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ALL + clause (the only thing) ‘all I can say is…’

‘All’ with the meaning ‘the only thing’ is listed at B1 in the English Vocabulary Profile. For example: All I can say is I‘m sorry. listen   All it does is tire your mind and stops you thinking for yourself. listen   That‘s all I can suggest. Stranger Than Fiction An iWeb search for: All * _VM _VVI _VB 1 ALL I CAN SAY IS 19460 2 ALL WE CAN SAY IS 1135 3 ALL […]

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imperative

Imperatives Defined:
Imperatives are commands or orders expressed as a grammatical mood in English.
They instruct someone to do something or refrain from doing it.
For instance, “Sit down,” “Listen carefully,” or “Don’t shout.”
Examples:
Affirmative Imperatives:
“Now, wait a minute.”
“Sit down, Zero.”
Negative Imperatives:
“Don’t shout; you’ll wake the children.”
Politeness and Tone:
Imperatives can vary in tone:
Forceful: “Stop!” (Direct command)
Polite: “Please open the window.” (Adding “please” softens the tone)
Offering Help: “Let me find you something.” (Using “let” to offer assistance)
Subject and Implied Subject:
Imperatives often imply the subject:
“Make me a pizza.” (Subject: “Anthony”)
Sometimes, the subject is explicit:
“Hey Anthony, make me a pizza.”

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declarative COULD ( past ability | suggestion | possibility ) with a range of verbs

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.

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VERB + DIRECT OBJECT + to INFINITIVE

This post contains an example of overlapping B1 grammar points located inside two different categories in the English Grammar Profile (EGP). EGP B1 point 6 in the category of REPORTED SPEECH is defined as: REPORTED REQUESTS AND COMMANDS with ‘ask’ or ‘tell’ + direct object and ‘to-‘infinitive EGP B1 point 38 in the category of

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If + PRESENT SIMPLE + MODAL CLAUSE

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 74 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: PRESENT SIMPLE ‘IF’ CLAUSE + MODAL, FUTURE, POSSIBLE OUTCOME: introduce a possible future condition, with modal verbs in the main clause, to talk about a possible result. A search in TED corpus for expert examples: If you‘ve got a couple of final words you want to share, that would be great. listen So if you look that up, you can hear more of those tunes. listen PELIC

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IF clause + imperative ( hedging )

Hedging is a technique used in English to express politeness and indirectness. It involves using certain words or phrases to soften the impact of what we’re saying or writing, making it less direct or categorical. The ‘if-’ clause (‘if you want’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’) is a common form of hedging used to soften the directness of

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do + VERB (emphasis)

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 79 in the category of CLAUSES is defined as: auxiliary verb ‘do’ in an affirmative declarative clause, for emphasis and affirmation. *Note that ‘did’ for emphasis is C1. A search in iWeb for: do _VVI 1 DO KNOW 89665 2 DO GET 69098 3 DO THINK 68682 I do think that it is important for people who are being

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CAN + limited range of adverbs

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 120 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘can’ with a limited range of adverbs (including ‘also’, ‘always’, ‘even’, ‘just’, ‘only’, ‘really’, ‘still’) in the normal mid position after the modal verb. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Some old people can only sit on the wheelchair. Chinese female level 3 writing class. A search on iWeb for: can_VM

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the best + NOUN + to INFINITVE

Regardless of what your government decides,  the best way to prevent food waste  is to eat what you buy! TED In this sentence, “the best way to prevent food waste” means the most effective or desirable method that can avoid throwing away food that could be eaten. This highlighted pattern can replace a defining relative clause that identifies the noun. For example: She is the best teacher to

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past simple negative

A2 English Grammar Profile point 10 in the category of NEGATION is defined as: negative statements of main verbs in the past simple with ‘didn’t’ + main verb A search in iWeb for: did n’t _VVI 1 DID N’T KNOW 189531 2 DID N’T WANT 163517 3 DID N’T GET 103113 4 DID N’T THINK

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