Grammar Spotlight
The English Grammar Profile (EGP) is a sister resource to the English Vocabulary Profile, and has been put together by Anne O'Keeffe (Limerick University) and Geraldine Mark, the co-authors, along with Ron Carter and Mike McCarthy, of English Grammar Today (Cambridge University Press). Mark and O'Keeffe investigated the extensive data in the Cambridge Learner Corpus to establish when learners begin to get to grips with different linguistic structures.
A series of insights from their research will be posted on this page, each one putting the spotlight on an interesting aspect of learner grammar development. Please note that all of the learner examples come from the Cambridge Learner Corpus, a 55-million word electronic collection of written learner data. The examination and the candidate’s first language are given in brackets after each learner example.
See the latest Grammar Spotlight entry below. Scroll right down to the bottom of this page to browse through previous entries.
A1 level learners can form simple noun phrases with a limited range of determiners + singular and plural nouns.
There is also a park near my house. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Pashto)
My husband is a teacher. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Korean)
That’s why I like this place. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Urdu)
Learners can also form simple noun phrases by pre-modifying singular and plural nouns with an adjective after a determiner.
Martin is my best friend. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Slovak)
We have a big garden and a small swimming pool. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Arabic)
Her favourite colours are blue and black. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Hungarian)
Simple noun phrases are also formed by pre-modifying plural nouns with an adjective when no determiner is present.
I have new neighbours. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Gujarati)
They’re nice people. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Arabic)
I like reading interesting books in the Library. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Polish)
Finally, A1 level learners are able to form noun phrases by pre-modifying a limited range of nouns with another noun. This use of nouns modifying nouns expands as learners move through CEFR levels in line with typical lexical development.
Every Friday I go swimming and play computer games. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Polish)
I am having a dinner party on Friday 25 December at 7 pm. (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Panjabi)
Can you come to my house on Friday evening? (Skills for Life: Entry 1; Farsi)
So, at this early stage, learners are able to form noun phrases using the following patterns: determiner + noun, determiner + adjective + noun, adjective + noun and noun+ noun. As learners advance in CEFR level, they continue to use these structures and do so using a wider range of vocabulary.
