Corcoran Simon IELTS grammar and vocabulary lessons

Simon’s Grammar and Vocabulary lessons 2010-2018Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 2 About IELTS-Simon (website) ... My name is Simon Corcoran. I''''m an ex-IELTS examiner and I now run IELTS exam preparation courses in Manchester, UK (I''''m a native speaker of English). The aim of this website is to provide good advice about the IELTS exam, and also to help you improve your English language skills. ... Some advice about how to use ielts-simon.com: 1.You can begin anywhere; there is no special lesson order. 2.I write a short lesson every day because I believe that daily practice is important. 3.Please use "comments" to communicate with me and with other students. ... Every day I''''ll add another lesson:  Monday: IELTS Reading (Academic)  Tuesday: IELTS Listening  Wednesday: IELTS Writing Task 2 (Academic)  Thursday: IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)  Friday: IELTS Speaking  Saturday: Grammar / Advice  Sunday: Grammar / Advice ... ... Good luck with your studies. I hope this website helps! SimonCompiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 3 Sunday, July 18, 2010 IELTS Grammar: some typical mistakes Find 5 common mistakes in the paragraph below: Some people believe that, all police officers should carry a gun. While, others disagree with this idea, and argue that it is intimidating to see armed police officers on the streets. From my view, the advantages of police officers carrying guns have overweighed the disadvantages. Because the police need to be able to protect both themselves and the general public. Feel free to share your answers in the "comments" area below. I''''ll reveal the correct answers tomorrow. Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (21) Saturday, August 21, 2010 IELTS Grammar: before or ago? Don''''t say: I came to Manchester before two weeks. Do say: I came to Manchester two weeks ago. Use "past time + ago"  10 years ago, a long time ago, a few weeks ago, a couple of days ago Use "before + action / event"  before you left, before we start, before lunch Don''''t use "before + past time" (before two weeks, before three days) Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (12) Saturday, September 04, 2010 IELTS Grammar: fall or reduce? These two words are the opposites of ''''rise'''' and ''''raise'''' (see last week''''s grammar lesson):  something falls (e.g. the price fell)  somebody reduces something (e.g. the company reduced the price) You will probably use ''''fall'''' to describe numbers on a graph or chart for IELTS Writing Task 1:  In 2008, the number of customers fell. (verb, past)  There was a sharp fall in Internet usage. (noun) ''''Reduce'''' and ''''reduction'''' are probably more useful for Writing Task 2:  We need to reduce the amount of pollution from exhaust fumes. (verb)  Recycling leads to a reduction in waste. (noun) Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (7)Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 4 Saturday, October 16, 2010 IELTS Grammar: because Students often make mistakes when using the word "because". You can''''t use "because" to connect ideas in two separate sentences. Put both the main idea and the reason in the same sentence. Which sentence is NOT correct? 1.Some children behave badly at school because their parents are too lenient at home. 2.Because parents are often too lenient at home, discipline in schools is becoming more difficult to enforce. 3.Children''''s behaviour is getting worse nowadays. Because parents are not strict enough. Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (21) Saturday, October 23, 2010 IELTS Grammar: ''''because of'''' Last week I looked at how to use the word ''''because''''. One of my students then asked me to explain the difference between ''''because'''' and ''''because of''''. Compare these two sentences: I stayed at home because the weather was bad. I stayed at home because of the bad weather. The important difference is the use of the word ''''was'''' in the first sentence. After ''''because'''', you need a subject and a verb (e.g. the weather was). After ''''because of'''', we don''''t use a verb, only a noun, nouns or noun phrase. Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (8) Sunday, November 14, 2010 IELTS Grammar: ''''however'''' and ''''whereas'''' You can''''t use ''''however'''' and ''''whereas'''' in the same way. Follow these general rules in order to avoid grammar mistakes: Use ''''however'''' (followed by a comma) at the beginning of a sentence to contrast with the previous sentence:  Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students. However, others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents. Use ''''whereas'''' (after a comma) to contrast two ideas in the same sentence:  Some people believe that schools are responsible for the behaviour of their students, whereas others argue that discipline is the responsibility of parents.

