Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves are called reflexive pronouns. They are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same. For example:
I cut myself when I was making dinner.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
They enjoyed themselves at the party.
himself | herself | myself | yourself Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 27 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: alternative questions with two clauses combined with ‘or’. A search in iWeb for or _V _P * ? 1 OR AM I WRONG? 621 2 OR DOES IT MATTER? 287 Villanovan Do you view all these changes in entertainment as good or bad, or does it matter at all? *Note
clause OR clause ? (question) Read More »
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
VERB + DIRECT OBJECT + to INFINITIVE Read More »
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
If + PRESENT SIMPLE + MODAL CLAUSE Read More »
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
IF clause + imperative ( hedging ) Read More »
B1: CLAUSES | comparatives
In the English Grammar Profile, point 68 is defined as: ‘TOO’ + adjective + ‘to’-infinitive.
(not) too + ADJECTIVE | ADVERB + to INFINITIVE Read More »
‘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 (imperative) Read More »
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
do + VERB (emphasis) Read More »
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
CAN + limited range of adverbs Read More »
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
Hedging is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, the sentence “I might possibly go to the party” uses the modal verb “might” and the modal adverb “possibly” to hedge the speaker’s commitment to going to the party. The speaker is not sure if they will go to the party, but they are open to
modal verb + modal adverb Read More »
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
WHERE (relative clause) Read More »
In this structure, an imperative verb is used at the beginning of the sentence to express a command or instruction. This sets up a condition or action that the listener or reader is encouraged to perform. The ‘and’ conjunction is then used to connect the condition with the consequence, which describes the result or outcome
imperative + AND + clause Read More »
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.”
defining relative clause without a relative pronoun Read More »
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
past simple negative Read More »
Here are two points in the English Grammar Profile in the category of Verb patterns that depend on vocabulary range: Point 29 is B1 and defined as: a limited range of verbs followed by an ‘-ing’ form. Point 56 is B2 and is defined as: an increasing range of verbs followed by an ‘-ing’ form.
The landscape can get muddy when it has been raining.
present perfect continuous Read More »
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
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
You ought to (advice) Read More »
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
have got to | have to | don’t have to Read More »
