explain - English Grammar Profiler

Verb + question word + to infinitive ‘learn how to use’

ADVERBS, infinitive / build, create, deal, expect, explain, handle, how, know, learn, manage, set, to, turn, use, VVI, what, when, where

The WH-adverbs: such as ‘how’, ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘why’ are often called ‘question words’ because they typically introduce interrogative sentences. However, in this post, we look at the way they introduce other clauses: A search in iWeb for: _V _*Q _TO _VVI 1 LEARN HOW TO USE 24468 Learn how to use it. (EVP A2 how = …

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abstract concepts 2856

ACL / ability, abstract, communicate, complex, concept, concepts, concrete, difficult, explain, grasp, ideas, language, mathematics, objects, PELIC, rather, represent, such, tangible, understand, understanding, visual

STUDENT EXAMPLE: The professor tries to explain the abstract concept of freedom. PELIC Arabic male level 5 writing class The plural form is more common in iWeb corpus: 1 ABSTRACT CONCEPTS 2856 2 ABSTRACT CONCEPT 1883 further collocates in iWeb: 1 CONCEPTS 2978 2 AN 1170 3 SUCH 302 4 UNDERSTAND 183 5 CONCRETE 149 6 RATHER 102 7 UNDERSTANDING 101 8 ABILITY 74 …

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modal verb (question)

A2, CLAUSES, interrogatives, MODALITY, QUESTIONS / add, anyone, apply, believe, can, consider, cost, could, decide, describe, expect, explain, guess, imagine, like, mind, prefer, provide, receive, recommend, shall, share, should, someone, suggest, VM, VVI, will, wish, would

Here are more overlapping points across the English Grammar Profile. We have included their examples when needed too elaborate: A2 point 14 in CLAUSES: AFFIRMATIVE interrogative clauses (‘yes/no’ forms) with modal auxiliary verbs. Would you like to come with me? Will you go with me? Can I come tomorrow to collect it? (Can you|we…? is listed at A1) Shall we meet at 7.30 pm? (Here are …

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COULD (range)

A2, ability, affirmative, B1, MODALITY, range, suggestion, VERBS / add, allow, apply, argue, become, benefit, bring, build, call, care, consider, continue, cost, could, create, cut, explain, fall, fit, handle, happen, hold, imagine, improve, include, increase, keep, lead, lose, mean, move, offer, pick, produce, prove, provide, pull, reach, receive, reduce, result, save, sell, serve, set, share, spend, stand, try, turn, VM, VVI, win, work, XX

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 …

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TO HAVE TO

B1, infinitive, MODALITY / accept, act, adapt, add, adjust, admit, agree, assume, battle, beat, become, bite, break, bring, build, call, cancel, charge, check, compete, compromise, consider, continue, convince, cover, create, cut, deal, decide, defend, deliver, develop, dig, disagree, drop, earn, endure, expect, experiment, explain, fight, figure, fill, fix, focus, follow, force, grow, happen, hate, have, hire, hit, hold, hope, improve, include, increase, invest, jump, keep, kill, let, likely, lose, manage, mess, move, offer, order, overcome, pass, PELIC, perform, pick, plan, prepare, produce, prove, provide, pull, purchase, push, quit, raise, realize, rebuild, remove, replace, return, save, score, search, sell, set, settle, share, shoot, shut, sign, solve, sort, spend, stand, step, stick, suffer, switch, throw, to, trust, try, turn, upgrade, win

Point 117 in the category of MODALITY is defined: ‘have to’ as an infinitive form *This will overlap sometimes with B2 adjectives followed by an infinitive. PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: A child is very expensive, this causes parents to have to work more, which can lead to frustration and anger. Taiwanese female, level 4 writing class. An iWeb search for: * _TO have _TO _VVI 1 GOING TO HAVE TO GET 4269 …

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may | might (modal verbs)

A2, affirmative, FUTURE, MODALITY, possibility, PRESENT, weak / add, allow, appear, apply, become, benefit, bring, call, charge, collect, consider, contact, contain, continue, create, decide, develop, enter, exist, experience, explain, fall, happen, hold, include, increase, involve, lead, lose, may, mean, might, notice, offer, order, PELIC, prefer, prevent, produce, prove, provide, receive, recommend, reduce, remain, request, require, result, return, seem, serve, share, sound, suggest, try, turn, VM, VVI, wish

A2 points 34 and 48 in the category of MODALITY are defined as: ‘may‘ to talk about weak possibility referring to the present and the future affirmative A2 point 47: ‘might’ … weak possibility. An iWeb search for: may_VM _VVI 1 MAY NEED 294017 2 MAY WANT 253501 3 MAY TAKE 159078 4 MAY INCLUDE 156112 …

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LET | MAKE + Verb

B1, pattern, VERBS / add, appear, consider, dry, everyone, explain, happen, introduce, laugh, let, letting, make, PELIC, pray, realize, rest, seem, smile, soak, sound, stand, VVI, wonder

Point 30 in the category of VERBs/patterns is defined as: ‘MAKE’, ‘LET’ + INFINITIVE WITHOUT ‘TO’ *It is interesting that there is no mention of the object between the verbs. A search in iWeb corpus for: MAKE _P _VVI 1 MAKE YOU FEEL 69401 2 MAKE IT WORK 43378 3 MAKE IT LOOK 37679 4 …

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question with adverb

ADVERBS, B1, CLAUSES, QUESTIONS / actually, agree, already, anyone, care, cares, else, even, ever, everyone, explain, happen, just, matter, mean, most, once, own, possibly, received, RR, someone, still, tried, were

Point 51 in CLAUSES is defined as: INTERROGATIVE + ADVERB in mid-position, between the subject and the main verb. For example: And if he still understood it, why does it even matter? A search in iWeb for _P _RR _V ? 1 IT REALLY MATTER ? 1368 2 IT REALLY WORK ? 747 3 YOU REALLY NEED ? 657 4 YOU PLEASE HELP ? …

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the best NOUN to VERB

ADJECTIVES, B1, CLAUSES, infinitive, NOUNS, superlative / add, best, bring, build, check, contact, describe, explain, happen, improve, keep, move, NN, PELIC, prepare, save, set, spend, the, to, VVI, way, ways

Point 35 in adjectives/superlatives is defined as: ‘the best’ before a noun + to infinitive clauses A search in iWeb for: the best _NN to _VVI 1 THE BEST WAY TO GET 24333 2 THE BEST WAY TO GO 10777 3 THE BEST WAY TO MAKE 7555 4 THE BEST WAY TO LEARN 6615 5 …

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