In the English Vocabulary Profile ‘somewhat’ is listed at C1 as an ADVERB meaning ‘slightly’. It basically means ‘to some degree’. It can be used to hedge a statement or description. In other words, it can make what you say less forceful, or less definite. 1 SOMEWHAT (DD1) OF 29129 Yes, these interviews are somewhat of a formality, but I think it’s crucial we like-minded people get to know one another. listen […]
A search in iWeb corpus for: _V _RR _AT1 1 IS ALSO A 431112 It is also a legal requirement in most countries, but above everything else, it helps every business and every organization become more inclusive. 2 IS (VBZ) JUST (RR) A (AT1) 186187 3 IS (VBZ) STILL (RR) A (AT1) 126059 4 IS (VBZ) ALWAYS (RR) A (AT1) 99232 5 WAS (VBDZ) ALSO (RR) A (AT1) 98531 6 ‘S (VBZ) JUST (RR)
verb + general ADVERB + indefinite article + noun phrase Read More »
The text discusses the use of “so much” and “a lot” as adverbs of degree in English grammar. These phrases modify verbs to indicate a high degree or intensity of an action. For example, in the sentence “You bother me a lot”, “a lot” intensifies the verb “bother”. Similarly, in “He loved it so much that he continued to show up every week”, “so much” intensifies “loved” and the phrase “so much that” establishes a cause-effect relationship between the high degree of love and the action of showing up every week.
SO MUCH | A LOT adverbial phrases in end position Read More »
Words like ‘once’ and ‘twice’ can be predeterminers as multipliers. For example: “Once every two weeks” “Twice a day” A search in the iWeb corpus for: once _AT1 _NNT 1 ONCE A WEEK 75774 We are proposing to meet at least once a week and just to do as many collections as we can. listen 2 ONCE A MONTH 44242 3 ONCE A YEAR 43510 4 ONCE A DAY
See, this is really weird, but I had this feeling the minute that the phone rang, I said, Jackie, pick it up, you‘ve got a grandchild. listen Minute is usually a noun, but in the above usage ‘the minute + that CLAUSE‘ it means as soon as. Similary, in the next example, ‘any minute‘ means ‘very soon‘: Colin could you possibly find somewhere else to pray, your brother and sister will be here any minute now. listen 1 MINUTE (NNT1) 645067 (A1 noun) = 60 seconds.
In this post, we look at 5 ways the word ‘time’ is tagged by the CLAWS 7 tagger in the iWeb corpus: 1 TIME (NNT1) 24212119 (noun) * * time_NNT1 * * 1 AT THE TIME OF THE 94020 After all, where were you at the time of the murder? listen 2 THE SAME TIME. 51368 3 AT THE TIME.
TIME (complex adverbial phrases) Read More »
The word ‘to’ is most often before an infinitive or it is a simple preposition. A search in iWeb corpus for frequency data related to part of speech: 1 TO (TO) 240771826 infinitive marker _TO * * * * 1 TO BE ONE OF THE 87871 Everyone, this is our dear friend, Brian Bloom who also happens to be one of the most talented young writers. listen to this C1 example
A search on iWeb corpus for a much better _nn offers these most frequent B1 nouns: approach, bet, chance, choice, design, experience, method, mood, option, performance, position, product, quality, result, sense, situation, solution, system, user, value 1 A MUCH BETTER JOB 4957 2 A MUCH BETTER CHANCE 4140 The Motley Fool Canada Fortunately, those
a much better + NOUN Read More »
This is another post about two overlapping English Grammar Profile points at the same proficiency level that could be merged into one. Point 11 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘Not a’ + noun with a passive verb or inverted auxiliary and subject for focus. Point 29 in the category of NEGATION: ‘not
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
At A2 in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: a bit [singular] (used as an adverb) (especially British English) = rather; to some extent Here are comparative examples: You might need a bit more than that. Is that everything? I mean, it seemed like he said quite a bit more than that. Listen Now, let’s explain an expert example of the C1 grammar structure: ‘a bit’ + comparative adjective phrase. Remember that
(slightly | a bit | much) + COMPARATIVE Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 57 in the category of ADVERBs is defined as: degree adverbs to modify noun phrases. ‘Quite, rather and almost’ are found in the given example sentences, so we have examined them in the iWeb corpus: 1 QUITE A BIT 60525 ‘quite a bit’ is listed at B1 in
quite | almost | rather + NOUN PHRASE Read More »
B2 modify and intensify comparative ADJECTIVES with ‘a lot’.
used predicatively after a verb, usually ‘be’
English Grammar Profile
verb + A LOT + comparative adjective | adverb Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 61 in the category of ADJECTIVES is defined as: adjective phrases with ‘rather a’ + adjective, often in formal contexts A search in iWeb for rather a _JJ 1 RATHER A LONG 392 Further collocates 4 to the left and right: 1 TIME (NNT1 ) 187 2 WAY
rather a + adjective Read More »
Where to start teaching noun phrases to your beginner to pre-intermediate class?
article + adverb + adjective + noun Read More »