Here are some more sentences that contain mistakes See if you can find them

 Children are not enough mature to make decisions

 Poor parenting has contributed children to misbehave more

 Good parenting encourages children acquire social skills

 Bringing up children and educate them is the responsibility of parents

Please share your corrections in the "comments" area below this lesson I'll add my corrections tomorrow

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (50)

Most grammar books will tell you that you need "the" before a superlative like "highest" or "lowest", but this is not always true

 We use "the" when there is a noun after the adjective e.g the highest number, the highest proportion

 When we put the noun before, we don't need "the" e.g the number was highest, the proportion was highest

- The UK had the highest rate of unemployment

- The unemployment rate was highest in the UK

IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Find the mistakes in the following sentences:

1 Parents influence on their children and give them many advices

2 Students need to develop their knowledges and skills

3 We can use the Internet to do some researches

4 If we want to find some informations fastly, the Internet is the best resource

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 12 Feel free to share your answers in the "comments" area I'll give you my answers tomorrow

A few people have asked me about using capital letters in different parts of the IELTS test Here's my advice:

 In the reading and listening tests, they don't care about capital letters So you can write everything in lowercase or in capitals, and it won't affect your score

 In the writing test, try to follow the normal rules for capital letters Grammar books and websites explain these rules in detail Click hereto see a website that summarises the rules quite well

Today I'm attaching some questions that a student asked about articles You can read my answers below each question

A student’s questions about articles, with my answers

Note: the student’s questions are in black, and my answers are in blue writing

1 “The graph below shows UK acid rain emissions, measured in millions of tonnes, from four different sectors between 1990 and 2007.” This is a graph title taken from one of your posts I’m confused as to why the article “the” is not put before “UK” Likewise, I saw another sentence in which “the” is missing: “The chart below shows average hours and minutes spent by UK males and females on different daily activities.”

In the two examples you gave, “UK” is used like an adjective before another noun e.g UK males

When “UK” is used in this way we miss “the” When “UK” is the main noun we write “the UK” e.g I live in the UK It’s the same with “USA” and some other countries

2 Should we say “young and old” or “the young and the old” in this sentence: “A game show can encourage friendly competition amongst both young and old.”

You might hear it said in both ways If someone says “amongst both young and old”, they really mean “amongst both young and old people” The noun “people” is implied, but I suppose it would be better to include it when writing It’s fine to write/say “amongst both the young and the old” or

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 13

“amongst both the young and old” “The young” is a noun, whereas “young” is an adjective in the phrase “young people”

3 ”It is noticeable that levels of poverty were higher for single people than for couples.” Should we put “the” before levels?

In this case “the” is optional You can put it if you want, or you can miss it Research has shown that English native speakers make different choices about whether to use “the” in this kind of situation, so don’t worry about it

4 ”While acid rain gases from the domestic sector and other industries fell gradually, the transport sector saw a small increase in emissions.” Should we put “the” before emissions as you are talking about specific emissions here?

It would be ok to add “the”, but I prefer it without I would add “the” if I wrote something like: “a small increase in the emissions that it produced”

5 “The proportion of spending on leisure and education was also highest in Turkey, at 4.35%, while expenditure on clothing and footwear was significantly higher in Italy, at 9%, than in any of the other countries.” Is it ok to put “the” before “highest in Turkey” and “higher in Italy”?

We tend to write “the highest + noun” e.g “the highest amount of spending” If we put the noun before, we don’t need “the” e.g “the amount of spending was highest” It’s less common to use

“the” before a comparative like “higher”, and we definitely wouldn’t use “the” before “higher in Italy” in the sentence above

Please note that I cannot provide a complete explanation of all article rules and uses Grammar books take many pages to do this!

Article rules can become very confusing, so don't worry too much about them Students who are good at using articles have normally learnt by copying what they read and hear, rather than by learning the 'rules'

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (13) Saturday, February 25, 2012

Try to find and correct the mistakes in these sentences:

1 I agree that we should interest more with our own societies and countries

2 There three main problems that we need to tackle first, education

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 14 3 You should mention your opinion in the introduction so examiner have some idea what to expect from your essay

Feel free to share your corrections as 'comments' I'll add my answers tomorrow

IELTS Grammar: verbs with 'exam'

A lot of students write to me saying "I gave the IELTS test yesterday" Please note that "give an exam" is not correct

- I took the IELTS exam/test

- I passed the exam (i.e you were successful) In other words, use "take" not "give"

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Saturday, April 14, 2012

Here are some simple rules to help you with punctuation for IELTS writing:

Full stops are very important Put a clear full stop at the end of each sentence, and then begin the next sentence with a capital letter If you don't do this, you will get a low score

1 When you start a sentence with these words, put a comma after them:

Nowadays, Recently, Firstly, Secondly, Finally, Furthermore, In addition, Also, However, By contrast, On the other hand, In my opinion,

