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 »
A2 point 20 in the category of PRESENT/simple: indirect questions with ‘Do you know’ + ‘how’, ‘where’, ‘why’, or ‘what’ An iWeb search: 1 DO YOU KNOW HOW TO 6056 2 DO YOU KNOW OF ANY 4276 3 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE 3051 Do you know what the best way to acquire a new language is? PELIC Arabic male level 4 writing class.
Do you know … (indirect question) 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 »
We use present perfect simple negative questions to ask about actions that have not happened in the recent past.
Haven’t you finished your homework yet?
Hasn’t she seen the new movie?
Why haven’t they called us back?
present perfect negative question Read More »
How | What + about + NOUN PHRASE ? = A2 suggesting or offering something to someone | B1 ask for someone’s opinion on a particular subject (EVP)
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 67 in the category of CLAUSES/interrogatives is defined as:
questions with a ‘wh-‘ word as the subject, without an auxiliary verb.
WH- questions (no auxiliary) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 63 in CLAUSES is defined as: THE REASON WHY: defining relative clauses with ‘why’ after ‘reason’, to give an explanation and for focus. *Note that “the reason that…” is B2. A search in iWeb for: the * reason why 1 THE MAIN REASON WHY 8371 2 THE ONLY REASON WHY
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 32 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: ‘Wh-‘questions as a focusing device, often in a narrative or argument. For example: Why does this matter? Things have changed. Can’t we just get over it and move on? Right? But I would argue, for me certainly, learning this
WH- questions (focusing) Read More »
C2 point 14 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘How’, ‘Why’, or ‘Where’ cleft clauses as subject, for focus. *Note, HOW + CLAUSE is also C2 as an exclamation. A search on iWeb for: . How|Why|Where _P _V * 1 . WHERE I LIVE , 688 2 . WHY YOU ASK ? 544
how | why | where + CLEFT CLAUSE Read More »
This post is another one where the English Grammar Profile has clashing proficiency levels associated with a point and in the examples. Here we are looking at the category of QUESTIONS. It is understandable that usage is what is different, but the examples could be better selected: B2 Point 29: ‘wh-‘words + the negative form
WH – negative question Read More »
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?
These are just a few examples of general adverbs. There are many other adverbs that can be used in a variety of ways. By understanding how general adverbs work, you can improve your writing skills and make your sentences more clear and concise.
The most common geneRal adveRbs Read More »
