CLAUSES

  • A clause is traditionally defined as ‘SUBJECT + PREDICATE’.  The predicate is a verb or the part containing a verb and stating something about the subject.
  • Clauses are the next organisation of words after sentences.
  • A clause contains one or more phrases.
  • A clause can contain one or more other clauses inside it.
  • Clauses can be embedded in phrases.  For example, after the head noun followed by a ‘relative clause.’

suppose | supposing CONDITIONAL

C1, CLAUSES, conditional, imagine, imperatives, introduce

‘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

C2, CLAUSES, complements, FOCUS, likelihood, NOUNS, opinion, plural, probability

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 »

WHAT | WHATEVER noun clause

CLAUSES, NOUNS, PRONOUNS

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 »

subject + adverb + lexical verb + clause

ADVERBS, B2, CLAUSES, emphasis, mental, PRONOUNS, REPORTED SPEECH, VERBS

Most reporting or mental processing constructions that introduce object clauses are listed at A2 or B1 in the English Grammar Profile.  We believe that if adverbs are also included, this probably shows B2 ability.  To check this, we look in the TLC speaking tests and find that the most common example only starts being used at …

subject + adverb + lexical verb + clause Read More »

phrasal verb + clause ‘work out how you did it’

C2, CLAUSES, phrasal, VERBS

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 »

in order + to | for

B1, CLAUSES, infinitive, phrases, purpose

In the English Vocabulary Profile: in order (for sb/sth) to do sth B1 with the purpose of achieving something The most common collocates of ‘in order to’ in COCA: For example: Or is the concept of an afterlife just a lie in order to avoid the terror of obliteration? listen   In order for this all to work, you need to completely let me in. listen

conjunctive adverbs

ADVERBS, CLAUSES, CONJUNCTIONS, subordinate

We have an A2 and B1 grammar post about linking adverbs and subordinating conjunctions. However, sometimes in grammar, there are many terms such as ‘conjunctive adverb’ etc. According to Wikipedia: A conjunctive adverb, adverbial conjunction, or subordinating adverb is an adverb that connects two clauses by converting the clause it introduces into an adverbial modifier …

conjunctive adverbs Read More »

there it remains

emphasis, inversion

The difference between “it remains there” and “there it remains” is mainly in the word order and the emphasis. “It remains there” is a normal sentence with the subject “it” followed by the verb “remains” and the adverb “there”. It means that something continues to exist or stay in a certain place. “There it remains” …

there it remains Read More »

subject + verb

A1, active, affirmative, CLAUSES, declarative, NEGATIVE, simple

The usage of simple affirmative and negative declarative clauses in English, particularly focusing on the verb ‘be’.
Simple affirmative declarative clauses are basic statements in English. Examples include “We’re different” and “People see us as being different anyway”.
Negative statements of the main verb ‘be’, with contracted and uncontracted forms, are also at the A1 level. Examples include “I’m not a doctor” and “It’s not bad for a couple of lawyers”.
The text also provides a list of common phrases found in the iWeb corpus where a noun is followed by a verb, such as “People are” and “Problem is”.
A search in the NOW corpus for pronoun + lexical verb shows that the present tense is about as common as the past tense, with examples like “He said” (past tense) and “I think” (present tense).

IF clause + SHALL clause

C2, CLAUSES, conditional, MODALITY

Here’s an expert example of using a conditional clause + ‘shall’ clause to express modality: Come on, if we don’t share a similar social consciousness, how shall we discuss social problems? Listen to this sentence. C2 point 225 in the category of MODALITY is defined: ‘shall’ in the main clause after an ‘if-‘ clause conditionals Long open queries are impossible on iWeb, so here we first look for the …

IF clause + SHALL clause Read More »

defining relative clause TO infinitive

B1, CLAUSES, defining, GSE, infinitive, relative

Here’s an expert example of a defining relative clause using TO-infinitive: Several years earlier, she‘d become the first woman to ski to the South Pole. Listen to the sentence. The first woman to ski can be written in another way with the same meaning: the first woman who skied  Pearson’s GSE 56 B1+ is defined:  construct defining (restrictive) relative clauses with ‘to’ + infinitive verb …

defining relative clause TO infinitive Read More »

reduced adjective clause

ADJECTIVES, CLAUSES, defining, participle, PRESENT, reduced, relative

B1+ Reduced Adjective Clauses
We reduce sentences when you have the same subject in the main clause and the adjective clause.
Adjective clauses contain relative pronouns like who, which, or that. The reduced adjective clause
becomes an adjective phrase, which does not have a subject. An adjective phrase does not have a
subject and a verb. Instead, it has a present participle (base verb + ing) for the active voice or a past
participle for the passive voice.
(Mt. SAC Writing Center)

phrase ellipsis

B1, CLAUSES, CONJUNCTIONS, ellipsis, GSE, phrases

Here’s a student example of verb phrase ellipsis: You need to study hard to pass the test unless you don’t want to. PELIC Arabic female level 4 grammar class Although there are a number of grammar points in the English Grammar Profile to do with Ellipsis, there are none that cover the ellipsis of phrases before or after the ‘TO’ infinitive.  Therefore, we turn to Pearson’s GSE …

phrase ellipsis Read More »

MORE * THAN (complex comparisions)

B2, CLAUSES, comparatives, complex, GSE, non-finite

A simple comparison in English is “She is more important than you.” One way to make comparisons more complex is to increase the number of words between ‘more’ and ‘than.’  This could include nouns or adjectives followed by non-finite clauses such as in the following EXPERT EXAMPLES: Today, billions of citizens have  more tools, more access to information, more capacity to influence  than ever before. TED It‘s harder to compose than to play. TLC native …

MORE * THAN (complex comparisions) Read More »