preposition + noun
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. A preposition + noun combination is called a prepositional phrase, which can act as an adjective or an adverb.
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IF clause + SHALL clause
Here’s an expert example of using a conditional clause + ‘shall’ clause to express modality: Come on, if we don’t share a similar social consciousness, how shall we discuss social problems? Listen to this sentence. C2 point 225 in the category of MODALITY is defined: ‘shall’ in the main clause after an ‘if-‘ clause conditionals Long open queries are impossible on iWeb, so here we first look for the …
noun phrase + relative clause
Here are two student examples of complex noun phrases using relative clauses as complements: In addition, the people who lived in Korea 100 years ago didn’t have enough transportation. PELIC Arabic male level 5 writing class Here are some of the things which I got. TLC speaking test female Kannada B2 A2 point 34 in CLAUSES is defined: a defining relative clause with ‘who‘ as the subject A2 point 20 in …
questions with modal verbs
Let’s start with A1 grammar to explain how to form modal verb questions when asking for something. Here is an affirmative declarative sentence: I can get some help. To form a yes/no question with a modal auxiliary verb, invert the subject and the modal verb I can → Can I follow it with the bare …
COULD (range)
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.
might not + bare infinitive
You guys might not know this = B1 MODALITY NEGATIVE.
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 73 in the category of MODALITY is defined: ‘might’ negative form.
may not
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 94 in the category of MODALITY is defined:
‘may’ negative
TO HAVE TO
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 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 …
may | might (modal verbs)
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 …
each other
Point 60 in the category of PRONOUNS/reciprocal is defined as: ‘each other’ as the object of a verb or complement of a preposition to talk about the mutual behaviour of two or more people. An iWeb search for: * * * each other 1 ON TOP OF EACH OTHER 13130 (note that many of these …
BOTH | A FEW
Point 61 in the category of PRONOUNS/quantity is defined as: ‘BOTH’, ‘A FEW’, ‘ANOTHER’ as subject and object pronouns. *We have covered the use of ‘another’ here. A search in iWeb corpus for: . both _V 1 . BOTH ARE 48684 2 . BOTH HAVE 15241 3 . BOTH WERE 15188 4 . BOTH WILL …
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 …
love | hate | prefer + VERB-ing | to-INFINITVE
A2 Verb Patterns expressing preference
DO + verb (imperative)
‘Do’ can be put before the imperative verb or auxiliary to make it less abrupt and more persuasive. In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 64 in the category of CLAUSES/imperatives is defined as: ‘DO’: base form of a main verb, for emphasis or in formal contexts A search in iWeb for: . Do _VVI …
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 …
If so (ellipted)
B1 CONFIRMING: refer to a previous direct or indirect ‘yes-no’ question where the answer might be ‘yes’.
In the English Grammar Profile in the category of conditional CLAUSES
WHERE (relative clause)
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 78 in the category of CLAUSES is described as: defining relative clauses with ‘where’ to define nouns referring to place. For example: Her laptop computer is on the top of the desk where it is easy for her to reach. PELIC STUDENT: Chinese, Female, Level 3, Writing Class. *One could argue that ‘where’ could refer to a situation and not just a physical place, and …
What part of speech is LIKE?
Like is usually a preposition, verb or conjunction. A search in the iWeb and NOW corpora for ‘like’: preposition 1 LIKE (II) 12859907 1 I WAS LIKE, ‘ 43416 When Matthew told me that was yours, I was like, “I walk by there all the time.” listen 2 IT LOOKS LIKE THE EMAIL 36854 3 I ‘M LIKE , ‘ 16067 4 I WAS LIKE , ” 12239 …
BE + able | allowed + to-INFINITIVE
able to do something (used as a modal verb)
having the skill, intelligence, opportunity, etc. needed to do something
A2 OXFORD