up

phrasal verb + clause ‘work out how you did it’

At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: work out = to understand something or to find the answer to something by thinking about it A search in NOW corpus for which ‘question words’ follow phrasal verbs: work out _*Q 1 WORK OUT HOW 12286 Just give us five minutes, Mr Poirot, and I‘m sure we‘ll be able to work out how you did it. listen 2 WORK OUT WHAT: I […]

phrasal verb + clause ‘work out how you did it’ Read More »

3 part complex phrases

Here is a list from an iWeb corpus search for complex phrases tagged with: _*31 _*32 _*33 1 AS WELL AS 3933159 (complex prepositional phrase) This is also known as the as as stucture. I‘m gonna prescribe a regimen of vitamins as well as the mineral zinc, it‘ll build up your immune system. listen 2 IN ADDITION TO 1012418 (complex prepositional phrase) In addition to Naomi and my two perfect kids,  I own a mansion, private jet, six cars, three horses, two vacation homes and a one hundred and seventy-foot yacht. listen 3 IN TERMS OF

3 part complex phrases Read More »

late | soon (end position)

“Late” and “soon” are adverbs of time that describe when an action occurs, typically placed at the end of a sentence. “Late” refers to an action happening after the expected time, while “soon” indicates an action happening in the near future.

In the English Grammar Profile, these adverbs are part of a broader category that includes other time adverbs like “yesterday”, “tomorrow”, “now”, and “later”.

A corpus analysis of sentences ending with “soon” revealed various contexts in which this adverb is used:

Expressions of Future Contact: Phrases indicating an intention to make contact in the near future, e.g., “I will contact you soon.”
Statements about Upcoming Events or Changes: Phrases announcing events or changes expected to occur soon, e.g., “The new product will be coming out soon.”
Expressions of Hope or Anticipation: Phrases expressing hope or anticipation for something to happen soon, e.g., “Get well soon.”
Statements about Continuity or Persistence: Phrases suggesting that a current situation will continue for the foreseeable future, e.g., “Not going anywhere soon.”
Expressions of Intent to Repeat an Action: Phrases indicating an intention to repeat an action in the near future, e.g., “Be ordering again soon.”
These categories demonstrate the versatility of the adverb “soon” in conveying different aspects of time in English sentences.

late | soon (end position) Read More »

phrasal verbs

There are 9 similar points across the English Grammar Profile in the category of VERBS covering phrasal verbs across the levels.  And the differentiation between the levels becomes difficult to interpret since it is more about the vocabulary.  For this reason, the English Vocabulary Profile is probably more beneficial even though the logic of what

phrasal verbs Read More »

MINUTE

See, this is really weird,  but I had this feeling the minute that the phone rang,  I said, Jackie, pick it up, you‘ve got a grandchild. listen Minute is usually a noun, but in the above usage ‘the minute + that CLAUSE‘ it means as soon as. Similary, in the next example, ‘any minute‘ means ‘very soon‘: Colin could you possibly find somewhere else to pray,  your brother and sister will be here any minute now. listen 1 MINUTE (NNT1) 645067 (A1 noun) = 60 seconds.

MINUTE Read More »

UP

Here are over a dozen ways that the word ‘up’ is used in English.  Firstly, ‘up’ is most commonly used as a part of phrasal verbs. 1 UP (RP) adverb particle: 1 SET UP 1105960 Well, I suppose  I‘d set up a meeting  with the State Committee for Scientific Research in Moscow. listen 2 IT UP 713509 1 PICK IT UP 40589 We just need him to pick it up,  and then I can lift the print  using this 3D laser scanner. listen

UP Read More »

TO

The word ‘to’ is most often before an infinitive or it is a simple preposition.  A search in iWeb corpus for frequency data related to part of speech: 1 TO (TO) 240771826 infinitive marker _TO * * * * 1 TO BE ONE OF THE 87871 Everyone, this is our dear friend, Brian Bloom  who also happens to be one of the most talented young writers. listen to this C1 example

TO Read More »