January 2021

‘He’s not that much better’ (not that much + COMPARATIVE)

  Yardbarker The Bears’ quarterback has been better of late, but not that much better. *’of late‘ means recently. Point 78 in ADJECTIVES/comparatives is defined as: ‘not that much’ to modify comparative adjectives to a small degree in iWeb: 1 NOT THAT MUCH BETTER 280 2 NOT THAT MUCH BIGGER 109 It’s just not that much bigger. gundogsupply.com (listen to a similar sentence) 3 NOT

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verb + verb-ING

Here are two points in the English Grammar Profile in the category of Verb patterns that depend on vocabulary range: Point 29 is B1 and defined as: a limited range of verbs followed by an ‘-ing’ form. Point 56 is B2 and is defined as: an increasing range of verbs followed by an ‘-ing’ form.

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STRANDED PREPOSITION

Here are examples of reported speech with relative clauses ending with stranded prepositions: He told me the company he works for.  She requested that I give him all the information he asks for.  He exclaimed that this is the best festival he has been to. This type of construction is considered informal and is often discouraged in formal writing. However, it is commonly used in spoken English and in informal writing. Profiling Research This post is about two points in the English Grammar

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sense verb + OBJECT + VERB-ing

B2 point 54 in VERBS/patterns is defined as: some verbs connected with the senses + direct object + an ‘-ing’ form, to give emphasis to an ongoing activity. *I don’t believe B2 complexity should hinge on ‘activity’.  It should also include a state.  For example: I don’t see myself being with anyone else but you, Sarah. listen An iWeb search for: sense verbs

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verb + new subject + verbING

At B2 in the English Grammar Profile, point 52 in the category of VERBS/patterns is defined as: introducing a new subject before the ‘-ing’ form (using noun or object pronoun) For example: This session is designed to stop you wasting time and procrastinating when you need to be getting an earlier night. context * The example above can also be structured: “stop you FROM wasting time” _VV _P _V*G *Notice that the ‘get/keep

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VERB + ADVERB + PREPOSITION ‘go directly to’

B2 English Grammar Profile point 51 in the category of VERBS/prepositional is defined as: adverb between the verb and the preposition For example: George says the piston’s going to go right through the block any minute now. listen   Alex, maybe if everything goes well with the paintings, Victor and I will tour and we could visit you in New York. listen An iWeb search for _VV *ly_R _II 1 GO DIRECTLY TO 17903 We‘re gonna go directly to the airport and get a plane. listen 2 BASED SOLELY ON 13229 We can’t work based solely on rumour, can we?

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ALONG

‘Along’ is a preposition or an adverb.  In the iWeb corpus the tagging by part of speech: 1 ALONG WITH (II21) 1742449 (two-part complex prepositional phrase) Within the next forty-eight hours,  you, along with the rest of the Wizarding World,  will choose our next great leader. listen 2 ALONG (II) 812587 4 ALONG (RP) 476307 6 ALONG (RR) 11996  

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dare not

This is another overlapping B2 grammar point found in a few different places in the English Grammar Profile. Point 47 in VERBS is defined as semi-modal auxiliary verbs, ‘dare’ and ‘need’. The two examples are both in the negative. And the comments in the EGP are very interesting for this point: LOW FREQUENCY ITEM. There

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all | one | some + OF + these | those | this | that

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 52 in the category of PRONOUNS / demonstratives is defined as: quantifying determiners + ‘of’ with demonstrative pronouns An iWeb search for: _DD of _DD 1 SOME OF THESE 258542  STUDENT example: The hospitality in Saudi Arabia is very different between provinces.  Some of these have traditional hospitality, but others have modern hospitality. PELIC Arabic male level 3

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