Here’s an iWeb search for: _VV _P _I _P 1 THANK YOU TO EVERYONE 11555 This sounds like it is a shortened version of “a big thank you to everyone” in which case thank is a noun. 2 RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE 8607 3 SHARE IT WITH YOU 8590 4 GIVE IT TO YOU 5530 […]
lexical verb + pronoun + preposition + pronoun Read More »
Here are the results from the iWeb corpus for: _A _NN of 1 A LOT OF 3787315 A2 2 THE END OF 1984621 Everybody chokes sometimes. It‘s not the end of the world. listen 3 A NUMBER OF 1464260 I had a very good one for a number of years, thank you. listen 4 THE NUMBER OF 1194874 5 THE REST OF 1102466 6 A COUPLE OF 1090076
article + noun + OF Read More »
Here are the search results in the iWeb corpus for: _NN _I mind 1 PEACE OF MIND 92742 C2 “Peace of mind” is a noun phrase that means a feeling of being safe or protected, or a mental state of calmness or tranquility. For example: And it‘s peace of mind for me, you know? listen 2 STATE OF MIND 30565 It is my opinion that Senior Chief Kelly is
noun + preposition + MIND Read More »
A locative adverb is a type of adverb that refers to a location or to a combination of a location and a relation to that location. For example, here, there, inside, outside, etc. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and another word in the sentence. For example, in, on, at, by, etc.
locative adverb + preposition Read More »
The phrase “return to normal” means to go back to the way things were before a change or disruption. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as: After a natural disaster: “The city is slowly returning to normal after the hurricane.” After a pandemic: “We hope to return to normal soon after the pandemic
lexical verb + preposition + NORMAL Read More »
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. A preposition + noun combination is called a prepositional phrase, which can act as an adjective or an adverb.
preposition + noun Read More »
A search in the NOW corpus for: of _D _NN 1 OF THIS YEAR 347705 A1? Until March of this year, I remained convinced that the denials were true and that the charges of involvement by members of the White House staff were false. listen 2 OF THIS ARTICLE 159611 3 OF ALL TIME 157121 superlative + of all time Enzo Ferrari will go down in history as the greatest car manufacturer of all time. listen 4 OF THESE COOKIES 154496 You have got to try one of these cookies. listen
OF + determiner + noun Read More »
We are interested in finding the most common noun phrases after ‘open to‘ that complete more abstract ideas such as willingness to consider something or something is likely to happen. In the English Vocabulary Profile: open to discussion/suggestions, etc. = C1 willing to consider a discussion/suggestions, etc. open to abuse/criticism, etc. = C2 likely to
OPEN TO ( adjective + prepositional phrase ) Read More »
The CLAWS tagger does not always tag the difference between adjectives and past participles perfectly, so we do a search in the iWeb corpus with the query: _VB *ed to_II 1 IS COMMITTED TO 117911 C2 adjective It‘s true, I could use someone who is committed to putting an end to Mr. White. Live by Night 2 BE ADDED TO 115128
BE + *ed + to PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE Read More »
I have little to no interest in politics. (I have very little or no interest in politics.)
There is next to no evidence for his claim. (There is almost no evidence for his claim.)
She left but to no avail. (She left but it was useless.)
( LITTLE | NEXT | BUT ) TO NO + noun Read More »
At A2 level in the Oxford learner’s dictionary, ‘All’ as an adverb can mean ‘completely’.
Adverbs pre-modifying prepositions are found at A2, B1, and C1 levels in the English Grammar Profile.
The iWeb corpus was searched for ALL + prepositional phrases using the pattern _DB _II _A _NN. However, not every result represents ‘all’ as an adverb.
Some of the most common phrases include ‘All around the world’, ‘All across the country’, and ‘All along the way’, among others.
Each phrase is used in a unique context. For example, ‘All around the world’ is often used when referring to a global phenomenon or distribution, as in “Television rights have been sold all around the world”. Similarly, ‘All along the way’ can be used to indicate a consistent pattern or presence across a process or journey, as in “Black girls are overrepresented all along the way”.
ALL + preposition + noun phrase Read More »
Here are advanced examples of verbs + ‘WITH phrases‘: You hope for the best, then make do with what you get. listen A man threatens you with a gun, you break his neck, we can’t call the police, but it‘s nothing to do with me. listen DO WITH 796814 To find out which lexical verbs are most often followed by a ‘with PHRASE‘, we do a search in the iWeb corpus for: _VV with 1 WORK WITH 976989 A1 verb
C2 example: Our country owes its creation to a man they declared insane. listen C1 example: And he will do his damndest to put your mind at rest. listen An iWeb search for: _VV _APPGE _NN to_II 1 MAKE YOUR WAY TO 9604 B2 Please make your way to the nearest exits. listen 2 MAKE THEIR WAY TO 6953 3 MADE THEIR WAY TO 6103 4 CHANGED ITS NAME TO 5283 B2 possessive determiner
lexical verb + possessive determiner + noun + TO prepositional phrase Read More »
In this post, we are looking at more advanced uses of the ‘preposition + article + noun phrase‘ structure. For example: I just came on the spur of the moment. listen I was just in the mood for a little conversation. Even Money My life has been extraordinarily blessed with marriage and children and certainly interesting work to do, whether it be at the University of Sydney Law School, where I served a term as dean, or now as I sit on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in Geneva. TED Someone‘s in a mood. listen Your mother will be over the
preposition + article + noun Read More »
I don’t get time for a cup of coffee? Nobody’s Fool A search in iWeb corpus for: _VV _NN _II 1 TAKE PART IN 104907 What brought you to take part in this outrage? listen 2 PAY ATTENTION TO 93080 Don’t pay attention to him. Pay attention to me. listen 3 TAKE PLACE IN 63015 Our marriage will take place in the Poconos. listen 4 TOOK PLACE IN 55684 5 TAKES PLACE
lexical verb + noun + preposition Read More »
A search in the iWeb corpus for: at _APPGE _NN 1 AT HIS HOME 25665 *Although this is basic grammar, it often reports the locations of crimes such as murder. For example: A man has been shot dead at his home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs last night. listen 2 AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 24481 C2 What’s it like to have such power at your fingertips? listen 3 AT YOUR DISPOSAL 17599
preposition + possessive determiner + noun Read More »
One could argue that being able to front the following ‘indefinite’ time phrases shows evidence of a higher CEFR level. A search in iWeb corpus for: . _II _NNT2 , 1 . AT TIMES, 11672 C1 → C2 She still misses him at times, but we all do. listen Kit accused me of only being along for the ride while at times I wished he‘d fall in the river and drown, so I could watch. At times, I actually like it. listen 2 . WITHIN
prepositon + plural time Read More »
A search in the NOW corpus for: at_II _AT1 _NN 1 AT A TIME 475982 2 AT A PRESS 98426 3 AT A COST 80801 4 AT A MEETING 65340 5 AT A NEWS 61714 6 AT A PRICE 54148 7 AT AN EVENT 49461 8 AT A CAGR 44712 9 AT A RATE 41236
AT + indefinite article + noun Read More »
A search in NOW corpus for: _VB _XX at _NN _TO 1 ARE NOT AT LIBERTY TO 260 2 ‘M NOT AT LIBERTY TO 220 Who‘s your client? I‘m not at liberty to say. listen 3 AM NOT AT LIBERTY TO 217 4 IS NOT AT LIBERTY TO 149 5 WAS NOT AT LIBERTY TO 118 6 ‘RE NOT
BE + at + NOUN + to INFINITIVE Read More »
