GET + reflexive pronoun + past participle
Using a reflexive pronoun with the GET passive suggests the subject was at least partly responsible for making something happen.
GET + reflexive pronoun + past participle Read More »
Using a reflexive pronoun with the GET passive suggests the subject was at least partly responsible for making something happen.
GET + reflexive pronoun + past participle Read More »
This is a personal note for the direction in future. All the research posts should use the tagging taxonomy to choose a number of nouns that are best to use alongside the grammar. It is already clear, where possible I choose, for example, B1 vocabulary to go with B2 grammar for being able to understand
The past perfect passive simple negative is a verb form that expresses an action that had not been done to someone or something in the past. For example:
The cake had not been baked when the guests arrived.
He had not been told the truth by his parents.
To form this verb tense, you need to use had not (or hadn’t) + been + the past participle of the main verb.
had not been + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
B2 PASSIVE PAST CONTINUOUS AFFIRMATIVE
English Grammar Profile
was | were + being + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
In this grammar research post, we have collected all the B1 verbs that go after necessary.
necessary to INFINITIVE Read More »
A search on iWeb corpus for a much better _nn offers these most frequent B1 nouns: approach, bet, chance, choice, design, experience, method, mood, option, performance, position, product, quality, result, sense, situation, solution, system, user, value 1 A MUCH BETTER JOB 4957 2 A MUCH BETTER CHANCE 4140 The Motley Fool Canada Fortunately, those
a much better + NOUN Read More »
At C2, in the English Grammar Profile, point 109 in the category of PRONOUNS and reciprocal is defined as: ‘each’ (+ noun or pronoun) as subject followed by ‘the other(s)’ as an object, to refer to two related things. (quantity) Most of the examples in iWeb corpus seem related to law. A looser search each
EACH … THE OTHER(S) Read More »
Let’s look at two expert examples of ‘BE + adverbs of indefinite frequency + VERBing‘: At the time of application for Russian citizenship, the spouses must be permanently residing in Russia and must be married for three years. Russia Beyond – 16 Feb 2021 There are a few ways to approach loved ones who are persistently asking the same question. elmcroft.com The first example above is a modal verb + BE + adverb + present participle and the second
present continuous + adverbs of indefinite frequency Read More »
This is another post about two overlapping English Grammar Profile points at the same proficiency level that could be merged into one. Point 11 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘Not a’ + noun with a passive verb or inverted auxiliary and subject for focus. Point 29 in the category of NEGATION: ‘not
The idiomatic phrase ‘many a’ or many an’ + a singular noun is a rare formal and literary structure meaning ‘a large number of’. C2 point 65 in the category of DETERMINERS and quantity is defined as: ‘many a’ or ‘many an’ + singular noun for emphasis and focus. *We noticed that this phrase often
There are two overlapping points at A2 in the English Grammar Profile for reporting verbs. Point 2 in the category of REPORTED SPEECH is defined as: reporting clause with ‘tell’ + direct object + ‘that-‘clause, with a pronoun shift where relevant. Point 12 in VERBS and patterns is defined as: Verbs, typically reporting verbs, followed
told me that (reported) Read More »
‘WH-‘ questions expect a reply that supplies information. The wh-word can be a pronoun: What made you think that? (listen to this question) adverb: Where did it go? (listen) or a determiner: Which part? (listen) A search for the most common questions in the iWeb corpus with: _ddq _v _p _v ? 1 WHAT DO YOU THINK? (‘what’
Adverbs of indefinite frequency, such as ‘sometimes’, ‘occasionally’, ‘usually’, ‘normally’, ‘regularly’, and ‘often’, are commonly used with the present simple tense to indicate routine or repeated activities without specifying exact timing. These adverbs typically precede the main verb but follow the verb ‘to be’ and auxiliary verbs. They can also be positioned at the beginning or end of a sentence in some cases. The webpage provides examples of these usages in various contexts, including TED talks and student writings.
In contrast, definite adverbs of frequency, like ‘yearly’, ‘weekly’, ‘every hour’, and ‘every day’, provide exact frequencies and usually appear at the end of a sentence. The webpage also highlights the overlap and differences in the usage of these adverbs at different language proficiency levels (A1 and A2).
Furthermore, it presents common collocates for the adverb ‘usually’ and examples of sentences using ‘often’. The examples illustrate common behaviors or thought processes, suggesting that these adverbs are integral to expressing frequency in English.
PRESENT SIMPLE with ADVERBS of FREQUENCY Read More »
Here’s a past simple passive example: “The church was built in 1663.” is an example of A2 passive grammar. In the English Grammar Profile, point 1 in the category of PASSIVE is: past simple affirmative after a singular subject. A search for was _vvn on iWeb corpus: 1 WAS BORN 459313 2 WAS MADE 320241
was + past participle Read More »
The future continuous tense, used in sentences like “Sarah will be joining us for dinner,” indicates a planned or confirmed action that will occur over a period in the future. It expresses certainty about the future and is often used when the action is expected to happen as a matter of course. While usually not used with stative verbs, exceptions exist, especially in informal contexts. For instance, “I guess I’ll be needing a receipt off you there, Red” is a polite, indirect request.
will be + VERBing (future continuous) Read More »
A2 point 1 and the only point in the category of FOCUS / 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.
fronted prepositional phrase Read More »
The phrase “as you know” is a discourse marker used to indicate shared knowledge between the speaker and the listener. It’s used to introduce information that the speaker assumes the listener is aware of, thereby establishing common ground. This phrase is listed at B1 in the English Vocabulary profile and A2 point 1 in the category of discourse markers in the English Grammar Profile. It’s often followed by statements that reflect shared knowledge or common understanding. For instance, “As you know, our company has been experiencing financial difficulties lately,” or “As you know, I am a big fan of classic literature.” The phrase implies that the information being mentioned is already known or has been previously discussed.
AS YOU KNOW = discourse marker of shared knowledge Read More »
A subordinating conjunction connects a sentence’s main clause and a subordinate clause. The subordinate clause (also known as an adverb clause) provides additional information explaining the when, where, how, or why of the main clause. “If, when & while” are sometimes interchangeable. In the sentence “It’s hard to have a girlfriend when you don’t have a
if | when | while | so + SUBORDINATE CLAUSE Read More »
Here’s an example of an infinitive passive structure. He said it was the summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing needed to be added, taken away, or altered. listen The English Grammar Profile B1 point 4 in the category of passives is defined as: an infinitive after a limited number of forms including ‘going to’, ‘have to’, ‘need to’, ‘want to’. *Note that Pearson lists this as: GSE 59 B2
going | have | need | want + TO BE + past participle Read More »
B1 FOCUS
‘IT’ + ‘BE’ ADJECTIVE + ‘THAT’ CLAUSE for focus.
English Grammar Profile
IT’S + adjective + THAT clause (focus) Read More »