A search for nouns collocating with ‘wild‘ in the NOW corpus: 1 CARD 41920 This most common collocate is unlisted in the English Vocabulary Profile. A google definition of ‘wild card‘: a playing card that can have any value, suit, colour, or other property in a game at the discretion of the player holding it. […]
While working on another piece of grammar, I noticed a complex piece of grammar that is not listed in the English Grammar Profile. There are many grammar points that are listed that are about adverbs in the middle position, but none about two which should be listed at C2. A search in iWeb corpus for
verb + adverb + verb + adverb + verb Read More »
NOT ONLY MUST people go to the event, but they must also be respectful there.
NEVER MUST they forget what the soldiers died for.
You must not ask about it when we are there. NOR MUST I be expected to explain it.
not only | never | nor + must + (inversion) Read More »
Imperatives Defined:
Imperatives are commands or orders expressed as a grammatical mood in English.
They instruct someone to do something or refrain from doing it.
For instance, “Sit down,” “Listen carefully,” or “Don’t shout.”
Examples:
Affirmative Imperatives:
“Now, wait a minute.”
“Sit down, Zero.”
Negative Imperatives:
“Don’t shout; you’ll wake the children.”
Politeness and Tone:
Imperatives can vary in tone:
Forceful: “Stop!” (Direct command)
Polite: “Please open the window.” (Adding “please” softens the tone)
Offering Help: “Let me find you something.” (Using “let” to offer assistance)
Subject and Implied Subject:
Imperatives often imply the subject:
“Make me a pizza.” (Subject: “Anthony”)
Sometimes, the subject is explicit:
“Hey Anthony, make me a pizza.”
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 34 in the category of FUTURE: ‘be going to’ with a limited range of adverbs, after the auxiliary be form, in the normal mid position. The EGP examples of adverbs include ‘never’ and ‘really’. An iWeb search for: _VB _RR _VVGK *we removed the past forms of BE 1 ‘M
This is another clashing grammar point in the English Grammar Profile and therefore not really useful to expand. It would be better if it listed which tenses/aspects it is associated with. B1 point 11 in the category of NEGATION is defined: adverbs: ‘ever’, ‘never’, ‘yet’, ‘still’ in negative contexts. Let’s look at the English Grammar
adverb (negative context) 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 »
The modal verbs: Will / Shall are often used with the pronouns I and we to show our intentions and to make promises with future simple. In the mid-position, the adverbs: ‘always’ and ‘never’ can make it quite clear that these statements are intended to be true for a long time. For example: This is a day we shall
will | shall + always | never (long-term intention) Read More »
Here are two overlapping C2 grammar points in the English Grammar Profile. Point 129 in CLAUSES/coordinated is defined as: combine a negative clause with an inverted clause with ‘nor’, to give focus. Point 25 in CONJUNCTIONS/coordinating is defined as: ‘Neither’ or ‘Nor’ + inverted auxiliary or ‘be’ + subject to add to a previous related
NEGATIVE CLAUSE + nor | neither Read More »
‘never + inversion‘ is B2 with or without past perfect. The following examples use present perfect simple + inversion: Never before has man possessed so much power. listen Never before have so many people risen so far so fast, on so many different dimensions. listen Here’s an example with past perfect inversion without ‘before’: Never had I felt such an incomprehensible emptiness within myself. listen In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 68 in PAST is defined as: past perfect
NEVER BEFORE + perfect inversion Read More »
B2 point 54 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect simple with a wide range of adverbs (including ‘finally’, ‘recently’, ‘simply’) in the normal mid-position. B1 point 46 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect simple with a limited range of adverbs (including ‘never’, ‘ever’, ‘just’, ‘always’, ‘already’) in
past perfect simple + adverb Read More »
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 »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 163 MODALITY is defined as: ‘may’ in phrases such as ‘as you may know’, or ‘as you may have’ + ‘-ed’ to focus the reader on shared knowledge. This partly overlaps point 168 MODALITY and PAST AFFIRMATIVE of ‘may have’ + ‘-ed’ to talk about possibility in the
may have + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
“Will be able to” is a phrase that expresses future ability or possibility. It means that someone or something has the power, skill, or opportunity to do something later. ‘you will be able to‘ is the 6th most frequent 5-word Ngram in English. iWeb 135,128 Here are some Expert examples: Well, I highly doubt that you will be able to get a job good enough to do that. listen
B2 point 150 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘may’ with an increasing range of adverbs (most commonly ‘even’, ‘only’, ‘already’, ‘never’, ‘just’, ‘sometimes’) in the normal mid-position after the modal verb. B1 point 70: ‘may’ with a limited range of adverbs (most commonly ‘also’) in the normal mid-position after the modal verb
A rarer grammar structure to do with adverbs, negation and inversion.
Never + inversion ‘Never have I…’ Read More »
