to

would like

A1, A2, desire, invitation, MODALITY, offer, polite, preferences, request, VERBS, wish, would

“Would like” is a polite expression used to indicate a desire or wish, often in making requests, invitations, or offers. The structure typically follows “subject + would like + (noun phrase OR infinitive verb)”. For instance, “I’d like to see you again” or “Would you like a drink?”. The negative form, “wouldn’t like”, can imply a hypothetical situation, such as “If I told you, you wouldn’t like it.” This phrase is commonly used in various contexts, including wanting to see, know, thank, be, have, say, use, get, add, share, make, take, ask, try, hear, think, point out, give, start and go among others.

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will be able to

A2, ability, FUTURE, MODALITY, possibility

“Will be able to” is a phrase that expresses future ability or possibility. It means that someone or something has the power, skill, or opportunity to do something later. ‘you will be able to‘ is the 6th most frequent 5-word Ngram in English. iWeb 135,128 Here are some Expert examples: Well, I highly doubt that you will be able to get a job good enough to do that. listen

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used to (ellipsis)

B2, ellipsis, MODALITY

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 143 in MODALITY is defined as: ‘used to’ without a following verb where the previous main verb is understood. For example: They don’t make them like they used to. *In the EGP examples, the sense of this structure refers to things in the past that are no longer true. It can refer to repeated

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BE + sure | certain + to INFINITIVE

ADJECTIVES, B2, certainty, emphasis, infinitive, instruction, MODALITY

In this post, we explore modality with two adjectives followed by infinitives. Here is an imperative example of telling someone with emphasis not to forget or fail to do something: Be sure to check the weather  before you go to the airport. listen And here is an extremely advanced modification of an assertion, a bit like a negative superlative comparison:   There’s nothing more certain to ruin a beautiful relationship than marriage.

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OUGHT (negative OR questions)

advice, C2, GSE, infinitive, MODALITY, NEGATIVE, obligation, QUESTIONS, suggestion

There are three negative points in the English Grammar Profile at C2 Modality that are quite rare. Point 215 is defined as: negative form ‘ought not to’ Point 226: CONTRACTED NEGATIVE ‘oughtn’t’ (without ‘to’) + verb Point 235 ‘ought’ + subject + ‘not to’ + verb to form (rhetorical) questions, often in formal contexts. *Point

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really ought to

ADVERBS, C1, emphasis, MODALITY

In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 180 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘ought to’ with ‘really’ to add emphasis. A search on iWeb for clusters with lexical verbs: 1 REALLY OUGHT TO KNOW 254 2 REALLY OUGHT TO GET 136 3 REALLY OUGHT TO GO 76 4 REALLY OUGHT TO CONSIDER

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There ought to be

C1, desire, MODALITY

In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 192 in the category of MODALITY is defined as: ‘THERE OUGHT TO BE” to talk about desired states of affairs. An iWeb search for: there ought to be* * * 1 THERE OUGHT TO BE A WAY TO 66 2 THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW AGAINST 33

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ought to (ellipsis)

B2, ellipsis, MODALITY

Point 145 in the category of MODALITY and ELLIPSIS is defined as: ‘ought to’ without a following verb where the previous main verb is understood. There is an important note in the comments section of the EGP: This is a very low-frequency form in both the learner and native speaker data. There’s only one example

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You ought to (advice)

advice, B1, MODALITY

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 91 in Modality is defined as: ‘ought to’ with ‘you’ to give advice. This depends on usage but at the same time we could add our own vocabulary range criteria to ensure it marks higher complexity.  As you can see most of the 20 most frequent lexical verbs

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have got to | have to | don’t have to

A2, auxiliary, B2, MODALITY, obligation, suggestion, VERBS

Here are two student examples of using semi-modal ‘have to’ to express either a strong suggestion or that something isn’t required or necessary. Another thing is  you have to make sure that you have included signal words  to help the reader. PELIC Arabic female level 3 writing class.   I mean  if someone wears something,  you don’t have to wear that  because she or he wears it. TLC male Spain B1 speaking test. Listen to

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‘BE’ + to infinitive | ‘BE’ + due to infinitive

B2, C2, complements, expectation, FUTURE, GSE, infinitive, instruction, MODALITY, obligation, schedule

In the English Grammar Profile (EGP), there are three similar points in the category of Future expressions with ‘BE’ at B2 in the English Grammar Profile. 47  ‘be due to’ and, more formally, ‘be to’ talk about things that are scheduled or expected. 53 OBLIGATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS WITH ‘BE TO’ 56 present form of ‘be’

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a wide range of linking verbs used in other complex ways

ADJECTIVES, B2, hedging, linking, NOUNS, phrases, PRONOUNS, range, subject, true, VERBS

To get started, let’s look at some spoken student examples that show a wide range of linking verbs with very literal meanings: It‘s like a fairy tale  because it doesn’t seem real. TLC female Mexico B1   To remain healthy, we have to exercise. TLC female India B1 The verbs ‘remain’ and ‘seem’ link the adjective complements: ‘real’ and ‘healthy’ in a more detailed way than

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