2 We use commas in lists: e.g This problem affects individuals, communities and society in general

3 We don't usually put a comma after the word "that": e.g It is clear that the rate of immigration increased

4 Don't worry about other uses of commas The use of a comma is often optional in other situations

Avoid contractions in IELTS writing Use "do not" instead of "don't"

You may sometimes need to show possession e.g the government's decision

You don't really need to use any other punctuation in IELTS writing

My advice is to avoid trying to use colons and semicolons

IELTS Grammar: cause and effect

Here are some useful phrases for describing causes and effects (for IELTS Writing Task 2 and maybe Speaking Part 3) I'll use the topic of 'global warming' to show how the phrases work

Pollution leads to global warming

Pollution results in global warming

Pollution is the main cause of global warming

Factories pollute the atmosphere As a result, global warming is occurring

Global warming is caused by pollution

Global warming is the result of pollution

Global warming is due to pollution

Global warming occurs as a result of pollution

Notice the different uses of 'result' (results in, is the result of, as a result) Students make a lot of mistakes with these phrases

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Saturday, June 09, 2012

Here are some sentences about this week's writing task 1 question Can you find and correct the mistakes? Not all of them are grammar mistakes!

1 There were 51 million pmt incidents than 35 million pmt injuries by bus

2 In general, both the figures for serious fatalities and injuries were dramatically higher for the demand response field

3 The number of people having injuries showed the more popular level than that of people having incidents

4 There is a somewhat difference between the number of people using heavy rail and light rail

5 The bar chart illustrates the amount of passengers who were been incidents and injuries travelled by five types of transport such as demand response, bus, heavy rail, light rail, and commuter rail in 2002

6 The bus, which is used by almost 80 people, tallied 66 injuries

7 In three types of rail, being lower than light rail, heavy rail surpassed commuter rail in the amount of incidents and injuries

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 16 8 Injuries by bus was went up approximately 4 times than commuter rail

Try to correct the mistakes in the following sentences

1 More proportion of American people in 1970 than in 2000 got married

2 There are many things easy enough for those young people to do

3 I am agreed that volunteer work can build up the responsibilities in youngs

4 Society gets benefitted as the juvenile crime rate reduced

5 Having a work experience may help to having a job quicker and easier

PS Nobody answered this question from Monday's reading lesson:

If a survey showed that "households spent seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods", does this mean that it was "a survey of household expenditure on transport"?

Here are a few grammar questions that I've been asked this week:

1 Which is better: "like normal" or "as usual"?

You might hear people say "like normal", but it's much better to use "as usual"

2 What do "in order to" and "in terms of" mean?

A dictionary will explain the meaning of these phrases However, it's probably more useful to see some examples of how they are used A search engine like Google will give you many more examples than I can

3 Is it correct to write "it is worth spending maintaining libraries" or "libraries are worth spending"?

Neither is correct I'm afraid I would write: "It is worth spending money to maintain libraries" or

4 Can we put "for example" in the middle of a sentence like this: "There are many environmental problems, for example, people litter everywhere"?

The use of "for example" in the sentence above is not correct To avoid confusion, I'd recommend using "for example" only at the beginning of sentences Use "such as" in the middle (e.g There are many environmental problems, such as air pollution)

Find the mistakes in the following sentences All of the sentences relate to the graph in this lesson

1 Families who do not have cars have decreased from 1971 to 2007

2 Households without a car percentage gradually decreased

3 There is a rise can be noted in the proportion of households with two cars

4 The number of household with no car were well below 50% in 1971

5 There were least percentage of household who had three or more cars, but it steadily improved to 5% by 2007

I'll put my answers in the comments area tomorrow

Try to correct / improve the following sentences by writing them in a simpler way

1 There is no doubt that the attraction of video games are catching people’s attraction easily

2 In our world today where technologies bound to run in our daily existence, playing video games plays a vital part to our own society

3 All RPGs (role-playing games), as the name already suggests, involves the player assuming a character and controlling the entire process and unlock tasks to advance

4 On the one hand, it is undoubtedly that video games have offered much more benefits to human beings

5 I personally believe that video games seem to have noxious implications

Almost every week I see mistakes in the use of "affect" and "effect" These are common and important words, especially in the IELTS writing test, so you need to get them right

"Affect" is a verb Don't write "affect on"

 Smoking affects your health (smoking affects on your health)

 The Internet is affecting our way of life

 Children are affected by what they see on television

"Effect" is a noun Do write "have an effect on"

 Smoking has a harmful effect on your health

 The Internet is having a significant effect on our way of life

 Television can have a negative effect on children

If you use these words correctly, the examiner will be impressed

Try to correct the mistakes in the sentences below:

1 Most of advertising aim to persuade people that buying things will make them happier

2 Advertisers use every efforts to make their products more attractive

3 Governments should control advertising or even banned

I'll give you my answers in the "comments" area tomorrow

IELTS Grammar: 'finally' or 'at last'?

