adjective + TO infinitive + THAT clause
B2: SAFE TO SAY THAT | IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
adjective + TO infinitive + THAT clause Read More »
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.
lexical verb + IN + article + adjective + WAY (manner)
There are two points in the English Vocabulary Profile that relate to ‘way‘ in regards to manner: way MANNER C1[no plural] the manner in which someone behaves or thinks, or in which something happens For example: How do we measure changes in behavior in a meaningful way that‘s going to help us with prevention of disease, early onset of disease, and tracking the progression of disease over a long period of time? TED in a big way INFORMAL C2 used to say that someone or something
lexical verb + IN + article + adjective + WAY (manner) Read More »
twee
‘Twee‘ is unlisted in the English Vocabulary Profile. Google Oxford defines it as: BRITISH excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental. adverb: affectedly in a way that is artificial, pretentious, and designed to impress. adjective: quaint attractively unusual or old-fashioned. adjective sentimental of or prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia. — A search for collocates
can’t | couldn’t + very well + INFINITIVE
can’t/couldn’t very well do sth = used to say that something is not a suitable or practical thing to do
You can’t very well expect other people to be nice to you if you aren’t willing to lead the way.
English Vocabulary Profile at C2
can’t | couldn’t + very well + INFINITIVE Read More »
subjunctive THAT clauses
There is no mention of ‘subjunctive’ in the English Grammar Profile. There are some points such as the second conditional though that indirectly cover it. For this reason, we suggest that sentences using other subjunctive forms that are not conditional or listed elsewhere, be considered as C2. Here are that clause examples from Wikipedia: It‘s crucial that he be here by noon.
subjunctive THAT clauses Read More »
HAPPEN TO infinitive
In the English Vocabulary Profile at C1 ‘happen + to-infinitive‘ = do something by chance A search in the NOW corpus for: HAPPEN to _VVI 1 HAPPEN TO KNOW 1453 2 HAPPEN TO LIVE 1430 3 HAPPENED TO SEE 1172 4 HAPPEN TO THINK 1147 5 HAPPENED TO COME 1132 6 HAPPEN TO GET 1104 7
HAPPEN TO infinitive Read More »
all the time
This content aims to elucidate the meaning of the phrase ‘All the Time’ as it falls within the A2 proficiency level of English Vocabulary. It delves into its definition, emphasizing its continuous usage. The content offers real-life examples to illustrate its application and explores its collocates to provide a comprehensive understanding of the phrase.
C1 Advanced – reading test part 1
In the C1 advanced handbook, there is a practice test for Reading and Use of English Part 1: Multiple Choice Cloze. We put the text with the answers through our English Grammar Profiler on this website and the text is clearly C2. Next, we are taking a corpus-based approach to do the test to see
C1 Advanced – reading test part 1 Read More »
conventional wisdom
In the English Vocabulary Profile: conventional wisdom = C1 what most people believe Collocates in NOW corpus: 1 SAYS 948 2 SUGGESTS 509 3 HOLDS 419 When it comes to moral and political disagreements, conventional wisdom holds that people are more powerfully influenced by facts and statistics as opposed to personal anecdotes and experiences. wbur.org 4 CONTRARY 402 5 CHALLENGE 352 6 HELD 257 7 SUGGEST 238 8 WRONG 207 9 GOES 201 10 CHALLENGING 177
conventional wisdom Read More »
WISH + to-infinitive
In the English Vocabulary Profile, wish to do sth = B2 FORMAL to want to do something A search in the NOW corpus for: WISH _TO _VVI 1 WISH TO PERSONALISE 74195 2 WISH TO REPORT 30007 3 WISH TO CHANGE 10511 4 WISH TO RECEIVE 10259 5 WISH TO SEE 8383 6 WISH TO
WISH + to-infinitive Read More »
within + limits | reach | reason
