If you want to make an unenthusiastic suggestion or say you are not enjoying, interested in, or approving of something, then you can use this grammar structure with ‘may as well‘ or ‘might as well‘. Here are some examples. The first is a student speaking test example: You might as well just open the door to an unknown person. TLC female Mexico B2 Expert …
In the English Grammar Profile, A2 point 29, in the category of CLAUSES is defined: ‘let’s’ + base form of a main verb, for first person plural imperatives to make a suggestion PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Let’s discuss each change and see some examples of them. Arabic male level 5 writing class. An iWeb search for: Let_VM21 * * * * 1 LET ‘S TAKE A …
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 92 in MODALITY is defined as: ‘might’ to make polite suggestions and give advice. We cannot automatically check a corpus for usage, but we can follow the EGP examples which both contain the pronoun ‘you’. An iWeb search for: You might * * * 1 YOU MIGHT BE …
A2 point 52 in MODALITY: ‘could’ with a limited range of verbs to make suggestions. A2 point 27 in MODALITY: negative form B1 point 78 in MODALITY: affirmative form of ‘could’ to talk about ability. B1 point 79 in MODALITY: ‘could’ with an increasing range of verbs to make suggestions. An iWeb search for: could …
Questions with shall are difficult to differentiate across A2 and B1 in the English Grammar Profile. They also overlap across categories. Here we give their examples with the details of the grammar entry. Whether or not advice is being sought after, is at both levels. The main formal difference is that most of the A2 …
Here are two English Grammar Profile points at A2 that overlap formally. Point 9 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined: ‘if’ + present simple, with an imperative in the main clause. Point 22 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: HEDGING: ‘if-‘ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) to soften the directness of …
How | What + about + NOUN PHRASE ? = A2 suggesting or offering something to someone | B1 ask for someone’s opinion on a particular subject (EVP)
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 67 in the category of CLAUSES/interrogatives is defined as:
questions with a ‘wh-‘ word as the subject, without an auxiliary verb.
May I BE SO BOLD AS TO ASK why you want to understand this grammar?
Would you BE SO KIND AS TO GIVE me a lift down to the book store?
This very formal grammar is used in polite requests.
C1 English Grammar Profile point 62 in the category of FUTURE is defined as: present simple after speech act verbs expressing suggestions and obligation. For example: l cannot recommend that you go heliskiing. listen But remember where we left off because I insist you finish later. listen This is not easily located formally in corpora but we can start with a search in iWeb for the speech act verbs …
Here’s a student example of using ‘should’ with explanations: Finally, I think people should not watch TV a lot because that is going to affect their life in many ways, such as their work and their health. PELIC Arabic male in level 3 writing class. We can give a CEFR level to the clause ‘people should not watch TV‘ in many ways. It is A2 because: ‘should not‘ is a negative form of a …
This post is another one where the English Grammar Profile has clashing proficiency levels associated with a point and in the examples. Here we are looking at the category of QUESTIONS. It is understandable that usage is what is different, but the examples could be better selected: B2 Point 29: ‘wh-‘words + the negative form …
In the English Grammar Profile, A2 point 55 in MODALITY is defined as: ‘it would be’ to make suggestions. *However, this seems like more advanced grammar related to clefts. A search in iWeb for: it would be _jj 1 IT WOULD BE NICE 50238 2 IT WOULD BE GREAT 34095 NEWS.com.au Ben Brown: North forward’s knee …
There are three negative points in the English Grammar Profile at C2 Modality that are quite rare. Point 215 is defined as: negative form ‘ought not to’ Point 226: CONTRACTED NEGATIVE ‘oughtn’t’ (without ‘to’) + verb Point 235 ‘ought’ + subject + ‘not to’ + verb to form (rhetorical) questions, often in formal contexts. *Point …
Here are two student examples of using semi-modal ‘have to’ to express whether something is required or necessary. Another thing is you have to make sure that you have included signal words to help the reader. PELIC Arabic female level 3 writing class. I mean if someone wears something, you don’t have to wear that because she or he wears it. TLC male Spain B1 speaking test. *Note, the reduced clause ‘you don’t have to‘ is the 9th most …
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 87 in the category of CLAUSES and related to imperatives is ‘let’s not’ + base form of a main verb to make a suggestion. 1 LET ‘S NOT FORGET 13135 1 LET’S NOT FORGET THAT THIS IS 65 2 LET (VM21) ‘S (VM22) NOT (XX) FORGET (VVI) THE …
There are four entries in the English Grammar Profile that capture “May I…?” Point 97 are polite questions. They probably are not really asking for permission. 119 is literally asking for permission. Yet, for the purposes of designating a complexity level, this matters little. The interpretation of this structure becomes more difficult once we jump …