This week I wrote a lesson about using "Firstly, Secondly, Finally", and a student asked me whether it's ok to use "at last" instead of "finally"

The answer is no "Finally" and "at last" are not used in the same way

Use "finally" in the IELTS writing test when you want to make your final point, or to talk about the final stage in a process e.g Finally, as well as making life more fun and interesting, new experiences can be good for our physical and mental health (taken from this lesson)

Only use "at last" when you have been waiting for a long time for something to happen e.g At last I've passed the IELTS exam!

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Saturday, April 20, 2013

Try this useful technique for IELTS writing and speaking:

Give an opinion, then follow it with a conditional sentence

1 In my opinion, governments should invest more money in public transport If rail and bus services were more reliable, fewer peoplewould need to drive

2 Schools have an important role to play in children's health If schoolsbanned junk food, they would help to reduce the problem of childhood obesity

3 In the future I think more people will do their shopping online But ifInternet shopping becomes more popular, many traditional shops will lose customers

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 19 I've underlined the conditionals Examples 1 and 2 are second conditionals, while 3 uses the first conditional

Prepare your own "opinion + conditional" ideas for different topics Having a few of these ideas ready could help you in the writing and speaking tests

Try to improve the following sentences

1 It is clear that, the commuter numbers by car are dominant

2 The number of passengers in train showed upward trend

3 The number of commuters favor car and train significantly increase

4 About average 5 million commuters traveled by car

5 The figure for train started from about 2 millions

6 British people continuously used more car than other vehicles

IELTS Grammar: rules and exceptions

When learning a language, grammar rules are useful because they show you how the language normally behaves For example, you might learn that the word "to" is followed by the infinitive of the verb The rule tells you that "to have" is correct and "to having" is wrong

However, you should also be prepared to meet some exceptions to the grammar rules that you learn

For example, students are often confused by phrases like 'look forward to having' or 'advantages to having', both of which are correct

When you find an exception to a grammar rule, don't get frustrated; consider it an opportunity to expand your knowledge of the language, and perhaps to impress the examiner!

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Sunday, May 19, 2013

Students often make mistakes when using these two phrases To avoid mistakes, follow this simple advice:

- Use For example, at the start of a sentence

- Use such as in the middle of a sentence

1 Children should eat less junk food For example, they should avoid eating burgers and chips

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 20 2 Children should avoid eating junk food such as burgers and chips

Notice that 'For example' is followed by a comma and a full sentence 'Such as' is in the middle of the sentence, followed by two nouns You can use 'For instance' instead of 'For example' You can use 'like' instead of 'such as'

IELTS vocabulary review Here's a quick review of the band 7-9 vocabulary from this week's lessons:

- the current generation of language learners - have the Internet at their disposal

- the chance to immerse themselves in

- upset by - opposed to for ethical reasons - carry out research

- stalls are spread across several sites - the centrepiece

- an array of - mouth-watering food and drink - spilling over into other pedestrian streets - attracting thousands of visitors

- the fantastic atmosphere - Manchester seemed to come alive - the streets were bustling

- there was a real festive feel to the city

IELTS Grammar: passives, conditionals, subjunctives?

It seems that teachers in some countries are telling their students to fill their answers with "difficult grammar devices" like passives, conditionals andsubjunctives

I tell my students to do the opposite: forget about these things!

In my experience, the more you focus on grammar (25% of your score), the less you focus on answering the question well, organising your ideas, and using good vocabulary (75% of your score)

Worrying about "difficult grammar" is likely to ruin your answers rather than improve them! Focus on the other 75%

You can't write "They asked me to do an interview, I felt so shy" with a comma connecting the two ideas You would need a full stop or a linking word like "and" or "but" (e.g They asked me to do an interview, but I felt so shy)

2 Don't put "which" and "it" together

You can't write "a conversation which I found it interesting" Delete the "it"

Click here to see all of the answers to Friday's exercise

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (14) Sunday, March 16, 2014

Find and correct the mistake in each of the sentences below:

