Although ‘There is’ and ‘There are’ is an A1 elementary piece of grammar, the noun phrases as complements are quite difficult for English learners. The following sentences are corrected sentences from Thai students: There are many religions in Thailand. There are many different cultures and traditions. There are many fresh plants and beautiful flowers. See uncorrected versions here. Point 1 in the category of VERBS: there is/are + singular noun …
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 the following EXPERT EXAMPLE: Today, billions of citizens have more tools, more access to information, more capacity to influence than ever before. TED Pearson’s GSE 66 B2 structure is defined …
In the English Grammar Profile, there are two similar C2 points in the category of passives: Point 38: non-finite ‘-ing’ perfect forms of the passive as the complement of prepositions. Point 40: passive non-finite ‘-ing’ perfect forms in subordinate clauses to give explanatory background information. EXAMPLE: I feel like the luckiest person in the world, having been born at the intersection of great needs and great injustices and great opportunities to change them. TED An iWeb search for: …
Point 15 in the category of VERBS is defined: ‘there is’ and ‘there are’ + ‘a lot of’ + plural noun iWeb doesn’t allow for longer than 5 token searches: _EX _VB a lot of 1 THERE ARE A LOT OF 145235 2 THERE IS A LOT OF 69785 3 THERE ‘S A LOT OF …
Point 12 in the category of VERBS/patterns is defined: verbs, typically reporting verbs, followed by a noun or pronoun as the indirect object and a clause with or without ‘that’, as the direct object. *Note some of our search results are not indirect objects. However, the A2 complexity is still there with relative clauses. _VV …
Point 18 in VERBS/patterns: reporting verbs, especially mental process verbs, with a clause as the direct object, without ‘that’, especially in informal contexts. *notably, in the English Grammar Profile examples, all the verbs but ‘said’ are in the present tense. There are grammar points that use this same construction but in the past at higher …
Here is another English Grammar Profile point that overlaps multiple categories making it quite difficult to choose which criterion best suits. Point 40 in the category of CLAUSES is defined: AFFIRMATIVE INTERROGATIVE: (‘yes/no’ forms) with auxiliary ‘be’ and ‘have’. The EGP examples: Are you going to the new art class? Have you got a new dress for the party? Point 17 in the category of VERBS is defined: AUXILIARY VERBS …
Here are two A2 English Grammar Profile points in different categories. Point 39 in the category of CLAUSES is defined: affirmative imperative with the base form of a main verb Point 7 in NEGATION: negative imperatives of main verbs with ‘don’t’ + main verb. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Include every ingredient for every recipe on your grocery list. Then, take your list to the refrigerator or cupboard and check off the items you have on hand. After, prepare unique food for your guests. Keep it simple. Turkish female level …
Point 32 in the category of CLAUSES: non-finite subordinate clause with ‘to’, to introduce purpose PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: To learn English, just follow these steps. Arabic male level 3 writing class. An iWeb search for: . _TO * * * 1 . TO DO THIS , 35825 2 . TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 29344 3 . TO DO SO , 15803 …
point 29 in CLAUSES: ‘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 LOOK 31229 2 LET ‘S FACE IT , 17868 3 …
A2 point 52 in MODALITY: ‘could’ with a limited range of verbs to make suggestions. 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 _VVI 1 COULD GET 239338 TLC STUDENT …
Point 71 in the category of MODALITY: ‘must’ with the following verb ellipted where the previous main verb is understood *Ellipted subject is also B1. EXAMPLE of a following verb ellipted: We can do this because we must. An iWeb search for: * * * must_VM .|! *we have removed incorrectly tagged ‘must’ as a noun. 1 , IF YOU MUST …
Point 60 in MODALITY: ‘used to’ to talk about repeated actions or states in the past that are no longer true. Point 32 in VERBS: semi-modal auxiliary verbs, ‘used to’ and ‘ought to’ *We have already got dedicated pages to semi-modals: See an overview of ‘ought to‘ and ‘used to’ as semi-modal. Since we have …
Point 31 in the category of FUTURE is defined: ‘be going to’: increasing range of verbs to make predictions. * Note, there is no other entry for this structure with lexical verbs in the EGP. There are other points for a combination with adverbs though. So whether or not they are used for predictions doesn’t …
Point 14 in the category of NEGATION: negative forms of mental process verbs (‘I don’t think’, ‘I don’t believe’) followed by a complement clause, where the negative form is in the mental process verb rather than the complement clause An iWeb search for: _P _VD _X think|believe that_C 1 I DO N’T THINK THAT 20060 …
Let’s look at the most common examples of non-finite or ellipted claused used after ‘not’. Usually, we would say: I am not sure if it is possible. But we can remove the subject and verb to make an ellipted clause: Not sure if it is possible. We can also say: This is a petrol car …
‘Not sure if it is.’ (NOT + non-finite or ellipted clause) Read More »
There is no listing in the English Grammar Profile for a ‘wide‘ range of main verbs with present perfect simple. So, here’s an expert example of present perfect simple using academic collocation: In the course of my professional life, I have acquired knowledge and manual skill. (linotype.com) Here are some general range points in the English Grammar Profile in the category of …
Point 21 in the category of PRESENT/simple is defined: a limited range of speech act verbs, including ‘suggest’, ‘apologise’, ‘recommend’. *Some of these will clash with C1: suggest-recommend-insist + present-simple PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: In conclusion, I suggest that international students whose English abilities are not strong enough should study in the ELI for at least one term before attending colleges or universities. Chinese male – level 5 writing class. A search for: I suggest|recommend|apologize * …
Point 13 in the category of VERBS/phrasal-prepositional is defined as: ‘look forward to’ as a fixed expression followed by an ‘-ing’ form or noun phrase, usually at the end of correspondence. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: I am looking forward to getting your letter. Japanese female, level 3 writing class. A search in iWeb for: LOOK forward to * * 1 LOOK …
Point 26 in the category of PRESENT/simple is defined as: a limited range of reporting verbs, including ‘say’, ‘show’ EXPERT EXAMPLE: This map shows the presence of agriculture on planet Earth. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Some people say that money is the root of all evil, but I disagree with it. Korean male, writing class. _P show|shows|say|says * * * We have removed lines that are not informative: 12 IT SAYS ON …
