NOUNS

  • Nouns are words usually combined with determiners to be the subject or object of verbs.
  • Many nouns have an inflectional form with ...s, they can be singular or plural.
  • Nouns can be replaced with pronouns.
  • Nouns refer to physical objects, entities, abstract concepts, qualities, states, actions, or concepts.
  • Proper nouns are names, such as “John”, “Australia.”
  • Nouns make up more than a third of every text.

What a + NOUN PHRASE

A2, article, B1, CLAUSES, DETERMINERS, exclamations, indefinite, informal, NOUNS, opinion, phrases, spoken

Here are examples of exclamatory sentences starting with “What”. They express strong emotions or feelings.
“What” is a predeterminer that precedes the indefinite article “a”.
The phrases following “What a” are noun phrases, often modified by adjectives for emphasis (e.g., “great”, “wonderful”).
Many sentences are followed by adverbial phrases (e.g., “to save time”, “to be alive”) that provide more information about the noun.
These sentences are common in spoken English to convey strong feelings. They’re less common in formal written English but might appear in dialogue or informal writing.
In the English Grammar Profile, such usage of ‘What’ falls under A2 level for expressing strong opinions.
The most common collocates in corpora are words like “great”, “waste”, “idea”, etc., often followed by infinitive phrases or prepositional phrases acting as adverbs.
This structure allows for a wide range of expressions, from surprise (“What a surprise!”) to disappointment (“What a waste of money!”) to admiration (“What a great idea for a party!”). It’s a versatile and expressive part of English grammar.

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WHO | THAT subject pronouns in defining relative clauses

A2, CLAUSES, complements, complex, defining, NOUNS, phrases, PRONOUNS, relative, subject

Defining relative clauses, also known as restrictive relative clauses, provide essential information about the noun they refer to. This information is crucial for defining or restricting the meaning of the noun.

When the noun refers to a person, ‘who’ is often used as the subject of a defining relative clause. For example, in the sentence “The woman who lives next door is a doctor,” ‘who’ is the subject of the clause and refers back to ‘the woman’. The clause “who lives next door” provides essential information about which woman is being referred to.

On the other hand, ‘that’ can also be used as a subject in defining relative clauses when referring to both people and things. For instance, in the sentence “He’s the man that saw me yesterday,” ‘that’ refers to ‘the man’, and the clause “that saw me yesterday” tells us which man is being referred to.

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WHICH relative subject pronoun

A2, B2, CLAUSES, defining, modify, non-defining, NOUNS, phrases, post-modify, relative, subject

A comprehensive overview of how the relative pronoun “which” is used in English grammar.

The examples clearly illustrate the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses. In defining relative clauses, “which” provides essential information about the noun, as in “The book which lies on the table is mine.” In non-defining relative clauses, “which” provides additional information that doesn’t change the basic meaning of the noun, as in “I visited Paris, which is known for its beautiful architecture.”

The examples from the iWeb search also demonstrate how “which” can be used to connect discourse and introduce a clause that explains a result, inference, or consequence of a situation or fact. For instance, “Our team has won every match this season, which brings us to the top of the league.”

The AI-generated sentences using the corpus data are also very helpful in understanding how “which” can be used in various contexts. For example, “We’ve developed a system which allows users to easily track their progress.”

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pre-modified superlative phrase

ADJECTIVES, B1, DETERMINERS, NOUNS, phrases, range, superlative

Here are more advanced examples of premodified superlative phrases: It‘s the next best thing to having you beside me. listen It was the second-largest gold rush in American history. Rat Race Note, the phrase “the second largest” is a compound modifier, where “second” modifies “largest”. It usually takes a hyphen before its noun. US customs officials report that  tomato smuggling is at its highest level  since the Great Tomato War. listen its = B2 possessive determiner   In the English Grammar Profile,

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apposition

apposition, B1, NOUNS, phrases

Point 36 in the category of  NOUNS is defined as: two noun phrases together (in apposition) to refer to the same person or thing, usually separated by commas.   EXPERT EXAMPLES: With the lack of competition due to COVID restrictions, Moraga’s Campolindo High School senior, Daniel Zabronsky, has been channelling his energy into teaching English to students in Colombia, South America.   Zabronsky’s eighth-grade sister, Isabel, did her share of “tutoring” by speaking in English during visits to Colombia.

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noun + OF + noun + ‘S + noun

B1, complex, DETERMINERS, NOUNS, phrases, possessive

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 42 in the category of NOUNS is defined as: complex noun phrases with noun phrase + ‘of’ + noun phrase + possessive determiner ‘s + noun phrase.   PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Our chairs are on the opposite side of the doctor’s chair,  in front of the desk. Chinese female, Level 3 Writing Class. An iWeb search for: _NN of _NN _GE _NN

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too | so + much

B1, DETERMINERS, NOUNS, quantity, uncountable

We use too before an adjective or adverb to mean ‘more than we need or want’. For example:

This shirt is too big for me.
You are driving too fast.
We use too much or too many before a noun to mean ‘more than we need or want’. For example:

There is too much sugar in this cake. (uncountable noun)
There are too many people in this room. (countable noun)
We use so much or so many before a noun to mean ‘a large amount of something’. For example:

I have so much work to do. (uncountable noun)
She has so many friends. (countable noun)

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a little | bits of | a bit of | a bit of a | a little bit of

A2, amount, B1, British, DETERMINERS, informal, NOUNS, quantity, spoken, uncountable

‘BIT’ related to quantity is countable = a bit of … bits of … For example: By inserting those genes into yeast, we could produce little bits of that smell and be able to, maybe, smell a little bit of something that‘s lost forever. TED A2 in the English Vocabulary Profile: bit = a small amount or piece of something B1 in the Oxford Learner Dictionary: [countable] bit of something (especially British English) a small

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most | enough | plenty of + NOUN

B1, DETERMINERS, NOUNS, quantity, range

B1 Point 43 in the category of DETERMINERS is defined as: increasing range of quantifying determiners with both plural nouns and uncountable nouns (‘most’, ‘enough’, ‘plenty of’, ‘loads of’). *This overlaps another B1 point. PELIC WRITING CLASS EXAMPLES: Most students eat lunch and dinner in a cafeteria. Korean, Female, Level 3   In addition, the people who lived in Korea 100 years ago didn’t have enough transportation. Korean, Male, Level 3   *Note that

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several | a few of

B1, DETERMINERS, NOUNS, plural, quantity

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 39 in the category of DETERMINERS is defined as: wide range of quantifying determiners with plural nouns (‘several’, ‘millions of’, ‘a few of’). *Note that if ‘millions of’ is used as hyperbole, then it is a C1 point. TLC, Speaking test examples: There are very few sports cars in Sri Lanka. We don’t

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MY | YOUR + superlative + noun

A2, ADJECTIVES, NOUNS, phrases, PRONOUNS, range

The formation of noun phrases using ‘my’ or ‘your’ + superlative adjective + noun in English grammar.

A noun phrase acts as a noun and describes a noun, while a superlative adjective compares a noun to the rest of a group and indicates the highest degree of a quality.

For instance, in the sentence “That’s your biggest mistake,” ‘your biggest mistake’ is a noun phrase where ‘biggest’ is the superlative adjective and ‘mistake’ is the noun.

The text also provides examples of such phrases commonly used in English, such as “your best bet,” “my best friend,” “your best friend,” and so on. It mentions that using A2 vocabulary or higher in this structure will probably be considered B1 context.

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