1 Technology allowed the growing of factories

2 Parents should be more conscious on their children’s online activities

3 The Internet allows people from all over the world to involve in discussions about current events

I'll put my answers in the "comments" area tomorrow

Improve the following sentences All of them are about the 'teleworking' topic

1 There are several disadvantages to do work at home

2 In comparison with office, home is a relatively quiet and comfortable place to work at

3 People's daily activity may be decreased

4 Not everyone enjoy working and living at the same places

5 Employee tend to put less important on work because there is no supervisor

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (31) Saturday, May 03, 2014

IELTS Grammar: lead, contribute, result

Students often make mistakes with the verbs lead, contribute and result Try to correct the sentences below

1 Qualifications and skills may lead to get promotions

2 Lack of exercise contributes to have an unhealthy body

3 Violence on television is one factor that results to increase the crime rate

What is the rule for these 3 verbs?

The problem with the following sentences is that the verbs and nouns (underlined) don't go together

Do you know what the correct verbs should be?

1 I gave the IELTS exam last week

2 I usually take a coffee in the morning

3 This will bring a negative impact on people

The correct 'verb + noun' groups are examples of collocation

IELTS Advice: if you have a grammar question

If you have a grammar question, this website probably isn't the best place to find the answer There are many dedicated grammar sites, so all you need to do is put your problem into a search engine (e.g Google)

A student asked me to explain how to use "not only but also " If we do a Google search for

"grammar not only but also", here's the first website that Google suggests: click here

After reading the explanation of "not only but also ", you could try making your own sentences about common IELTS topics, such as education, work or the environment

Posted by Simon in Questions/Advice, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (8) Sunday, June 08, 2014

Here are my suggestions for the sentences in Friday's lesson Remember, the aim was to make the sentences as easy as possible

1 I like learning languages because they help me to communicate with people from other countries

2 I do lots of reading in my spare time

3 If you can speak the local language, it's easier to make friends

4 Knowing a foreign language can help you to get a better job

5 The best time to learn another language is when you are young

6 Learning a foreign language opens your mind and expands your horizons

7 The more you practise, the easier it becomes to communicate in a new language

Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (8)

Notice where we put the "s" on the end of a word and where we don't:

 Thousands of people watched the show

 Fifty thousand people watched the show

 over a period of ten years

 It was a five-kilo fish

 The boy is three years old

 He is a three-year-old boy

IELTS Grammar: are phrasal verbs ok?

People often ask me whether it's ok to use phrasal verbs in the IELTS writing and speaking tests

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 25 My answer is yes; phrasal verbs are generally fine In Friday's speaking lesson I used the phrasal verb to grow up , and the 'multi-word verbs' to take place and to make sure In this essay, I used the phrasal verb to result in

It isn't true that all phrasal verbs are informal Read this article for a full explanation

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (14) Saturday, July 19, 2014

There were a few nice bits of language that you might have noticed in yesterday's speaking lesson:

 I pick up a newspaper most days

 I usually have a book on the go

 opens the door to all aspects of education

These phrases made my answers sound very natural and "native-speaker-like" Try using them in your own sentences

Students often make mistakes with uncountable nouns These are nouns that you can't count Most importantly, they don't have a plural form

For example, you can't say "an information, two informations, many informations" You can say

"some information, more information, a lot of information, a piece of information"

Below are some common uncountable nouns Do you know any others?

 give advice, some advice, a piece of advice (an advice, advices)

 do research, carry out research (a research, researches)

 gain knowledge, share knowledge, increase knowledge (knowledges)

Have you tried using Google (or another search engine) to resolve grammar problems? For example, students asked me to explain the following sentences from the essay in Wednesday's lesson:

1 There are some basic preconditions to achieving happiness

2 There do seem to be some common needs that we all share

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 26 3 It is no doubt true that

If we put quotation marks (" ") around the key words, and Google them, we can look for patterns in the search results that help us to understand the grammar

Try searching for "preconditions to achieving", then try "preconditions to being" and "preconditions to doing" The search results should show you that "preconditions to +ing" is a normal grammar pattern in English

Now search for "there do seem to be" and "it is no doubt true that" You might find that searching for grammar patterns is more useful than learning grammar rules

People often make mistakes when they try to use 'difficult' language Can you correct the following sentences and write them in a less complicated way?

