Grammar codes and patterns

Grammar Codes
[C] countable: a noun that has both a singular and a plural form: He lent me a book about photography. | Some of the books were very old.
[U] uncountable: a noun that has no plural form and refers to something that cannot be counted: the importance of education | a bucket of water
[I] intransitive: a verb that has no object: Jack sneezed. | House prices are rising.
[T] transitive: a verb that is followed by an object, which can be either a noun phrase or a clause: I love chocolate. | She said she was too busy. | I remember going on holiday there.
[singular] a noun that is used only in the singular, and has no plural form: The room has a modern feel. | a sprinkling of snow
[plural] a noun that is used only in the plural, and has no singular form: His clothes were soaking wet. | Those are my scissors.
[linking verb] a verb that is followed by a noun or adjective complement that describes the subject of the verb: I felt very tired. | Her father is a doctor. | Your dinner’s getting cold.
[always + adv/prep] shows that a verb must be followed by an adverb or a preposition: She went upstairs. | Robert put the letter in his briefcase.
[not in progressive] shows that a verb is not used in the progressive form, that is, the -ing form after ‘be’: I admire his work. (not I am admiring his work) | I don’t know where it is.
[no comparative] shows that an adjective is not used in the comparative or superlative form, that is, not with -er and -est, or ‘more’ and ‘most’: He played a key role in the negotiations.
[only before noun] shows that an adjective can be used only before a noun: the main reason for her visit | You poor thing!
[not before noun] shows that an adjective cannot be used before a noun: I don’t even know if he’s still alive. | I’m glad you’re here.
[only after noun] shows that an adjective is used only immediately after a noun: some matters to be discussed before the meeting proper
[sentence adverb] shows that an adverb modifies a whole sentence: Fortunately no one was hurt.
[+adj/adv] shows that an adverb of degree is used before adjectives and adverbs: The room was very dark. | We’ve got to act fairly quickly.
[also + plural verb BrE] shows that a group noun can take a plural verb in British English: The team are feeling confident.

Patterns
[+about] [+along] shows that a word can be followed immediately by a particular preposition or adverb: I’m worried about Rachel. | The children skipped along.
throw sth at sb/sth shows that a verb can be followed by an object and a particular preposition: Tom threw a cushion at her.
request that shows that a word can be followed by a clause beginning with ‘that’: He requested that his name be removed from the list of candidates.
surprised (that) or tell sb (that) shows that a word can be followed by a clause beginning with ‘that’, or the word ‘that’ can be left out: I’m surprised you didn’t know that. | Bill told me you were here.
decide who/what/whether etc or ask (sb) who/what/ where etc shows that a word can be followed by a clause beginning with a word such as ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘whether’ or ‘where’: I can’t decide what to do. | I asked her what she meant. | I’m not sure where James is.
try to do sth or order sb to do sth shows that a word can be followed by an infinitive: Try to forget about it. | He ordered them to leave. | He’s sure to win.
help do sth or see sb/sth do sth shows that a verb can be followed by an infinitive without ‘to’: This can help prevent infection. | Did anyone see them leave?
enjoy doing sth or hear sb doing sth shows that a verb can be followed by a present participle: I enjoy meeting new people. | Peter could hear them laughing.
bring sb sth shows that a verb can be followed by an indirect object and then a direct object: Could you bring us the bill? | Let me buy you a drink.