in itself
The fixed expression “in itself” is used as an intensifier to emphasize the inherent qualities or significance of the subject matter.
B2
B2 or upper-intermediate students are around an IELTS 6. The language that they can produce nears the border of being able to start a university course in English. Click here to see a full list of all our B2 grammar topics.
THESE | THOSE ONES
Point 73 in the category of PRONOUNS is defined as: ‘these ones’, ‘those ones’ as a substitute for plural countable nouns which have already been mentioned or are obvious from the context. A look for * * these|those ones * * in the iWeb corpus: 1 ONE OF THOSE ONES WHERE YOU 29 The
THESE | THOSE ONES Read More »
OURS
In the EGP, there are several points in the category of PRONOUNS with the possessive pronoun ‘ours’: C1 Point 101: … in subject position B2 Point 72: … with singular and plural reference, in subject position. B2 Point 86 is the same except: … in object positions, and complement positions after ‘be’ and after prepositions.
It + appears | feels | looks | seems + CLAUSE
B2 PRONOUN
(SUBJECT) EMPTY ‘IT’ dummy ‘it’ with ‘appears’, ‘feels’, ‘looks’ and ‘seems’.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR PROFILE
It + appears | feels | looks | seems + CLAUSE Read More »
THOSE + relative clause
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 70 in the category of PRONOUNS & demonstratives is defined as: ‘those’ as a substitute, followed by a relative clause or ‘-ed’ or ‘-ing’. The examples in the EGP contain: those who|which|that on iWeb these are broken down as: 1 THOSE WHO 1715629 2 THOSE THAT 337742 3
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OR + indefinite pronouns (vague expressions)
A2 point 34 in the category of PRONOUNS: ‘something’ in vague expressions, to refer to things in a non-specific way. B2 point 69 in the category of PRONOUNS is defined as: indefinite pronouns in vague expressions to refer to things in a non-specific way. *The B2 examples given in the EGP are: or_CC anything_PN1 or_CC
OR + indefinite pronouns (vague expressions) Read More »
pronouns (gender neutral)
Point 68 in the category of PRONOUNS is defined as: ‘he/she’, ‘he’ or ‘she’ or ‘they’ to refer back to gender neutral singular nouns or indefinite pronouns when we are not sure of the gender. Unfortunately these are incredibly hard to locate in corpora due to the punctuation or many other combinations within the clusters.
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present simple to summarise (TAKES PLACE)
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 31 in the category of PRESENT is defined as: Present simple, STORIES AND COMMENTARIES, to summarise events or plot in a story or piece of history, often to give immediate dramatic interest. This usage is not really something that can be easily located in Corpora. However, both example
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present simple (speech act verbs)
Point 29 in the category of PRESENT is defined as: present simple with a wide range of speech act verbs, including ‘(dis)agree’, ‘accept’, ‘advise.’ A search on iWeb corpus for agree|disagree|accept|advise * * * * *does not really locate speech act theory since there are other uses of these verbs. In particular the most common
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simple prepositions (range)
When it comes to single word grammar points such as single-word prepositions, the English Vocabulary Profile is much better at explaining range than the English Grammar Profile. For that reason, this post will only cover the prepositions appearing in the EGP examples. A1 is defined: prepositional phrases with a preposition and a noun phrase. limited
simple prepositions (range) Read More »
fronted preposition + relative pronoun
Wh-relatives can be preceded by a preposition unlike ‘that’ or ‘zero’ relatives. For example: This is the thing which I am interested in. (stranded preposition) This is the thing in which I am interested. (fronted preposition) This is the thing that I am interested in. (stranding) This is the thing I am interested in. (‘zero’ relative pronoun and stranding) In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 12 in the category of PREPOSITIONs is defined as: preposition + relative pronoun as complement, to
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IF ONLY | WISH + past perfect simple
Point 79 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect simple, IMAGINED PAST, the affirmative form after ‘if only’, and the affirmative and negative forms after ‘wish’ to talk about regret. This is a rare match of grammar levels with Pearons’ GSE 62 B2: If only I’d worked harder. I wish we’d bought that house. if only * _vhd _vvn 1
IF ONLY | WISH + past perfect simple Read More »
past perfect continuous in a relative clause
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 78 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect continuous in relative clauses to give background information. For example: I was scrolling on social media, and I saw a friend who had been sharing positive news stories. TED A search in iWeb corpus for: who|that|which had been _vvg gives us the most common continuous verbs found in past perfect continuous relative
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past perfect simple in relative clauses
You can give background information in a past perfect simple relative clause. For example:
The people WHO ATTENDED the lecture knew about the test.
The teachers WHO HAD DEVELOPED the test explained what to study the night before.
past perfect simple in relative clauses Read More »
past perfect continuous + adverb ‘had already been doing’
B2 English Grammar Profile point 76 in the category of PAST is: past perfect continuous WITH ADVERBS in the normal mid position For example: I had just been doing some reading. listen An iWeb search for: had _rr been _vvg 1 HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKING 359 2 HAD ALREADY BEEN USING 210 3 HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN USING 122 4 HAD ALSO
past perfect continuous + adverb ‘had already been doing’ Read More »
past perfect simple (report of statements)
Point 75 in the category of PAST is defined as: Past perfect simple to report statements, where the main verb in the reporting clause is in the past simple. *This point overlaps B1. So we might surmise that ‘said’ and ‘told’ are B1 and other reporting verbs might be B2 within this structure. A search
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past perfect simple (ellipsis)
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 74 in the category of PAST is defined as: leave out the subject before the past perfect simple where it is understood from the previous clause. _c _had _vvn *However the common that clauses do not really locate ellipsis. 1 THAT HAD COME 3547 2 THAT HAD HAPPENED
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past simple (politeness)
Point 73 in the category of PAST is defined as: Past simple: ‘I wondered’ and ‘I wanted’ as politeness structures, when making polite requests and thanking. I wondered if * could * 1 I WONDERED IF IT COULD BE 52 2 I WONDERED IF I COULD DO 46 3 I WONDERED IF I COULD MAKE
past simple (politeness) Read More »
present perfect continuous
The landscape can get muddy when it has been raining.
present perfect continuous Read More »
past continuous + adverb (range)
This is another grammar point where the English Vocabulary Profile is probably better at profiling the language than the English Grammar Profile. There are a handful of adverbs that already make the task across levels quite difficult to follow. We then should consider the hundred other adverbs that appear in this ‘mid position’. A2 point
past continuous + adverb (range) Read More »