CEFR

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is one standard for describing English language ability. It is divided from A1 for beginners to C2 for mastery. English Grammar Pro uses this for all of its grammar posts.

BOTH | A FEW

B1, object, PRONOUNS, subject

Point 61 in the category of PRONOUNS/quantity is defined as: ‘BOTH’, ‘A FEW’, ‘ANOTHER’ as subject and object pronouns. *We have covered the use of ‘another’ here. A search in iWeb corpus for: . both _V 1 . BOTH ARE 48684 2 . BOTH HAVE 15241 3 . BOTH WERE 15188 4 . BOTH WILL

BOTH | A FEW Read More »

THOSE

B1, demonstrative, mentioned, phrases, plural, PRONOUNS

In the English Grammar Profile, there are two almost identical B1 grammar points for ‘those’ in the category of PRONOUNS/demonstratives Point 46 is defined as: ‘those’ as a pronoun with plural reference. Point 62: ‘those’ as a pronoun to refer to things which have already been mentioned. An iWeb search for: * * * those

THOSE Read More »

as * as + mine | yours

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, B1, CLAUSES, comparatives, possessive, PRONOUNS, singular

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 63 in the category of PRONOUNS is defined as: possessive pronouns ‘mine’ and ‘yours’, with singular reference, in comparative clauses after ‘(not) as … as’. *The following example does not have a singular reference, and the use of ‘yours’ is A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile. They‘re not as complicated as

as * as + mine | yours Read More »

this one | that one

B1, countable, demonstrative, NOUNS, PRONOUNS, singular, substitution

In English grammar, “this” and “that” are demonstrative pronouns used to refer to specific things or people. “This” refers to something close to the speaker, while “that” refers to something farther away. Both can also refer to situations or experiences.

The pronoun ‘one’ can substitute for a singular noun, helping avoid repetition. For example, “I prefer the red apple, not the green one”.

When combined with “this” or “that”, as in ‘this one’ or ‘that one’, they refer to a specific, previously mentioned singular countable noun. ‘This one’ refers to something closer in distance or time, while ‘that one’ refers to something further in distance or time.

For instance, in the sentence “Get a new photo. You look like a ghost in this one,” “this one” refers to the current photo of the person being spoken to. Similarly, in the sentence “I learned the answer to that one the hard way,” “that one” refers to a particular issue or challenge that the speaker encountered and learned from through a difficult experience.

this one | that one Read More »

or something else?

alternative, B1, non-specific, NOUNS, phrases, QUESTIONS, vague

Point 15 in the category of QUESTIONs is defined as: VAGUE alternative question with ‘or something else’ as the second alternative to a noun phrase, to refer to something non-specific. FOR EXAMPLE: Ultimately, does longer life as we know it come down to diet, exercise, medicine, or something else? A search in iWeb for: _N or something else ? 1 ISSUE OR SOMETHING ELSE ?

or something else? Read More »

NEGATIVE QUESTIONS with MODAL VERBS

B1, MODALITY, NEGATIVE, QUESTIONS

Here’s a very advanced hypothetical conditional example of using a negative modal verb phrase in a question: If worms were evading the vibrations,  wouldn’t they burrow deeper instead? listen Here are simpler examples of negative modal questions: Now who wouldn’t want that? listen Won’t you join me? listen Shouldn’t we save everything we can on the lifeboats? listen Question tags are also B1: Your life would be pretty different, wouldn’t it? listen Here are B2 examples: Wouldn’t that be cool? listen Why, if we knew this was going to happen every year,  why couldn’t we just do something to make sure that we were safer?

NEGATIVE QUESTIONS with MODAL VERBS Read More »

plus

addition, advantage, B1, CLAUSES, CONJUNCTIONS, NOUNS, numbers, sentence

The use of the conjunction ‘plus’ is covered by two different B1 grammar points in the English Grammar Profile. Point 14 in CONJUNCTIONS/coordinating is defined as: ‘PLUS’ WITH NOUNS often in relation to numbers. The home offers four bedrooms plus a study which could be a potential fifth bedroom. bendigoadvertiser.com.au   Point 12 is: ‘plus’ to connect clauses and sentences, often to point out a positive addition or

plus Read More »

get + PAST PARTICIPLE

B1, particle, PASSIVES

Passive ‘GET‘ + past participles is a way of using ‘get’ instead of ‘be’ in the passive voice in informal spoken English. It often refers to accidental or unexpected actions that we don’t want.  For example: If we don’t get caught,  it‘s not gonna matter who it was we stole from,  and we‘re not going to get caught. listen She got hit by a car. listen Oh, that‘s so nobody accidentally gets thrown out. Accepted   In the

get + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »