In the English Grammar Profile, A2 point 15 in the category of VERBS is defined: ‘there is’ and ‘there are’ + ‘a lot of’ + plural noun iWeb doesn’t allow for longer than 5 token searches: _EX _VB a lot of 1 THERE ARE A LOT OF 145235 2 THERE IS A LOT OF 69785 […]
There is | are + a lot of + NOUN Read More »
Point 38 in PRONOUNS/demonstratives is defined: RESPONSE TOKENS WITH ‘that’s’ + adjective to respond to something However, the EGP examples do not always contain an adjective: That’s great! That’s a pity! That’s a good idea! FOR EXAMPLE: Do you always go to the same place? Oh, that’s awesome! An iWeb search for: That _VBZ * ! 1 THAT ‘S IT ! 12397 2 THAT ‘S RIGHT !
That’s + adjective ! Read More »
As mentioned in my Cambridge Learner Corpus research elsewhere, the main noticeable difference between CEFR levels is the length of sentences: shorter at A1 and longer at C2. In this post, I wanted to do a quick search (20 sentences) on the word length (the letters in a word) using PELI corpus examples. Surprisingly, the
Is the length of a word a poor way to predict English proficiency? Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 20 in the category of PAST is defined: present perfect simple: UNFINISHED refer to a state or period of time which is unlimited or indefinite. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: I have already gotten several wrong numbers this month. Japanese female level 4 grammar class EXPERT EXAMPLES: It‘s been proven to me time and time again as people have walked up to me this week simply because of what I‘m wearing, and we‘ve had great conversations.
present perfect simple (unfinished) Read More »
Point 12 in the category of VERBS/patterns is defined: verbs, typically reporting verbs, followed by a noun or pronoun as the indirect object and a clause with or without ‘that’, as the direct object. *Note some of our search results are not indirect objects. However, the A2 complexity is still there with relative clauses. _VV
verb + object + clause Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, A2 point 18 in the category of VERBS/patterns is defined as: reporting verbs, especially mental process verbs, with a clause as the direct object, without ‘that’, especially in informal contexts. For example: I hope you are doing well. *notably, in the English Grammar Profile examples, all the verbs but ‘said’ are in the present
“Maybe” and the more formal “perhaps” are both adverbs that convey modality related to uncertainty or possibility. For example: So why did we keep trying when all the adults said it was impossible? Well, maybe it‘s because we‘re kids. We don’t know any better. TED In this context, “maybe” is used to suggest a possible explanation or reason for why the kids kept trying despite the adults saying it was impossible. The speaker is speculating that
The sentence “Well, I wouldn’t say that.” is a common English expression used to indicate disagreement or to express a different opinion. The word “wouldn’t” in this context is used as a negated modal verb to convey polite disagreement (there is a tinge of a sense of doubt or uncertainty) . It is often used
Here is another group of A2 English Grammar Profile points that overlap multiple categories. Many of these could be all merged into one point. Point 3 in the category of QUESTIONS: yes/no AUXILIARY ‘BE’ + subject + the continuous A search in NOW corpus for: _VB _P _VVG 1 ARE YOU GOING 38887 2 ARE
BE | HAVE | DO (auxiliary verbs) 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.”
Here are examples of exclamatory sentences starting with “What”. They express strong emotions or feelings.
“What” is a predeterminer that precedes the indefinite article “a”.
The phrases following “What a” are noun phrases, often modified by adjectives for emphasis (e.g., “great”, “wonderful”).
Many sentences are followed by adverbial phrases (e.g., “to save time”, “to be alive”) that provide more information about the noun.
These sentences are common in spoken English to convey strong feelings. They’re less common in formal written English but might appear in dialogue or informal writing.
In the English Grammar Profile, such usage of ‘What’ falls under A2 level for expressing strong opinions.
The most common collocates in corpora are words like “great”, “waste”, “idea”, etc., often followed by infinitive phrases or prepositional phrases acting as adverbs.