1 Banks always motivates their customers for availing various types of credit cards

2 As a credit card has become prevalent for which it is easy to apply and gain this, there are several problems that people undergo

3 Credit cards do have both pros and cons but it depends on the inevitability of user and their attitude to know purposely that determines the usage of mostly worth of it

IELTS Vocabulary: notice, look up, use

A student called herry commented below this lesson that he/she noticed the phrase "resort to" in my paragraph about credit cards

Herry then looked the phrase up in a dictionary and found the meaning: resort to something = do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way

The next step is to try using the phrase in a sentence of your own (e.g Many stores have resorted to cutting prices) If possible, ask a teacher to check your sentence to make sure it's correct

This is a great way to improve your vocabulary repertoire

Did you notice that I used several conditional sentences in yesterday's speaking lesson? Here they are again:

 But if I had to choose, I'd say the living room

 so that's what I'd change first

 I'd definitely move again at some point if I could afford to

Notice that I use I'd instead of the full I would because these are spoken answers (although it's fine to say I would )

Notice also that the 'if' conditional clause is missing from the second example Sometimes we miss the condition because it is understood from the context We understand from the context that I mean:

"If I redecorated my home, that's what I would change first"

Let's review the useful vocabulary that we've seen in this week's lessons:

 aged (adjective meaning 'elderly') Would you be able to use all of these words and phrases in your own sentences?

1 I think elderly, frail, single people need to be prioritised

2 Helping people depends on the situation, and it can be done in various ways

3 I can mention two reasons in response to this question

4 But now many people are giving importance to community work

5 I must admit that there is a high demand for a better quality of life, which causes people to focus on themselves rather than on others

1 I think we should prioritise helping elderly people, especially those who are frail and live alone

2 We can help other people in a variety of ways, depending on the situation

3 I think there are two reasons why some people like helping others

4 Many people think that it’s important to help others in their communities

5 I think people are focused on improving their own lives, rather than helping others

Although the corrected sentences in section B are acceptable, I much prefer the sentences in section C Examiners will also prefer the ‘natural’ sentences

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (11) Saturday, November 29, 2014

Let's review the vocabulary that I used in yesterday's speaking lesson Here are the phrases that I think would impress an examiner:

 volunteer to run activity clubs

 residential homes for elderly people

 support people living below the poverty line

 there isn’t a scale of importance when it comes to helping others

 all forms of help are positive

 run the risk of losing our jobs

 people help others because they empathise with them

 It’s impossible to generalise about

 from one generation to the next

 judge or compare how altruistic people are

Saturday, December 13, 2014 IELTS Vocabulary: from the 'parks' topic

As I said yesterday, you don't need to 'show off' in part 1 of IELTS speaking However, I did use some nice vocabulary in my answers:

- every city needs some green space - people can escape from the crowds

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 30 - Parks are like an oasis

- get away from the hustle and bustle* of city life - take some exercise

- forget about work for a while - I can't imagine what I would do

*hustle and bustle = busy activity, usually when describing a city

Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (11) Saturday, January 17, 2015

A student, Kishanth, asked me about two of the points in the grammar criterion for band 8 writing (both task 1 and 2):

 uses a wide range of structures

 the majority of sentences are error-free

Here's the problem with these two points:

When you try to use a wide range of grammatical structures, you risk making more mistakes (errors)

But to reduce the number of mistakes, you might have to simplify your sentences

So what should you do?

My advice is this: Forget about the 'wide range of structures' point If all of your focus is on using complex grammar, you'll probably do something worse than just make mistakes; you'll probably forget to answer the question properly The people who worry most about grammar usually neglect task response, coherenceand vocabulary

For me, grammar is the least important criterion to worry about I tell students to focus on the other 75% of the scoring system: task response, coherence and vocabulary However, if you want my tip for improving your grammar score, I'd say that it's better to focus on reducing errors I think examiners notice errors more than they notice grammatical range, and if you write a mix of short and long sentences, you'll probably fulfil the 'wide range of structures' requirement without realising it

A student asked me which sentence I prefer from these two:

1 There is an array of reasons for the proliferation of high amounts of waste disposal

2 There are various reasons for the rise in the amount of waste that we produce

Although sentence 1 might look more 'difficult' (due to the use of array,proliferation and disposal), I definitely prefer sentence 2

The problem with sentence 1 is that it seems forced and unnatural:

 "Array of reasons" is fine, although no better than "various reasons"

 "Proliferation" and "high amounts" sound strange together I would use one or the other, but not both

 "The proliferation of waste disposal" also sounds wrong to a native speaker It isn't a collocation that I would expect to read or hear

 I think the topic would be about "waste production", not "waste disposal" The root problem is that we are producing more waste, not that we are throwing it away more often The word

"disposal" looks good, but for me it affects the coherence of the sentence

I think this is a great example of what I said in Wednesday's lesson about having the confidence to keep it simple When students try too hard to be difficult, they write unnatural sentences like number 1 above

