XX

STILL + present perfect simple negative ‘still haven’t found’

B2 English Grammar Profile point 61 in the category of PAST is defined as: negative form of the present perfect simple with ‘still’ to emphasise that something that was expected to happen continues not to happen. An iWeb search for: still have|has _xx _vvn 1 STILL HAVE N’T FOUND 1847 2 STILL HAVE N’T GOTTEN

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n’t

Here is the ranked frequency of contracted ‘NOT’ in iWeb corpus: _V n’t 1 DON’T 8794067 2 CAN’T 2949838 3 DOESN’T 2921306 4 DIDN’T 2857442 5 ISN’T 1917031 6 WON’T 1605476 7 WASN’T 1225689 8 WOULDN’T 963740 9 AREN’T 912023 10 COULDN’T 867686 11 HAVEN’T 835010 12 SHOULDN’T 385701 13 HASN’T 367136 14 WEREN’T 315174

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uncontracted NOT (emphasis)

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 20 in NEGATION is defined as: uncontracted ‘not’ for emphasis or in formal contexts. There are problems with this grammar point.  One is that you could argue that the ability to contract various forms marks a higher level of English skill.  Secondly, this point clearly cannot be automatically

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can’t (questions)

Negative questions with the modal verb “can’t” are used to ask for permission or confirmation in a polite or surprised way. For example:

Can’t we go to the park today? (asking for permission)
Can’t you see I’m busy? (expressing surprise)
To form a negative question with “can’t”, we put “can’t” before the subject and the main verb after the subject. For example:

Can’t + you + see?
Can’t + we + go?

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can’t | cannot

Modality is the grammatical expression of the speaker’s attitude or opinion about the possibility, necessity, or certainty of an action or state. Can’t is a modal verb that shows the negation of the verb can. It means that the subject is unable to do something, such as perform an action or demonstrate an ability. It can also be used to express deduction, which is a logical inference based on evidence or reasoning. For example:

She can’t swim. (ability)
He can’t be at home. It’s too early. (deduction)

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Don’t you think ? | Haven’t you heard ?

These constructions allow for the formation of negative questions by adding the negative contractions (“don’t” or “doesn’t” for “do,” and “haven’t” or “hasn’t” for “have”) before the subject and the base form or past participle of the main verb. This structure is particularly useful for seeking confirmation or clarification when expressing negation.

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must not | mustn’t

“Mustn’t” is a contraction of “must not”, used to indicate prohibition or to suggest that something is a bad or unacceptable idea. It’s frequently used in phrases like “We mustn’t” (99 instances), “I mustn’t” (66 instances), “You mustn’t be” (37 instances), and so on.

In the sentence “Strict instructions from Edward, we mustn’t be late for his parade”, it emphasizes the importance of not being late for Edward’s parade. Other examples include “I mustn’t let my fears stop me from pursuing my dreams” and “You mustn’t be too hard on yourself, everyone makes mistakes”.

In English grammar, the negative form of ‘must’ appears at two levels. At A2 level, it’s used with basic subjects and verbs, while at B2 level, it’s used to talk about what is not permitted with a range of subjects or verbs. For instance, “Mr. Iannazzo placed an order at the Robeks and stressed to the staff that the product must not contain peanuts.”

The most common lexical verbs used with “must not” in the iWeb corpus include “exceed”, “use”, “forget”, and “contain”. For example, “France must not drop guard against COVID-19, minister says – The Jakarta Post” and “Safety experts warn that US trade deal must not include dangerous American cars. Trade Secretary urged to exclude US cars. Jon Stone Policy …”.

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need not

Something that is not needed can be expressed with ‘need not’.   For example: But while we are determined by history,  it is my personal belief that we need not be trapped by history,  and we need not be the victims of history. TED In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 126 in the category of MODALITY is: need NEGATIVE However, in the English Vocabulary Profile, this is listed at A2 with the following example: You needn’t bring any food. iWeb search for need

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dare (not) infinitive

In the English Grammar Profile, using the word ‘dare’ is b2-c2 and rare. The other strange thing is that some of the most common Ngrams (words found together) are C2 and less common seem to be B2 according to Cambridge research.  For that reason, the complexity checking ability around this vocabulary item should be taken

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have got to | have to | don’t have to

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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Present Continuous

Here are some student writing examples of present continuous highlighted with details: I am typing English words right now. PELIC Chinese female level 2 writing class   However, we also can interpret from the graph that we aren’t preparing for it yet.  PELIC Korean female level 3 writing class   I am always falling over one of his toy cars or trucks. PELIC Arabic male level 3 writing class   There are at least 30 points to do with the present

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