Guide to COBUILD abbreviations
Word classes
| adj | adjective |
| adv | adverb |
| aux | auxiliary verb |
| colour | colour word |
| comb | combining form |
| conj | conjunction |
| convention | convention |
| det | determiner |
| exclam | exclamation |
| fraction | fraction |
| link | see see v-link |
| modal | modal verb |
| n-count | count noun |
| n-plural | plural noun |
| n-proper | proper noun |
| n-proper-plural | plural proper noun |
| n-sing | singular noun |
| n-title | title noun |
| n-uncount | uncount noun |
| n-var | variable noun |
| neg | negative |
| num | number |
| ord | ordinal |
| passive | see v-passive |
| phrasal verb | phrasal verb |
| phrase | phrase |
| predet | predeterminer |
| prefix | prefix |
| prep | preposition |
| pron | pronoun |
| quant | quantifier |
| quest | question word |
| suffix | suffix |
| verb | verb |
| v-link | link verb |
| v-passive | passive verb |
Words and abbreviations used in patterns
| adj | adjective group |
| adv | adverb group |
| amount | word or phrase indicating an amount of something |
| be | any form of the verb be |
| colour | colour word |
| cont | continuous |
| det | determiner |
| -ed | past participle of a verb |
| get | any form of the verb get |
| imper | imperative |
| inf | infinitive form of a verb |
| n | noun or noun group |
| names | names of places or institutions |
| neg | negative word |
| num | number |
| n-uncount | uncount noun or noun group with an uncount noun |
| oft | often |
| ord | ordinal |
| P | particle, part of a phrasal verb |
| passive | passive voice |
| pl | plural |
| poss | possessive |
| prep | prepositional phrase or preposition |
| pron | pronoun |
| pron-refl | reflexive pronoun |
| quote | direct speech |
| sing | singular |
| that | ‘that’-clause |
| to-inf | the to-infinitive form of a verb |
| usu | usually |
| v | verb or verb group |
| v-ed | past participle of the verb |
| v-ing | present participle of the verb being defined |
| v-ing | present participle of a verb |
| v-link | link verb |
| wh | wh-word, clause beginning with a wh-word |