The phrases “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” are used to introduce two contrasting points of view or arguments. They are often used in formal writing and in spoken English. On the one hand is used to introduce the first point of view or argument. On the other hand is used to introduce the […]
organising contrast Read More »
Here’s an example of ‘some of’ modifying the relative pronoun ‘which’: I have many connections, some of which are less than reputable. Listen In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 98 in the category of PRONOUNS / quantity is defined as: ‘some of’, ‘many of’ to modify relative pronouns in a relative clause. A search on iWeb for ngrams of some|many of _**q
some of which | many of whom Read More »
Firstly, complex prepositions are phrases, which means there are two or more words to them. B2 example: In addition to imitation, there are a number of other procedures designed to give the therapist some degree of control over the child‘s language production. The Louvain EAP dictionary: ‘in addition to’ is used to add new information and introduces the point to which you want to add something new. C1 example: In those few weeks, our lives had reverted back to what they‘d been prior to the murder of Sean
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At B1 in the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘either’ is listed as: PRONOUN; DETERMINER: One of two people or things when it is not important which At B2 ‘neither’ is listed as: PRONOUN; DETERMINER not either of two people or things C1 English Grammar Profile point 60 in the category of DETERMINERS & quantity is defined
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In the English Grammar Profile, point 15 in the category of PASSIVES at B2 is PRESENT CONTINUOUS, NEGATIVE. This clashes for usage with point 34 at C1: present continuous passive negative form to refer to ongoing situations in the present. _vb _xx being _vvn 1 IS NOT BEING USED 3339 2 ARE NOT BEING USED
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Here are two B2 points in the English Grammar Profile in the category of PASSIVES: Point 31 is with modal verbs to evaluate or summarise Point 14 is defined as: the passive with modal verbs in a range of contexts, with a variety of subjects. Here’s a list on iWeb corpus of _nn _vm be
Here’s a student example of using a verb-ing form as a noun subject: Studying for an exam won’t be hard for you if you follow these steps. PELIC: Chinese male level 3 writing class. Here’s an example in educational materials of the news: Closing the gas pipeline is one action Western nations have taken against Russia. BreakingNewsEnglish Here’s an example of verb-ing after ‘to’: The find goes a long way to solving the mystery of why the Stonehenge bluestones were brought from so far away when all other stone circles were erected within a short distance of their quarries. thebritishacademy.ac.uk In the English Grammar Profile, point 22 in NOUNS
When a noun is generic or nonspecific countable and plural OR uncountable, we do not use an article. There are many points that relate to ‘NO ARTICLE’ in the English Grammar Profile. Although there are overlapping examples across some of the levels, the main difference in regard to marking complexity relies on the level of
Here are some examples of this form:
Being nice to someone is a SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY of making friends.
Some herbs like MOIST BUT WELL-DRAINED SOIL.
I am making SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS with my language learning.
Although she is usually easy to get along with, she does have a RARE BUT SERIOUS SIDE to her personality too.
A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT NUMBER of students didn’t pass the test.
adjective + BUT + adjective + noun (complex noun phrase) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 20 in NEGATION is defined as: uncontracted ‘not’ for emphasis or in formal contexts. There are problems with this grammar point. One is that you could argue that the ability to contract various forms marks a higher level of English skill. Secondly, this point clearly cannot be automatically
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In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 19 in the category of NEGATION is defined as: ‘NEITHER OF’, ‘NONE OF’ + PRONOUN or noun phrase with the affirmative form of the verb. Expert examples: None of us thought it could happen in America or anyplace else. listen You can not bring up a conversation topic if neither of you is interested. listen STUDENT EXAMPLE: The funny part is when the investigation was done it was realised that none of the family members had actually seen the movie. TLC, Speaking Test, Female,
None of | Neither of Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 188 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: PAST NEGATIVE, ‘can’t’ or ‘cannot have’ + ‘-ed’ to make deductions. It means that if we cannot have fired those torpedoes, someone else did. listen A search in iWeb: 1 CA N’T HAVE HELPED 61 The New York Times Emma Thompson Can’t Live Without Hannah Gadsby and
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“As you can see” is used to draw attention to something that is obvious or visible. For example, you might say “As you can see, the cat is sitting on the mat” or “As you can see, the results of the test are not good.”
“I can’t say” is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, you might say “I can’t say for sure when I’ll be finished with this project” or “I can’t say that I agree with your decision.”
“I can tell you that” is used to make a statement that is certain or factual. For example, you might say “I can tell you that the meeting will start at 10am” or “I can tell you that I’m not happy with the way things are going.”
“As you can imagine” is used to express something that is easy to understand or picture. For example, you might say “As you can imagine, I was very excited to get the job offer” or “As you can imagine, the traffic was terrible today.”
“I can say that” is used to make a statement that is true or accurate. For example, you might say “I can say that I’m very proud of my children” or “I can say that I’ve learned a lot from this experience.”
“I can assure you that” is used to express confidence or certainty. For example, you might say “I can assure you that I will do my best” or “I can assure you that your information is safe with me.”
Negative questions with the modal verb “can’t” are used to ask for permission or confirmation in a polite or surprised way. For example:
Can’t we go to the park today? (asking for permission)
Can’t you see I’m busy? (expressing surprise)
To form a negative question with “can’t”, we put “can’t” before the subject and the main verb after the subject. For example:
Can’t + you + see?
Can’t + we + go?
Modality is the grammatical expression of the speaker’s attitude or opinion about the possibility, necessity, or certainty of an action or state. Can’t is a modal verb that shows the negation of the verb can. It means that the subject is unable to do something, such as perform an action or demonstrate an ability. It can also be used to express deduction, which is a logical inference based on evidence or reasoning. For example:
She can’t swim. (ability)
He can’t be at home. It’s too early. (deduction)
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 173 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘can’ with an increasing range of adverbs (including ‘easily’, ‘hardly’, ‘now’, ‘probably‘, ‘sometimes’, ‘still’) in the normal mid position after the modal verb or after the subject in questions. *Note ‘still’ is listed at B1. C1 Point 196 in MODALITY
CAN + increasing range of adverbs Read More »
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 »
The fixed expression ‘I must admit’ is used to express something that you feel guilty or embarrassed about, or to show that someone else impresses you more than you expected. For example:
I must admit, I’m not very good at this sort of thing.
I must admit, you’re quite a singer.
The fixed expression ‘you must admit’ is used to express concession, which means acknowledging a point made by someone else, even if you disagree with them. For example:
You must admit, he has a point.
You must admit, it was a close game.
