VERBS – English Grammar Profiler

  • Verbs describe actions, states, or occurrences.
  • A verb forms the main part of the predicate of a sentence.
  • The most distinctive property of lexical verbs is their inflection.  For example “…ed” marks past tense.
  • The form of verbs can be described by:
    • mood = indicative (normal), imperative, subjunctive.
    • modality = modal auxiliary (can,  will etc.)
    • tense (present/past)
    • aspect (perfect/continuous),
    • voice (passive/active)
    • number (singular/plural)
    • person (first: I, second: you, third: he etc.)
  • A verb can be the ‘head’ verb in a verb phrase: “might have been seen.”  The particular head verb largely determines what else is allowed in the clause.  For example, “I see you”, I look at you”

Here’s an iWeb search for: _VV _P _I _P 1 THANK YOU TO EVERYONE 11555 This sounds like it is a shortened version of “a big thank you to everyone” in which case thank is a noun. 2 RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE 8607 3 SHARE IT WITH YOU 8590 4 GIVE IT TO YOU 5530 […]

lexical verb + pronoun + preposition + pronoun Read More »

We raised her to speak her mind. listen The phrase “speak her mind” means to express her thoughts and feelings honestly and openly, even if they are not popular or may upset others. It is a phrase that is often used to describe people who are not afraid to speak their truth, even if it means going against the

lexical verb + possessive determiner + noun Read More »

Suffixes are letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function. When words end in ‘ized‘ they are past simple verbs, past participle verbs or adjectives.  If we look at the clearly tagged words below: (jj): 22 adjectives (vvn): 17 past participles (vvd): 9 past simple Here are iWeb

-ized (suffix) Read More »

My parents are moving house and didn’t tell me. listen Here are the search results from iWeb corpus for: _VV _NN 1 TAKE ADVANTAGE 333879 2 TAKE PLACE 325996 3 TAKE CARE 306138 4 TOOK PLACE 216397 5 MAKES SENSE 214827 6 TAKES PLACE 199817 7 MAKE SENSE 197141 8 TAKING PLACE 140481 9 TAKE PART 130666 10 PAY ATTENTION 127171 11

lexical verb + noun Read More »

The phrase “return to normal” means to go back to the way things were before a change or disruption. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as: After a natural disaster: “The city is slowly returning to normal after the hurricane.” After a pandemic: “We hope to return to normal soon after the pandemic

lexical verb + preposition + NORMAL Read More »

PUT PRESSURE HAVE MERCY

PLAYING TRICKS

verb + noun + ON YOU Read More »

LEAVE ME ALONE TAKE IT EASY GET IT RIGHT

DRIVING ME CRAZY

lexical verb + noun phrase + adjective Read More »

Most reporting or mental processing constructions that introduce object clauses are listed at A2 or B1 in the English Grammar Profile.  We believe that if adverbs are also included, this probably shows B2 ability.  To check this, we look in the TLC speaking tests and find that the most common example only starts being used at

subject + adverb + lexical verb + clause Read More »

A search in the NOW corpus for TAKE * _NN1 _TO _VVI 1 TOOK TO TWITTER TO SHARE 5632 UNLISTED  And fans were angry  and they took to Twitter  with the hashtag #WeWantLeia. TED 2 TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK 5134 B2 We want to take this opportunity to thank you for coming  and taking the time to pay your respects. listen 3 TOOK TO TWITTER TO EXPRESS 3331 4 TAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE 2530 5 TAKES A VILLAGE TO

TAKE * noun TO infinitive Read More »

The “-ise” suffix is a common spelling variant of the verb-forming suffix “-ize.” It is primarily used in British English, while in American English, the corresponding spelling is “-ize.” The suffix “-ise” (or “-ize”) is added to the end of a noun or adjective to create a verb form. For example, real ⇒ realise advert

-ise SUFFIX Read More »

Verb patterns with ‘not to be’ generally fall between A2 and B1.  If they are also negated, non-finite, passive or ellipted they should be at least B2.   A search in the NOW corpus for: not to be * * 1 NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH 10259 Not to be confused with the diary of Anne Hathaway  which we stole out of her purse at the Gotham Awards. listen 2 NOT

not to be Read More »

A detailed analysis of the structure “BE + past participle + BY”, which is commonly used to form passive voice sentences in English. This structure consists of a form of the verb “to be”, a past participle, and the preposition “by”. The webpage also includes examples from the iWeb corpus, showcasing how this structure is used in various contexts. Some of the most common phrases include “BE USED BY”, “IS CAUSED BY”, and “IS DETERMINED BY”. The examples illustrate how this structure allows us to focus on the action and its impact, rather than on who or what performed the action.

BE + past participle + BY phrase Read More »

Here are advanced examples of verbs + ‘WITH phrases‘: You hope for the best,  then make do with what you get. listen A man threatens you with a gun,  you break his neck,  we can’t call the police,  but it‘s nothing to do with me. listen DO WITH 796814 To find out which lexical verbs are most often followed by a ‘with PHRASE‘, we do a search in the iWeb corpus for: _VV with 1 WORK WITH 976989 A1 verb

verb + WITH Read More »

A search in iWeb corpus for: _VV _P _AT1 _NN 1 GIVE IT A TRY 48224 B2 We have to give it a try. listen 2 GIVE US A CALL 38081 3 GIVE YOU AN IDEA 24523 4 GIVE IT A GO 19538 5 GIVE IT A SHOT 14861 6 SEND US AN EMAIL 10866 A2 You know, why

lexical verb + pronoun + indefinite article + noun Read More »

C2 example: Our country owes its creation to a man  they declared insane. listen C1 example: And he will do his damndest  to put your mind at rest. listen An iWeb search for: _VV _APPGE _NN to_II 1 MAKE YOUR WAY TO 9604 B2 Please make your way to the nearest exits. listen 2 MAKE THEIR WAY TO 6953 3 MADE THEIR WAY TO 6103 4 CHANGED ITS NAME TO 5283 B2 possessive determiner

lexical verb + possessive determiner + noun + TO prepositional phrase Read More »

I don’t get time for a cup of coffee? Nobody’s Fool A search in iWeb corpus for: _VV _NN _II 1 TAKE PART IN 104907 What brought you to take part in this outrage? listen 2 PAY ATTENTION TO 93080 Don’t pay attention to him. Pay attention to me. listen 3 TAKE PLACE IN 63015 Our marriage will take place in the Poconos. listen 4 TOOK PLACE IN 55684 5 TAKES PLACE

lexical verb + noun + preposition Read More »

A search in NOW corpus for: _VB _XX at _NN _TO 1 ARE NOT AT LIBERTY TO 260 2 ‘M NOT AT LIBERTY TO 220 Who‘s your client? I‘m not at liberty to say. listen 3 AM NOT AT LIBERTY TO 217 4 IS NOT AT LIBERTY TO 149 5 WAS NOT AT LIBERTY TO 118 6 ‘RE NOT

BE + at + NOUN + to INFINITIVE Read More »

A monotransitive verb requires a subject and a direct object in order to form a sentence.

subject verb object Read More »

The verb ’cause’ can be followed by a noun phrase and a to-infinitive to express the idea that the noun phrase is the reason why the to-infinitive action happens. For example:

The storm caused the power to go out. The accident caused him to lose his job.

Her illness caused her to miss work.

CAUSE + noun phrase + TO infinitive Read More »