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 »
Here are examples of verbs that suggest ability (or lack of) + the noun phrase ‘the use of’: So how have we enabled the use of goats as a reliable form of currency? TED In that service, he actually lost the use of his legs, he‘s paralyzed and he uses marijuana for pain management. TED In the English Vocabulary Profile: the use of sth = C2 permission to use something, or the ability to use something We are interested in finding which verbs might suggest
lexical verb + THE USE OF Read More »
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B1: not believe/understand/hear/say, etc. a word = anything A search in iWeb corpus for: _XX _VV a word 1 N’T SAY A WORD 1726 Don’t say a word against my father. listen 2 NOT SAY A WORD 756 3 N’T UNDERSTAND A WORD 608 It was brilliant, even though I didn’t understand a word of it. listen 4 N’T BELIEVE A
Here’s a student example of ‘present perfect simple negative‘: Today I can play very well with someone, even when I haven’t played for a long time. PELIC Portuguese female level 3 writing. A2 point 5 in the category of NEGATION/AUXILIARY VERBS is defined: negative statements of main verbs in the present continuous and present perfect with ‘be’ and ‘have’ + ‘not/n’t’. A2 point 13 in the category of PAST is
present perfect simple negative (YET) Read More »
Point 35 in the category of PAST is defined: past simple to order sequences of events in the past, in the context of narratives. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: I looked at the sheet and thought about it and then I continued following my sheet. When I noticed that I should have arrived, I called my brother and he told me that I had the wrong directions. Arabic male, level 5 grammar class. Two of the EGP examples use ‘and then’ while one only uses ‘and’ to connect past
ordering past events Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 22 in the category of PAST is defined as: present perfect simple with ‘already’ to emphasise that something is done, often before the expected time. FOR EXAMPLE: He is the most joyful person that I have ever met, and in just over a year, he has already made the world a better place. A search in iWeb for: _VHZ already _VVN 1 HAS ALREADY BEGUN 7505 2
present perfect simple + ALREADY Read More »
Point 24 in the category of PAST perfect simple: negative forms. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: At that time, I had not found my job and I had a lot of free time. Chinese male, level 3 writing class. A search on iWeb for: _VHD _XX _VVN 1 HAD N’T SEEN 10519 2 HAD NOT SEEN 8370 3 HAD N’T HEARD 6433 4 HAD N’T THOUGHT 5405 5
had not + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
The negative form of the present simple passive is formed: present form of BE + NOT + PAST PARTICIPLE am | is | are + n’t | not + past participle In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 10 in the category of PASSIVES is defined as: PRESENT SIMPLE, NEGATIVE + range of pronoun and noun
present simple passive negative form Read More »
Passive ‘GET‘ + past participles is a way of using ‘get’ instead of ‘be’ in the passive voice in informal spoken English. It often refers to accidental or unexpected actions that we don’t want. For example: If we don’t get caught, it‘s not gonna matter who it was we stole from, and we‘re not going to get caught. listen She got hit by a car. listen Oh, that‘s so nobody accidentally gets thrown out. Accepted In the
get + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
Point 8 in REPORTED SPEECH is defined as: report statements using a reporting clause with ‘say’ or ‘tell’ + ‘that-‘clause, with a pronoun and tense shift where relevant *At A2 students can already use ‘said’ or ‘tell’ with a pronoun shift. Therefore, we might surmise that at B1 it must include a tense shift. There
said | told * that + CLAUSE (tense shift) Read More »
Here is another post of some overlapping and clashing grammar points from different categories in the English Grammar Profile. B1 point 72 clashes with the general definition at C1. B1 Point 42 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as: ‘IF’ + PAST SIMPLE + WOULD, FUTURE, (SECOND CONDITIONAL) imagined situation, often in the context
second & third conditonal Read More »
Here are examples of past perfect simple affirmative: Instead, the Ryans had decided to take a more old-fashioned route. context I must say I‘d hoped for better. listen In the English Grammar Profile, B1 points 34 in the category of PAST are defined as: past perfect simple: a time before another time in the past. and B1 point 38 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect
past perfect simple affirmative Read More »
The past simple affirmative is used to describe completed actions or events in the past. Its usage varies with proficiency level, starting with a limited range of regular and irregular verbs at A1 level, increasing at A2 level, and covering a wide range of verbs at B1 level. The most common verbs used in the past simple tense are also listed, providing a useful reference for English language learners.
past simple affirmative Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 51 in the category of PAST and present perfect simple is defined as: question form with an increasing range of verbs. For example: How much sleep have they actually lost? TED Looking for variable-length questions on iWeb is always a hard task. Here is only one set pattern that finds some. Note that we
present perfect simple questions + increasing range of verbs 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 »