Here are C2 phrases in the English Vocabulary Profile: A search in Now corpus: 1 WITHIN REACH 20327 = within somebody’s reach = possible for someone to achieve We are beginning to see that it is possible to unite beyond borders, that it is within our reach. TED 2 WITHIN REASON 3721 = acceptable and possible A search for collocates in COCA: 1 ANYTHING 23 There was nothing I wanted more and I was willing to do anything within reason to achieve that goal. Christian Science Monitor 2
within + limits | reach | reason Read More »
phrasal verb + clause ‘work out how you did it’
At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: work out = to understand something or to find the answer to something by thinking about it A search in NOW corpus for which ‘question words’ follow phrasal verbs: work out _*Q 1 WORK OUT HOW 12286 Just give us five minutes, Mr Poirot, and I‘m sure we‘ll be able to work out how you did it. listen 2 WORK OUT WHAT: I
phrasal verb + clause ‘work out how you did it’ Read More »
WORK AT + Verb-ing
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B2: work at sth = to try hard to achieve something A search in the NOW corpus for: WORK at _VVG 1 WORK AT GETTING 170 2 WORK AT MAKING 156 3 WORKS AT EXPERIENCING 126 4 WORKING AT GETTING 118 5 WORK AT KEEPING 94 6 WORK AT
WORK AT + Verb-ing Read More »
to-infinitive + noun phrase + comparative
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B2: to make matters worse = to make a situation more difficult, unpleasant, etc. If the most common example of to-infinitive + noun + comparative is listed at B2, then it would make sense that other less common should also be considered as B2. The closest form which is clearly
to-infinitive + noun phrase + comparative Read More »
GET + comparative
In the English Vocabulary Profile, listed at B1 is: get worse = to become more ill, unpleasant, difficult, severe, etc. than before For example: But if this thing gets worse, we must close. listen There is no English Grammar Profile point that specifically focuses on GET + comparative A search in NOW corpus for: GET _JJR 1 GET WORSE 42282 2 GETTING
fear the worst
Here’s an example of a C2 phrase in the English Vocabulary Profile that means: worry that something very bad will happen or that something very bad has happened We fear the worst. TED A search for collocates of ‘fear the worst‘ in the NOW corpus: 1 COME 126 2 YET 114 3 BEGAN 59 4 EXPERTS 31 Experts initially feared the worst.
worth + POSSESSIVE + while
At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: If it is worth your while doing something, it is useful or enjoyable to do it. A search in the NOW corpus for: * * worth _AP while 1 MAKE IT WORTH YOUR WHILE 738 2 MAKE IT WORTH THEIR WHILE 413 Adam Smith was convinced that human beings were by their very natures lazy, and wouldn’t do anything unless you made it worth their while, and the way you made it worth
worth + POSSESSIVE + while Read More »
would sooner + INFINITIVE
At C2 in the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘would sooner’ means ‘would prefer.’ For example: They would sooner sacrifice numbers to save the people. TED The most common collocate or grammar structure related here is comparative ‘than’. For example: I would sooner resign than be forced to get the vaccine. Chicago Tribune on MSN.com A search in the NOW corpus for which infinitives are found next to ‘would sooner’ would
would sooner + INFINITIVE Read More »
nowhere else
In the English Vocabulary Profile at B1, the adverb ‘nowhere‘ means ‘not anywhere’. At A2, ‘else’ means ‘in addition,’ ‘different’ or ‘other’. Together the words means ‘no other place‘ Collocates of ‘nowhere else‘ in the NOW corpus: 1 GO 5041 There was nowhere else to go after Australia. TED 2 THERE 3063 3 FOUND 1726 4 WORLD 1399 5 BECAUSE 1190
verb + adverb + verb + adverb + verb
While working on another piece of grammar, I noticed a complex piece of grammar that is not listed in the English Grammar Profile. There are many grammar points that are listed that are about adverbs in the middle position, but none about two which should be listed at C2. A search in iWeb corpus for
verb + adverb + verb + adverb + verb Read More »