value

at face value

In the English Vocabulary Profile: at face value = C1 If you accept something at face value because of the way it first looks or seems, you do so without thinking carefully about it. A search for the top 10 collocations in COCA: 1 TAKE 232 For example: We cannot afford to take mythology at face value. listen 2 TAKEN […]

at face value Read More »

if + necessary | any | anything | in doubt (subject and verb ellipsis)

Here are EXPERT EXAMPLES of subject and verb ellipsis after ‘if’: When you speak your character’s words, you can hear whether they sound natural, and fix them if necessary. TED *If necessary = if it is necessary. Unlike the billions of people who have few options, if any, due to war, poverty, or illness, you have plentiful opportunities to live decisively. TED *if any = if there are any.     Planet Radio If in doubt, don’t drive. *if in doubt = in you are in

if + necessary | any | anything | in doubt (subject and verb ellipsis) Read More »

say | show = reporting verbs

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 26 in the category of PRESENT/simple is defined: a limited range of reporting verbs, including ‘say’, ‘show’ EXPERT EXAMPLE: This map shows the presence of agriculture on planet Earth.   PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: Some people say that money is the root of all evil, but I disagree with it. Korean male, writing class. _P show|shows|say|says * * * We have removed lines that are not

say | show = reporting verbs Read More »

too | so + much

We use too before an adjective or adverb to mean ‘more than we need or want’. For example:

This shirt is too big for me.
You are driving too fast.
We use too much or too many before a noun to mean ‘more than we need or want’. For example:

There is too much sugar in this cake. (uncountable noun)
There are too many people in this room. (countable noun)
We use so much or so many before a noun to mean ‘a large amount of something’. For example:

I have so much work to do. (uncountable noun)
She has so many friends. (countable noun)

too | so + much Read More »

most | enough | plenty of + NOUN

B1 Point 43 in the category of DETERMINERS is defined as: increasing range of quantifying determiners with both plural nouns and uncountable nouns (‘most’, ‘enough’, ‘plenty of’, ‘loads of’). *This overlaps another B1 point. PELIC WRITING CLASS EXAMPLES: Most students eat lunch and dinner in a cafeteria. Korean, Female, Level 3   In addition, the people who lived in Korea 100 years ago didn’t have enough transportation. Korean, Male, Level 3   *Note that

most | enough | plenty of + NOUN Read More »

a much better + NOUN

A search on iWeb corpus for a much better _nn offers these most frequent B1 nouns: approach, bet, chance, choice, design, experience, method, mood, option, performance, position, product, quality, result, sense, situation, solution, system, user, value 1 A MUCH BETTER JOB 4957 2 A MUCH BETTER CHANCE 4140   The Motley Fool Canada Fortunately,  those

a much better + NOUN Read More »

THE + comparative phrases ‘The more you have, the better it is.’

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 56 in the category of DETERMINERS and articles is defined as “the” in comparative phrases ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’, ‘better’ * the more’, ‘less’, ‘worse’ * to talk about one thing that is affected by another. comparative clauses For example: The broader the sentiment across business, the more influence and power there is to make change. timesnewsgroup.com.au   The more guns there are here, the more likely there is to

THE + comparative phrases ‘The more you have, the better it is.’ Read More »