noun phrase + comparative Read More »
Listed in the English Vocabulary Profile at C2: yet another/more, etc. used to show that you are surprised or annoyed that something is being repeated or increased At B2, Yet again again after something has happened or been done many times before However, this structure is also listed at B2 in the Cambridge dictionary: used …
yet + another | again | more Read More »
The noun ‘ambition’ is often followed by an infinitive. Here’s an EXPERT example: I see the people that do the real work and what’s really said, in a way, is that the people that are the most giving, hardworking and capable of making this world better, usually don’t have the ego and ambition to be a leader. listen Student example from PELIC: I believe that you need to associate with positive people who have an ambition to live a happy life. Korean male level 4 writing class Often, the C1 verb ‘fulfil’ takes ‘ambition’ as an object. PELIC student example: Furthermore, children need an educational environment that is prepared and ready to fulfill their ambitions. Arabic male level 4 …
fulfil ambition TO infinitive Read More »
Here’s a student example of a determiner + uncountable noun: My teacher told me “enjoy the music and you will dance naturally.” PELIC Taiwanese female level 3 writing class A2 point 18 in the category of NOUNS is defined: form simple noun phrases by pre-modifying nouns with an increasing range of determiners. A2 point 24 in the category of NOUNS: form …
determiner + noun phrase (increasing range) Read More »
‘double, treble, quadruple’ can be multiplying predeterminers. They come before other determiners in a noun phrase. For example, ‘double the national average.’ Bloomberg.com New York City‘s unemployment rate was nearly double the national average in June. Other multiplying expressions: He earns three times more than me. She gets paid nearly three times as much as me. *In the English Vocabulary Profile, B1 if followed by a comparative structure. We can’t be …
mutiplying predeterminer + noun phrase Read More »
A simple comparison in English is “She is more important than you.” One way to make comparisons more complex is to increase the number of words between ‘more’ and ‘than.’ This could include nouns or adjectives followed by non-finite clauses such as in the following EXPERT EXAMPLES: Today, billions of citizens have more tools, more access to information, more capacity to influence than ever before. TED It‘s harder to compose than to play. TLC native …
MORE * THAN (complex comparisions) Read More »
This is an example of modality in a question:
NEED I GO ON?
It could be asked with the meaning: I don’t need to keep talking about this.
Let’s look at an expert example of limiting comparison: Now, these people are no more special than any of us. (listen to this sentence) ‘no more‘ = not more In Collins dictionary as an ADVERB at B1+ use no to make the negative form of a comparative. In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 74 in the category of ADJECTIVES is …
NO | NOT ANY + comparative Read More »
Point 9 in ADJECTIVES / comparatives/ COMPLEMENT OF ‘BE’ overlaps point 26 in ADJECTIVES which is defined as: a range of comparative adjective phrases using ‘more’ + longer adjectives (usually three or more syllables). more _JJ 1 MORE LIKELY 479744 2 MORE IMPORTANT 265541 3 MORE DIFFICULT 212237 4 MORE EXPENSIVE 195809 5 MORE EFFICIENT …
more + adjective Read More »
B2: modify a following adjective with the meaning = to a small degree
A2 Point 13 in DETERMINERS is defined as: range of quantifying determiners (‘some’, ‘any’, ‘no’, ‘more’, ‘a lot of’) with both plural nouns and uncountable nouns. This point overlaps: A2 Point 18 in the category of NOUNS: form simple noun phrases by pre-modifying nouns with an increasing range of determiners. For example: We would like to remove any doubt as to the validity of our search. …
some | any | no | more | a lot of + NOUN 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 »
1 HALF The word ‘half’ is typically a before determiner or pre-determiner capable of pronominal function. (DB) 1183937 Here are 10 examples of the intensifier phrase ‘more than‘ premodifying the determiner ‘half’: 1 MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY 3921 It‘s been more than half a century. 2 MORE THAN HALF A MILLION 3884 3 MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR 1064 …
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In the English Vocabulary Profile ‘somewhat’ is listed at C1 as an ADVERB meaning ‘slightly’. It basically means ‘to some degree’. It can be used to hedge a statement or description. In other words, it can make what you say less forceful, or less definite. 1 SOMEWHAT (DD1) OF 29129 Yes, these interviews are somewhat of a formality, but I think it’s crucial we like-minded people get to know one another. listen …
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1 ‘more’ is a comparative after-determiner (DAR), when it is followed by a noun phrase. For example: For more information, contact me. One or more of the people have come. 2 ‘more’ is a comparative adverb of degree (RGR), when it modifies an adjective or adverb. You are more likely to win, and more importantly, …
What part of speech is the word ‘MORE’? Read More »
A2 point 1 and the only point in the category of FOCUS and FRONTING is defined as: ‘a prepositional phrases in the front position for focus.’
“At the time, I had a girlfriend, so I didn’t talk to her.” This is an example of putting a prepositional phrase at the start of a sentence which is what pre-intermediate students can do.
At A2 in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: a bit [singular] (used as an adverb) (especially British English) = rather; to some extent Here are comparative examples: You might need a bit more than that. Is that everything? I mean, it seemed like he said quite a bit more than that. Listen Now, let’s explain an expert example of the C1 grammar structure: ‘a bit’ + comparative adjective phrase. Remember that …
(slightly | a bit | much) + COMPARATIVE Read More »
Point 169 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘(much) more/less’ to modify ‘likely’ in a comparison. There is overlap with point 63 in ADVERB phrases: types and meanings at C1. degree adverbs (‘slightly’, ‘a bit’, ‘much‘) to modify comparatives A cluster search on iWeb for * * less|more likely * *: 1 …
more | less + likely Read More »
In this post, we explore modality with two adjectives followed by infinitives. Here is an imperative example of telling someone with emphasis not to forget or fail to do something: Be sure to check the weather before you go to the airport. listen And here is an extremely advanced modification of an assertion, a bit like a negative superlative comparison: There’s nothing more certain to ruin a beautiful relationship than marriage. …
BE + sure | certain+ to VERB Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 56 in the category of DETERMINERS and articles is defined as “the” in comparative phrases ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’, ‘better’ * the more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’ * to talk about one thing that is affected by another. comparative clauses For example: The broader the sentiment across business, the more influence and power there is to make change. timesnewsgroup.com.au The more guns there are here, the more likely there is to …
THE + comparative phrases ‘The more you have, the better it is.’ Read More »