This structure allows for a wide range of expressions, from surprise (“What a surprise!”) to disappointment (“What a waste of money!”) to admiration (“What a great idea for a party!”). It’s a versatile and expressive part of English grammar.
What a + NOUN PHRASE Read More »
There is some evidence that students who use text analysers do improve their English more than if they don’t use them. Ahmad, S., & Rawian, R. M. (2020). The effects of lexical profiling tools on academic writing performance. Asian Social Science and Humanities Research Journal (ASHREJ), 2(2), 96-106.
English language profiling tools Read More »
Defining relative clauses, also known as restrictive relative clauses, provide essential information about the noun they refer to. This information is crucial for defining or restricting the meaning of the noun.
When the noun refers to a person, ‘who’ is often used as the subject of a defining relative clause. For example, in the sentence “The woman who lives next door is a doctor,” ‘who’ is the subject of the clause and refers back to ‘the woman’. The clause “who lives next door” provides essential information about which woman is being referred to.
On the other hand, ‘that’ can also be used as a subject in defining relative clauses when referring to both people and things. For instance, in the sentence “He’s the man that saw me yesterday,” ‘that’ refers to ‘the man’, and the clause “that saw me yesterday” tells us which man is being referred to.
WHO | THAT subject pronouns in defining relative clauses 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 »
“Let’s + verb” in English is used to suggest a joint action, introduce a topic, propose hypothetical situations, acknowledge a fact, remind or emphasize a point, and transition to a new topic.
Until June 2021, the English Grammar Profiler tool that automatically tags grammar and vocabulary used both the EVP and the AWL for the same words which was making level prediction less accurate. Today we have removed the AWL tagging to allow for the full EVP to highlight its levels across vocabulary more accurately. Instead of
New Academic Word List vocabulary not in the English Vocabulary Profile Read More »
A comprehensive overview of how the relative pronoun “which” is used in English grammar.
The examples clearly illustrate the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses. In defining relative clauses, “which” provides essential information about the noun, as in “The book which lies on the table is mine.” In non-defining relative clauses, “which” provides additional information that doesn’t change the basic meaning of the noun, as in “I visited Paris, which is known for its beautiful architecture.”
The examples from the iWeb search also demonstrate how “which” can be used to connect discourse and introduce a clause that explains a result, inference, or consequence of a situation or fact. For instance, “Our team has won every match this season, which brings us to the top of the league.”
The AI-generated sentences using the corpus data are also very helpful in understanding how “which” can be used in various contexts. For example, “We’ve developed a system which allows users to easily track their progress.”
WHICH relative subject pronoun Read More »
Comparative clauses using ‘be’ + ‘like’ + a noun phrase are used to draw similarities between two things. The structure is typically: subject + be + like + noun/pronoun. For example, in the sentence “John is like a lion”, John is being compared to a lion, suggesting that he has similar qualities or characteristics. This structure can also be used with negation or adverbs followed by an infinitive clause, as in “It would be just like him to forget his keys at home”, indicating that forgetting his keys would be typical behavior for him. The phrase “I was like” is used colloquially to express a reaction or feeling. For instance, “When I saw the test results, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I aced it!’” expresses surprise and disbelief. This structure is common in English and can be found in various forms in different contexts.
BE + like + NOUN PHRASE Read More »
Negative interrogative clauses are interrogative sentences that are made negative. They are often used to imply that the speaker is expecting a certain answer or for emphatic effect. For example, “Aren’t you coming?” is a negative interrogative clause because it is a question that is made negative by the word “not”. Here is another difficult
negative interrogative clauses Read More »
Stance adverb phrases express the speaker’s attitude towards a statement. It covers four examples: “actually” (used to emphasize truth), “unfortunately” (expresses regret or bad news), “of course” (emphasizes that something is expected or well-known), and “I’m sorry” (expresses regret or softens an unpleasant statement).
actually | unfortunately | of course | I’m sorry Read More »
