This English Grammar Profile C1 point 53 in NOUNS/phrases defined complex noun phrases with ‘wh-‘ cleft clauses, followed by ‘be’, to give focus is also found in the category of FOCUS. A search in iWeb: . What _P _V _VB 1 . WHAT I MEAN IS 3278 2 . WHAT I DID WAS 1894 3 […]
What + CLAUSE + BE Read More »
‘set to’ just means: be ready or prepared to do something. C1 English Grammar Profile point 209 in MODALITY is defined as: ‘BE SET TO’ – strong assertion about the future, especially in institutional contexts An iWeb search for: _VB set to _VVI 1 IS SET TO TAKE 4027 2 IS SET TO BEGIN 3858 3 IS SET TO OPEN
BE set to INFINITIVE Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 197 in MODALITY/expressions with ‘be’ is defined as: HEDGING ‘be’ + ‘not’ + adjective + ‘that-‘ clause to make an assertion less direct The EGP adjectives include: ‘certain’, ‘likely’ and ‘sure’ which are all related to hedging and modality such as certainty and probability. A search in iWeb for:
BE + not + ADJECTIVE + that + CLAUSE Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, C1 point 58 in the category of future with be going to is defined as: increasing range of adverbs (particularly adverbs of certainty) in the normal mid position. This point overlaps adverbs of certainty at C1. A search in iWeb for the adverbs we find in the EGP examples: _VB (probably|undoubtedly|surely)
BE + ADVERB + going to + VERB Read More »
The English Grammar Profile C1 point 10 in the category of FOCUS is defined as: ‘What’ + noun or pronoun + verb phrase as subject + ‘be’, for focus. Note that Pearson lists this point: GSE 59 B2 clauses with ‘What …’ to emphasise the topic or main point. For example: What we need now is a good night’s sleep. What I said was that I don’t need your help.
‘What you see is what you get.’ (CLEFT CLAUSE) Read More »
It -clefts consist of the pronoun it, a form of the verb to be, the focused element, and a relative-like dependant clause introduced by that, who/which or zero. grin.com In the English Vocabulary Profile (EVP), the pronoun ‘it’ is C2 when it emphasizes one part of a sentence. The example given in the EVP matches two C2 grammar points in the
Question tags are short phrases added at the end of a statement to transform it into a question or to seek confirmation or agreement from the listener. There are no prizes for telling us what the problems are, are there? TED The following example show that native speakers do not always use the correct form of ‘BE’: Yeah, there’s only two options here, isn’t there? TED There are only two options here, aren’t
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:
EVEN + comparative adjective Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 39 in ADJECTIVES/combining is defined as commas and ‘and’ to join more than two adjectives, after ‘be A search in iWeb corpus for: _VB _JJ , _JJ and 1 IS QUICK, EASY AND 675 Patch.com Local Announcement: Hire a Local Teen to Help in Your Yard … Getting work done on TaskTeens is quick, easy, and efficient.
BE + adjective, adjective and adjective Read More »
C2 point 64 in DETERMINERS/demonstratives is defined as: ‘this’ with nouns and noun phrases in a narrative to create a sense of immediacy. All the examples in the English Grammar Profile follow the pattern ‘There + BE + this + noun phrase’ A search on iWeb for: there_EX _VB this _N 1 THERE ‘S THIS
There’s this + noun phrase (immediacy in a narrative) Read More »
This post explores the usage of adjectives in the English language, particularly when used predicatively after ‘be’. It delves into the nuances of using ‘weren’t’, a construction that appears to be more complex than A1 level. The post also presents a comprehensive list of common adjectives used in this manner, such as ‘sure’, ‘available’, ‘free’, ‘full’, ‘simple’, ‘perfect’, ‘complete’, ‘true’, ‘clear’, ‘amazing’, ‘interested’, ‘useful’, ‘correct’, ‘surprised’, ‘careful’, and ‘afraid’. These adjectives are ranked by frequency of usage in the iWeb corpus. The post provides numerous examples and context for each adjective, making it a valuable resource for English language learners at all levels.
BE + adjective (increasing range) Read More »
The main point is the use of ‘more’ as an adverb to form comparatives of adverbs and adjectives. This is seen at A2 level in the English Grammar Profile. Examples from the iWeb corpus include ‘more likely’, ‘more important’, and ‘more difficult’. The term ‘more’ can also be used with adverbs, which is considered B2 level. Additionally, the term ‘more’ is used with a range of vocabulary in the English Vocabulary Profile, such as ‘advanced’, ‘attractive’, ‘comfortable’, and others.
Let’s take a look at an IELTS writing task 2 example with this grammar: It is argued that volunteering should be made a part of the school curriculum. In the above example, ‘is argued‘ forms the passive part. The active form of this is probably: ‘People argue that…” In our example, ‘people’ is not important or maybe we don’t know who
‘It is said that …’ (IT + passive) Read More »
It’s not hard to see why.
BE + not + ADJECTIVE + to-INFINTIVE Read More »
The word with an ‘-ed’ ending is usually a past particple. The adjective exceptions such as ‘interested’,’involved’,’used to’ are rarer. 1 IS BASED (VVN) ON 327426 The system is based on the rules of a building. The Matrix Reloaded 2 BE (VBI) USED (VVN) FOR (IF) 273383 3 ARE (VBR) INTERESTED (JJ) IN (II) 192417 4 BE (VBI) USED (VVN) IN (II)
BE + *ed + PREPOSITION Read More »
A search in iWeb corpus for: _V _RR _AT1 1 IS ALSO A 431112 It is also a legal requirement in most countries, but above everything else, it helps every business and every organization become more inclusive. 2 IS (VBZ) JUST (RR) A (AT1) 186187 3 IS (VBZ) STILL (RR) A (AT1) 126059 4 IS (VBZ) ALWAYS (RR) A (AT1) 99232 5 WAS (VBDZ) ALSO (RR) A (AT1) 98531 6 ‘S (VBZ) JUST (RR)
verb + general ADVERB + indefinite article + noun phrase Read More »
There are only a few in a hundred times that ought does not mark a past particple after a form of the ‘BE’ verb. 1 BE (VBI) BROUGHT (VVN) 83149 2 WAS (VBDZ) BROUGHT (VVN) 73072 3 IS (VBZ) THOUGHT (VVN) 64778 4 BE (VBI) TAUGHT (VVN) 43927 5 IS (VBZ) BROUGHT (VVN) 42006 6
BE + -ught word ending Read More »
Let’s look at two expert examples of ‘BE + adverbs of indefinite frequency + VERBing‘: At the time of application for Russian citizenship, the spouses must be permanently residing in Russia and must be married for three years. Russia Beyond – 16 Feb 2021 There are a few ways to approach loved ones who are persistently asking the same question. elmcroft.com The first example above is a modal verb + BE + adverb + present participle and the second
present continuous + adverbs of indefinite frequency Read More »
B1 FOCUS
‘IT’ + ‘BE’ ADJECTIVE + ‘THAT’ CLAUSE for focus.
English Grammar Profile
IT’S + adjective + THAT clause (focus) Read More »
*There is an interactive word tree exercise for this B2 grammar here. B2 English Grammar Profile point 152 in MODALITY overlaps many other modality points. So here we will cover those not already covered elsewhere. It is defined as: the full range of expressions with ‘be’ + infinitive (‘be likely to’, ‘be due to’, ‘be
BE + bound | likely | meant | obliged + TO Read More »
