Author name: English Grammar Pro

I am an English Grammar Pro.

suppose | supposing CONDITIONAL

‘Suppose‘ can mean let’s imagine or consider the following situation or example.  For example: Suppose they rejected an 18th-century classification system  and incorporated instead the most advanced knowledge  of human genetic diversity and unity,  that human beings cannot be categorized  into biological races. TED It’s almost as if this imperative subordinates the whole sentence.  And we are waiting for the following result clause or sentence.  ‘that‘ can be used or not used. Suppose that the variants reach a hypothetical isolated city of 1 million people  who are completely susceptible to both viruses on the same day. TED Supposing, for example,  […]

suppose | supposing CONDITIONAL Read More »

plural noun phrase + ARE + THAT clause

Here is an example of B2 focus with a singular noun phrase at the front of a sentence: The problem is that she wants a bottle of red wine. listen It is easy to find information about singular noun phrases + that clauses on the internet: We use a noun + that-clause to express opinions and feelings, often about certainty and possibility. We

plural noun phrase + ARE + THAT clause Read More »

particularizers

Particularizers are a category of adverbs that focus attention on what follows them, without excluding other possibilities. They are used to modify verbs and adjectives and can be found at different levels of English Vocabulary Profile such as A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
The TED corpus has some examples of particularizers used in natural chunks. For example, “especially when it comes” is a 4-gram chunk that is at least C1 level. “Largely due to” is another 3-gram chunk that is at least C1 level. “Mainly because” is a 2-gram chunk that is at least B2 level.

particularizers Read More »

all in one | one by one

In this post, we look at adverbial phrases with the pronoun  ‘one‘.  In the English Vocabulary Profile: (all) in one = C2 combined into a single thing one by one= B2 separately, one after the other Frequency in iWeb corpus: one by one 135405 all in one 60329 For example: What if they asked,  you could use them as a living probiotic drink  and health monitor, all in one? TED

all in one | one by one Read More »

WHAT | WHATEVER noun clause

In the English Vocabulary Profile at B1, listed as pronouns: WHAT = THE THING = used to refer to something without naming it WHATEVER = anything or everything However, one of their examples is a cleft for focus: What I like most about her is her honesty.  is C1 when it is a noun CLAUSE subject. Similarly, we cover ‘whatever’ in more detail

WHAT | WHATEVER noun clause Read More »

OF + determiner + noun

A search in the NOW corpus for: of _D _NN 1 OF THIS YEAR 347705 A1? Until March of this year,  I remained convinced that the denials were true  and that the charges of involvement  by members of the White House staff were false. listen 2 OF THIS ARTICLE 159611 3 OF ALL TIME 157121 superlative + of all time Enzo Ferrari will go down in history  as the greatest car manufacturer of all time. listen 4 OF THESE COOKIES 154496 You have got to try one of these cookies. listen

OF + determiner + noun Read More »

OPEN TO ( adjective + prepositional phrase )

We are interested in finding the most common noun phrases after ‘open to‘ that complete more abstract ideas such as willingness to consider something or something is likely to happen. In the English Vocabulary Profile: open to discussion/suggestions, etc. = C1 willing to consider a discussion/suggestions, etc. open to abuse/criticism, etc. = C2 likely to

OPEN TO ( adjective + prepositional phrase ) Read More »

TAKE * noun TO infinitive

A search in the NOW corpus for TAKE * _NN1 _TO _VVI 1 TOOK TO TWITTER TO SHARE 5632 UNLISTED  And fans were angry  and they took to Twitter  with the hashtag #WeWantLeia. TED 2 TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK 5134 B2 We want to take this opportunity to thank you for coming  and taking the time to pay your respects. listen 3 TOOK TO TWITTER TO EXPRESS 3331 4 TAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE 2530 5 TAKES A VILLAGE TO

TAKE * noun TO infinitive Read More »

adjective + ORDER

In this post, we search for the most common adjectives found before the noun ‘order‘.  For example: Now, that might sound pretty good, but ask yourself  what would happen  under our current economic and political order? TED A search in the NOW corpus for _J order_N 1 PUBLIC ORDER 37962 2 RESTRAINING ORDER 35066 3 STAY-AT-HOME ORDER 21381 4 NEW ORDER 20398 5 MIDDLE ORDER 16531 6 INTERIM

adjective + ORDER Read More »

-ise SUFFIX

The “-ise” suffix is a common spelling variant of the verb-forming suffix “-ize.” It is primarily used in British English, while in American English, the corresponding spelling is “-ize.” The suffix “-ise” (or “-ize”) is added to the end of a noun or adjective to create a verb form. For example, real ⇒ realise advert

-ise SUFFIX Read More »

or other

The phrase “or other” is a type of ellipsis, which is a grammatical omission of words that are understood from the context. In this case, the omitted words are the specific details about something that are not important or have been forgotten. The phrase “or other” serves as a placeholder for those details, allowing the speaker or writer to communicate the general idea without having to be specific.

or other Read More »