Here are the band 7-9 phrases from yesterday's lesson Remember that I'm not trying to use strange or difficult words; I'm trying to speak in a natural way, using 'native speaker' collocations and phrases

 the plot would be fictional

 influenced by some of my own experiences, ideas and views

 follow in the footsteps of my favourite authors

People often ask me for help with articles (the, a, an) You really need to consult a specialist grammar book if you want to know everything about articles, but here's a useful question about my use of "the" in a recent lesson:

Look at the following sentences

1) I would need time, commitment and the passion to keep working

2) I would need the time, commitment and passion to keep working

3) I would need time, commitment and passion to keep working

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 32 Are all three sentences correct? Is one better than the others? Does the position or absence of "the" change the meaning?

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (26) Saturday, February 21, 2015

Here are some sentences that people wrote below yesterday's speaking lesson (about 'collecting')

Can you find and correct the mistakes?

1) There are a lot of things that people often are collect

2) I think people often go to gather small things such as stamps

2) Whenever I went in a vacation, I used this opportunity to buy another object

3) Let me think, may be valuable watches which their prices increase by time

5) People collecting things for many reasons for example they do it as a hobby

Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (39) Saturday, February 28, 2015

IELTS Grammar: nouns and verbs

Sometimes the noun form and the verb form of a word are the same For example, the word

“increase” can be a noun or a verb The problem is that nouns and verbs are used differently Here are some examples:

There was an increase in the unemployment rate (noun) The unemployment rate increased (verb)

There is a lack of investment in hospitals (noun) Many hospitals lack the investment they need (verb)

Companies should give men and women equal pay (noun) Companies should pay men and women equally (verb)

It's the little words like "an increase in" that cause most problems for students Examiners do notice these things, so it's worth getting them right

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Sunday, March 08, 2015

A student asked me about the two uses of the word "by" in these sentences:

Korea was the only country that managed to reduce its waste output by the year 2000 Korea cut its waste output by 12 million tonnes between 1990 and 2000

1 Can you explain how "by" is used in the two cases above?

2 What is the difference between "by the year 2000" and "in the year 2000"?

Posted by Simon in IELTS Writing Task 1, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (26) Sunday, March 22, 2015

I don't think that using 'difficult' grammar is the best way to get a band 7

If you want a band 7, the most important thing is to be able to write error-free sentences If all of your sentences contain small mistakes, it's unlikely that you'll get a 7 It might be better to take fewer risks with complex structures, and aim for more error-free sentences

Did you write down the good vocabulary from the essay that I shared on Wednesday? Here are the 'band 7-9' words, collocations and phrases that I used:

 take on the role of househusband

 the rising cost of living

 should be seen as progress

 their particular circumstances and needs

 these developments are desirable Try writing your own full sentences using each vocabulary item above

Posted by Simon in IELTS Writing Task 2, Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (13)

Do you keep a notebook for useful words and phrases? And do you review the vocabulary in it regularly?

For example, here's a quick review of some useful vocabulary from the last seven days of lessons on this blog:

 the current generation of language learners

 don't know how lucky they are

 they have the Internet at their disposal

 they have access to videos, podcasts and audiobooks

 they have the chance to immerse themselves in the language

 the charts compare three countries in terms of

 are buried underground / are recycled

 rely on pre-prepared meals

 that would surely be a good thing

Remember: Understanding a word is not the same as being able to use it Practise using the phrases above in your own sentences

Many students have learnt that 'to' can't be followed by a word ending in 'ing' But did you notice the following phrase in the question in Wednesday's lesson?

"strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents"

This phrase is completely correct, so it must mean that the "rule" was wrong! You can put 'to' with 'ing' in many situations Here are some examples:

 The key to being more productive is

 I look forward to seeing you

 He admitted to taking the money

 Scientists are closer to being able to

 Seven steps to reaching your goals!

Can you find any more examples?

Tip: try searching on Google for "to being", "to having", "to doing" etc

IELTS Vocabulary: review and practice

If I asked you to list the 10 best phrases from yesterday's speaking lesson and Wednesday's writing lesson, which would you choose?

Could you then use those 10 phrases in your own sentences?

