Which adjectives should I teach my intermediate class?
real, absolute, complete + noun
Month: March 2020
There is + uncountable noun
Which uncountable nouns should I learn with “there is”?
noun phrase – article adverb adjective noun
Where to start teaching noun phrases to your beginner to pre-intermediate class?
could have past participle
Points 140, 142, 158, 176 and 214 in the category of MODALITY are used for PAST POSSIBILITY, SPECULATION, REGRET, CRITICISM. On the Left, iWeb corpus gives us the following past participles: 1 COULD HAVE BEEN 178902 On the right further collocations, 4 to the left and right are from COCA corpus: 1 WORSE (JJR ) […]
should be verb-ING
Points 141 (general), 164 and 177 in Modality either are used for obligation or expectation. A search for should be _v?g* in the iWeb corpus finds the following present participles: 1 SHOULD BE DOING 24974 Further collocates 4 left and right: 1 WHAT (DDQ ) 7756 2 SOMETHING (PN1 ) 1554 3 THINGS (NN2 […]
It is important that NOUN + VERB
If you are teaching a pre-intermediate class about how we get our knowledge or health, then this grammar and vocabulary will be appropriate.
IT IS adjective FOR object TO verb
What vocabulary should you teach or learn with modality and adjectives at a pre-intermediate level?
degree adverbs modifying adjectives
Point 210 in MODALITY on the English Grammar Profile is based on MODIFYING an ADJECTIVE for HEDGING with a degree adverb. We are offered only two examples: Collocates 4 sides to the left and right on iWeb corpus for “quite probable“: 1 IT (PPH1 ) 528 2 SEEMS (VVZ ) 31 3 POSSIBLE (JJ […]
I dare say
Point 206 in Modality, in the English Grammar Profile, is used to say that something is probably true. Looking at 4 spaces to the right of the expression on iWeb corpus we find the following collocates which point to the fact the expression is often used with more modality. Two of those are contractions of […]
didn’t dare
In the EGP, Point 223 in the category of modality is used to talk about not being brave enough to do something. It seems an unusual piece of grammar in that it is an infinitive next to another infinitive without “to”. It also is surrounded usually by verbs of speech. Collocates 5 to the left […]