PELIC

(PELIC) refers to The University of Pittsburgh English Language Institute Corpus.

If a post refers to any language from this corpus, we tag it PELIC.

adverb + adjective (emphasis)

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, C1, emphasis, MODALITY, modify, phrases

An adjective phrase can consist of an adverb + adjective.  In the following examples: ‘obvious‘ and ‘unlikely‘ are the head of the adjective phrases. Needless to say, Ares’ negotiating position was hugely strengthened when it became painfully obvious to everyone  that the giant US asset manager was the only bidder that had bothered to turn up at the auction. traveller.com.au   Therefore, all 42 Sinn Fein candidates would likely have to be elected to the 160-seat chamber  to give it a shot at emerging as the largest party, an outcome which remains highly unlikely. express.co.uk   The adverbs ‘painfully’ and ‘highly’ are used here to emphasize. C1 […]

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adverb + ENOUGH

ADVERBS, C1, degree, initial, intensity, modify, position, stance

Usually, when ‘enough’ is used as a postmodifying adverb (after another adverb), it means ‘to the necessary degree.’  However in the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 58 in adverbs/phrases is defined as: post-modify adverbs with ‘enough to intensify’. The English Grammar Profile examples are all stance adverbs in the initial position: Strangely enough, Luckily enough, Sadly

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extreme adverb + adjective

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, C1, degree, extreme, intensity, modify

Let’s look at a few student speaking test examples and one from an expert using extreme adverbs modifying gradable adjectives: There are a few cases in which the parents have been excellent guides to the students, and as you know guides are extremely important for a child‘s career. TLC male India C1   Native speaker: I haven’t read it but I‘ve seen the film, have you seen the film? Student: Yes, I have, but it’s totally different from the book. TLC male India B1   It’s absolutely necessary to find a solution,  and I know that in some cases, for example,  in some sports facilities built in Madrid, they are trying to remodel the space. TLC male Spain C1   These are all details that are incredibly easy to record contemporaneously but are also incredibly easy to forget later on.

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ADJECTIVE + enough

ADJECTIVES, B1, modify

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 43 in ADJECTIVES is defined as: ‘ENOUGH’ to modify an ADJECTIVE *if the enough is followed by TO-infinitive, this structure is B2. A search in iWeb for: _JJ enough 1 GOOD ENOUGH 166044 2 LUCKY ENOUGH 76058 3 LARGE ENOUGH 72118 4 BIG ENOUGH 68590 PELIC STUDENT: Turkish female level

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EVEN + comparative adjective

ADJECTIVES, B1, comparatives, emphasis, intensity, modify, predicate

In this post, we explore ‘even + comparative’ which is used to emphasize qualities. In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 40 in ADJECTIVES is defined as: ‘even’ to modify and intensify comparative adjectives used predicatively after a verb, usually ‘be’ and ‘get’. We did an iWeb search for even _JJ and highlighted the A2 comparative adjectives:

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the best + NOUN + to INFINITVE

ADJECTIVES, B1, CLAUSES, infinitive, NOUNS, superlative

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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adjective + noun (range)

ACL, ADJECTIVES, attributive, B1, NOUNS, phrases, position, range

Here is a nonliteral example of using an adjective before a noun that might be considered A2: It‘s been too long my old friend. listen   Here are examples of academic collocation: It’s a pretty accurate description. (listen to this expert example)   He can ask for additional information. (listen to this expert example)   During my school years,  I started reading to get some information  because I was an active participant  in almost all the literary competitions. TLC female India

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(conditional) inverted SHOULD + WOULD clause

C2, CLAUSES, conditional, formal, FUTURE, inversion, polite, should

In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 120 in the category of CLAUSES/conditional is defined as: inverted ‘should’, + ‘would’ in the main clause to talk about possible future outcomes, in polite or formal contexts. Example: Should they come forward, that would be a tricky situation for us. Listen In the COCA corpus we can do a

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defining relative clause without a relative pronoun

A2, CLAUSES, defining, relative

A defining relative clause provides essential information about the noun it modifies. In English grammar, it’s possible to omit the relative pronoun (who, which, that, etc.) in such clauses when it is the object. This structure, termed as a defining relative clause without a relative pronoun, is often found in phrases like “the time it takes,” “the information you need,” and “the way you want.”

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THIS (pronoun)

A2, B1, demonstrative, DETERMINERS, PRONOUNS, singular, time

This is one of the most important documents in history. listen Demonstrating Proximity: The word “this” is commonly used to indicate objects or ideas that are physically close to the speaker or writer. In sentence above, it refers to a specific document that is being discussed. Essentially, it points to something nearby or within immediate reach. Profiling Research Here are a few

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superlative + prepositional phrase ‘the most natural thing in the world’

ADJECTIVES, B1, NOUNS, phrases, PREPOSITIONS

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 37 in the category of ADJECTIVES is defined as: an increasing range of complex noun phrases with a superlative adjective + prepositional phrase, to talk about something unique. *In both EGP examples the prepositional phrase that follows is either: of_IO my_APPGE life_NN1 in_II our_APPGE lives_NN2 A search in COCA for:

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LINKING ADVERBS / SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

A2, ADVERBS, B1, cause, CLAUSES, CONJUNCTIONS, consequence, contrast, DISCOURSE MARKERS, informal, linking, mentioned, modify, purpose, result, sentence, summarise

Linking adverbs, also known as conjunctive adverbs, are used to connect ideas between two independent clauses or sentences. They help to show the relationship between these ideas. Here’s how the adverbs ‘also’, ‘however’ and the conjunction ‘so’ function in this capacity: Also: This adverb is used to add information or express agreement with the previous

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past simple negative

A2, NEGATIVE, PAST

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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STRANDED PREPOSITION

B1, B2, CLAUSES, complements, informal, PREPOSITIONS, relative, REPORTED SPEECH, stranding, VERBS

Here are examples of reported speech with relative clauses ending with stranded prepositions: He told me the company he works for.  She requested that I give him all the information he asks for.  He exclaimed that this is the best festival he has been to. This type of construction is considered informal and is often discouraged in formal writing. However, it is commonly used in spoken English and in informal writing. Profiling Research This post is about two points in the English Grammar

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