Focussing on certain elements of a sentence over others (giving prominence to a part) is usually done by arranging the elements in an unusual way.
The idiomatic phrase ‘many a’ or many an’ + a singular noun is a rare formal and literary structure meaning ‘a large number of’. C2 point 65 in the category of DETERMINERS and quantity is defined as: ‘many a’ or ‘many an’ + singular noun for emphasis and focus. *We noticed that this phrase often […]
A2 point 1 and the only point in the category of FOCUS / FRONTING is defined as: ‘a prepositional phrases in the front position for focus.’
“At the time, I had a girlfriend, so I didn’t talk to her.” This is an example of putting a prepositional phrase at the start of a sentence which is what pre-intermediate students can do.
fronted prepositional phrase Read More »
B1 FOCUS
‘IT’ + ‘BE’ ADJECTIVE + ‘THAT’ CLAUSE for focus.
English Grammar Profile
IT’S + adjective + THAT clause (focus) Read More »
“As you can see” is used to draw attention to something that is obvious or visible. For example, you might say “As you can see, the cat is sitting on the mat” or “As you can see, the results of the test are not good.”
“I can’t say” is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, you might say “I can’t say for sure when I’ll be finished with this project” or “I can’t say that I agree with your decision.”
“I can tell you that” is used to make a statement that is certain or factual. For example, you might say “I can tell you that the meeting will start at 10am” or “I can tell you that I’m not happy with the way things are going.”
“As you can imagine” is used to express something that is easy to understand or picture. For example, you might say “As you can imagine, I was very excited to get the job offer” or “As you can imagine, the traffic was terrible today.”
“I can say that” is used to make a statement that is true or accurate. For example, you might say “I can say that I’m very proud of my children” or “I can say that I’ve learned a lot from this experience.”
“I can assure you that” is used to express confidence or certainty. For example, you might say “I can assure you that I will do my best” or “I can assure you that your information is safe with me.”
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 163 MODALITY is defined as: ‘may’ in phrases such as ‘as you may know’, or ‘as you may have’ + ‘-ed’ to focus the reader on shared knowledge. This partly overlaps point 168 MODALITY and PAST AFFIRMATIVE of ‘may have’ + ‘-ed’ to talk about possibility in the
may have + PAST PARTICIPLE Read More »
Here’s a student example of an adjective followed by a ‘that’ clause. However, I am sure that the most useful English for you is American English. PELIC Korean male level 4 writing In the sentence above, the phrase “I am sure that” is an example of epistemic modality. Epistemic modality is a type of linguistic modality that deals with a
adjective + (that) clause Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 5 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘The thing, fact, point, problem, or reason + is (that)’ for focus. For example: The fact is I can’t take any more of your money unless I raise the rates on you. listen However, we believe the structure should not be limited to just the article ‘the’. For example: My point
The + thing | fact | point | problem | reason + is (FOCUS) Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 Point 4 in the category of FOCUS is defined as ‘The reason (that)’, ‘The place (which)’ + clause as subject + ‘be’ for focus. Expert examples: The reason you‘re alive today is because of those changes in our brains that took place in Africa. TED But the reason that a lot of his fans are in the stands is because of another video. listen Student in speaking
the reason that | the place which + CLAUSE Read More »
There are two overlapping points in the English Grammar Profile at B2 for ‘neither nor’. Point 104 in CLAUSES & coordinated is defined as: combine two main clauses of the same type using ‘neither’ in front or mid-position, followed by ‘nor’ to introduce the second clause, for emphasis. Point 15 in the Conjunctions & coordinating
neither nor coordinating Read More »
B2 example: Our volunteers know that the families who benefit from his generosity not only appreciate his action but take extra pleasure in knowing that it comes with the compliments of Mrs Brown, an iconic and internationally famous Dublin mother. C1 example: Not only did this virus continue in the places where they’d already become infected, but then it started to escalate and we saw the case numbers that you see here, something we’d never seen before on such a scale, an exponential increase of Ebola
A rarer grammar structure to do with adverbs, negation and inversion.
Never + inversion ‘Never have I…’ Read More »
