English grammar tells us that: I haven’t got a clue. I don’t have a clue. are the correct ways to express negative possession. However, there is the rarer, older British sounding: I haven’t a clue. Notice that a superlative phrase is common to give emphasis: I haven’t the slightest idea how he works. listen Here are the search results from […]
HAVE NOT + noun phrase Read More »
We are interested in finding the most common noun phrases after ‘open to‘ that complete more abstract ideas such as willingness to consider something or something is likely to happen. In the English Vocabulary Profile: open to discussion/suggestions, etc. = C1 willing to consider a discussion/suggestions, etc. open to abuse/criticism, etc. = C2 likely to
OPEN TO ( adjective + prepositional phrase ) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, there are two similar points at A2 in the category of PRONOUN/demonstratives: Point 20 is defined as: ‘that’ as a pronoun to refer back to something which has already been mentioned Point 28: ‘that’ as a pronoun with singular reference For example: No, it‘s nowhere near that. listen That‘s why I brought you here. An iWeb search for:
Using noun phrases as objects of the clause helps provide more information about the action or state described by the verb in a sentence. It helps answer questions about the direct recipients of the verb’s action or the entities affected by it.
noun phrase (direct object) Read More »
Here are examples of exclamatory sentences starting with “What”. They express strong emotions or feelings.
“What” is a predeterminer that precedes the indefinite article “a”.
The phrases following “What a” are noun phrases, often modified by adjectives for emphasis (e.g., “great”, “wonderful”).
Many sentences are followed by adverbial phrases (e.g., “to save time”, “to be alive”) that provide more information about the noun.
These sentences are common in spoken English to convey strong feelings. They’re less common in formal written English but might appear in dialogue or informal writing.
In the English Grammar Profile, such usage of ‘What’ falls under A2 level for expressing strong opinions.
The most common collocates in corpora are words like “great”, “waste”, “idea”, etc., often followed by infinitive phrases or prepositional phrases acting as adverbs.
This structure allows for a wide range of expressions, from surprise (“What a surprise!”) to disappointment (“What a waste of money!”) to admiration (“What a great idea for a party!”). It’s a versatile and expressive part of English grammar.
What a + NOUN PHRASE Read More »
English Grammar Profile A2 point 32 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as:
non-finite subordinate clause with ‘to’, to introduce purpose
TO infinitive (purpose) Read More »
Habitual states or actions are regular occurrences that can be physical, mental, or emotional. The Past Simple tense in English often expresses these habitual states or actions that occurred in the past but may no longer happen in the present. Learn more about how language can indicate habitual states or actions and how they are defined in the English Grammar Profile.
ALWAYS + PAST SIMPLE ( habitual past ) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 32 in the category of NOUNs is defined as: complex noun phrases with adverb + adjective + noun EXPERT EXAMPLE: And, you know, this is a fairly transparent example. wnpr.org *This overlaps B1 noun phrases in the category of ADJECTIVES and clashes with C1 in the category of modality (emphasis). A search in iWeb for:
adverb + adjective + noun Read More »
B1: NOUN phrases with ‘such a’ + adjective + singular noun and ‘such’ + adjective + plural noun, to give emphasis.
English Grammar Profile.
SUCH (A) + adjective + noun phrase Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 44 in the category of PRONOUNS/substitution is defined as: ‘one’ after ‘which’ in indirect questions to refer to one of two or more options. For example: If I were to show you these two urban scenes, and I were to ask you which one is more beautiful, which one would you say? TED *not all the examples are ‘indirect questions’ in the EGP examples. A search in iWeb for: which one
Here is another example of overlapping grammar points in the English Grammar Profile. B1 Point 37 in the category of NOUNS/phrases is defined as: NOUN + ‘OF’ + POSSESSIVE PRONOUN Which overlaps the more specific B1 point 47 in the category of PRONOUNS: possessive pronoun ‘yours’ after noun + ‘of’. It would be very beneficial
noun + OF + MINE | YOURS Read More »
B1 ‘THE OTHER’ with a singular noun to refer to the second or the opposite of two things, and with a plural noun to refer to one of a set of things.
The English Grammar Profile, B1 point 47 in the category of DETERMINERS/articles.
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 23 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: alternative questions using ‘or not’ to substitute for a clause, sometimes to express annoyance or impatience An iWeb search for: * * or not ? 1 THIS EARNING OR NOT? 287 2 GOOD IDEA OR NOT? 122 Is drinking fruit juices a good idea or not? cityspidey.com 3
Here’s an example of using a defining relative clause for focus: The person who sent me was you. Listen to the pronunciation. B1 Point 73 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as: defining relative clauses: ‘the person who/that, the thing that, the (only) one who/that’ as a focusing device. *Some people looking for information about a relative pronoun
THE + noun + WHO|THAT + clause (focus) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 55 in the category of CLAUSES/comparatives is defined as: linking verbs + ‘like’ or ‘similar to’. EXPERT EXAMPLE: They taste similar to regular bulb onions, but they‘re milder. tastingtable.com PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE He looks like a cute turtle. Korean, Male, Level 2 A search in iWeb for: look* like * * * 1 LOOKS LIKE THIS: 14720 2 LOOK LIKE
LINKING VERB + like | similar to + NOUN PHRASE Read More »
A2
– too + adjective + prepositional phrase
– adjective phrases with a very limited range of adjectives + a prepositional phrase
In the English Grammar Profile, in the category of modifying ADJECTIVES, there is an overlap between the two points above. The EGP examples for range are:
… good for my body
… full of people
TOO adjective + prepositional phrase Read More »
‘An’, ‘one’, and ‘each’ are all examples of determiners as they help to specify the noun in some way. Let’s explain the differences between them when used with singular nouns: An: This is an indefinite article that is used before singular countable nouns that start with a vowel sound. It doesn’t specify which particular thing or person
each | an | one + SINGULAR NOUN Read More »
In this post, we give a detailed explanation of the use of certain determiners in English grammar, specifically ‘some’, ‘any’, ‘no’, ‘more’, ‘a lot of’, and ‘lots of’. These determiners are often used with both plural and uncountable nouns to indicate quantity or amount. We also discuss the English Grammar Profile (EGP) and its classification of these determiners at different proficiency levels (A1, A2). We provide examples of usage and notes on the application of these.
some | any | no | more | a lot of | lots of + NOUN phrase Read More »
There is no evidence of when students can use “which” or “whose”.
WHICH | WHOSE + subject noun + verb (questions) Read More »
