The following grammar pattern does not have an entry in the English Profile. It relates to questions with stranded prepositions which are generally pegged at B2. It also relates to either A1 possession or ownership = have got or A2 modality = have got to do something. The overall complexity of this pattern is at least […]
What + HAVE + PRONOUN + got to be Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 69 in the category of MODALITY is defined: DEDUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: ‘must’ to guess and deduce, most commonly with ‘it must be’, or ‘you must be’. *We cannot ensure automatically that this form will point to the usage. We have deleted some ngrams that are obviously not the
You must be | It must be Read More »
Existential “there + BE” is a grammatical construction that asserts the existence or non-existence of something. It is usually followed by a noun phrase that is the real subject of the sentence. For example:
There is a book on the table.
There are many stars in the sky.
Modal verbs are verbs that express possibility, necessity, obligation, permission, etc. They can be used with existential “there + BE” to hedge claims or express hypothetical situations. For example:
There may be no simple solution to this problem.
There should be some food in the fridge.
there + MODAL VERB + BE Read More »
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 50 in the category of VERBS is defined as: ‘there’ with other verbs with modal meaning + ‘be’ + complement. The EGP modality examples contain: ‘need, have, is going + to’ However, in the English Vocabulary Profile, ‘there needs to be’ is listed at C2 with the following example:
THERE + modality + TO BE Read More »
The text discusses the use of the modal verb “should” in English, focusing on its usage at different levels of language proficiency (A2 and B1) and in various contexts. It explains that “should” is used to give advice, make suggestions, and talk about ideal situations. The text also provides examples of common phrases using “should”, such as “maybe you should try” and “I think you should leave.”
SHOULD ( advice | suggestions | ideal or desired situations | likelihood ) Read More »
The future continuous tense, used in sentences like “Sarah will be joining us for dinner,” indicates a planned or confirmed action that will occur over a period in the future. It expresses certainty about the future and is often used when the action is expected to happen as a matter of course. While usually not used with stative verbs, exceptions exist, especially in informal contexts. For instance, “I guess I’ll be needing a receipt off you there, Red” is a polite, indirect request.
will be + VERBing (future continuous) Read More »
“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
In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 137 in MODALITY is defined as: negative forms of ‘can’t’ and ‘cannot’ to guess, predict and deduce. This point is an extremely difficult point to locate because it heavily relies on usage. The use of ‘can’t’ is A1 by default, but not ‘cannot’ which has not been given
‘It cannot be true’ (modality) Read More »