Here are my suggestions for improved versions of the sentences in yesterday's lesson Compare both versions carefully to learn from the changes that I made

1 In my opinion, people are afraid to give presentations when they think that members of the audience might know more than they do

2 My mind often goes blank when starting a new slide

3 I believe that using visual aids can help to engage the audience

4 Of course, giving a presentation can make people feel anxious, regardless of how confident they normally are

5 I think that adequate preparation is the key to giving a good presentation

There were some good collocations and phrases in the 'improved sentences' that I wrote for yesterday's lesson Did you write them in your notebook?

 regardless of how (+ adjective) something is

 the key to doing something

For my first answer in yesterday's lesson I wrote: "I like reading, learning from others, and trying to understand difficult concepts." As you can see, I gave a list of 3 things that I like about studying

Here are some more "lists of 3" that I could have used in my answers:

 I prefer to study alone so that I can concentrate, think deeply, and stay focused on the task

 I like studying in the library because of its peaceful, studious and contemplative atmosphere

 When someone disturbs me I feel frustrated, annoyed and impatient

Making "lists of 3" is a good way to practise adding variety to the language that you use Try it yourself!

Can you correct the small mistake(s) in each of the following sentences, or change the sentences to make them more natural?

1 Global filmmaking companies have more budget for action, special effects and spectacular locations

2 Governments should support local film industries by financially support the film makers

3 If governments help local movie industry, it would create employment opportunities

4 There are several reasons why locally made films lose popularity to foreign films

5 The following essay will discuss in details about the issue

This week's lessons contained some good vocabulary Here are some of the words and phrases that you could put in your notebook:

 huge budgets, big-budget films

 shoot scenes in spectacular locations

 they star the most famous actors

 made by the most accomplished producers

There were several good words and phrases in this week's lessons here on the blog Here are some of them, and I've left gaps to encourage you to look a bit harder!

1 universities became accessible to the

2 talented film-makers 3 given the opportunity to themselves 4 a of other costs

5 partly by government subsidies 6 foreign productions the market 7 percentage of inhabitants 8 each five-year age

10 No significant differences can be seen

In yesterday's lesson I asked you to find examples of verb tenses and good vocabulary in my sample answer about a film that I would like to see

Here are examples of different verb tenses that I used:

 Future with 'going to': it’s going to be called Spectre

 Future with 'will': I don’t know exactly what it will be about

 Present simple for the future: when it comes out later this year

 Present simple: I think Spectre refers to

 Present perfect (active): I've seen the official trailer

 Present perfect (passive): hasn't been released yet

 Past simple: I saw in the news

 Past continuous: when I was watching the news Here are some examples of 'band 7-9' vocabulary:

 when it comes out (meaning: when it is released)

 refers to the name of

 on a mission to save the world

 a plot line involving lots of twists and turns

 cast to play supporting roles

 James Bond films are always big news

 action scenes and special effects

 take place in spectacular locations

 unrealistic, you could even say ridiculous

Here are some good words and phrases from this week's blog lessons:

 fixed roles of men and women

 take pride in your work

 a popular subject for film-makers

Did you notice that the noun 'replica' and the verb 'replicate' both appeared in this week's lessons, and in very different contexts?

Whenever you see a new word or phrase, it's a good idea to investigate By this I mean that you should search for the word or phrase online, and see how it is used in a variety of sentences

For example, take this phrase from yesterday's lesson: "I'm not one for " If you search for this phrase on Google, you'll see examples like:

 I'm not one for complaining, but

 I'm not one for writing reviews, but

 I'm not one for settling for mediocrity

 I'm not one for love songs

 I'm not one for celeb news

 I'm not one for too much structure

I think you need to see five or more examples of a new phrase before you start to really see how you could use it yourself Can you see any 'rules' for the phrase "I'm not one for"? Can you explain what it means? Can you use it in your own sentences?

Here's some of the good vocabulary that I used in yesterday's speaking lesson Would you be able to use these phrases in your own sentences? If you're not sure, look the phrases up in a dictionary, or use Google to search for examples of their use

 clogs up the main street

 come up with some possible designs

 a safer and more pleasant place

In last Sunday's lesson I wrote that an advanced user of any language is someone who can express the same idea in a variety of ways When you do this, you are paraphrasing

Let's practise paraphrasing some of the ideas from Friday's speaking lesson Can you express the ideas below in one or two (or more) different ways? Note: you don't need to use exact synonyms - just make sure you communicate the same overall idea

1 Traffic clogs up the main street

2 Local people need to bring the problem to light

3 They should come up with some possible designs

4 This would have a positive knock-on effect

Sunday, August 30, 2015 IELTS Grammar: 'future perfect' tense

Did you notice that I used the 'future perfect' tense in the answer that I wrote for Thursday's writing task 1 lesson? Here's the sentence:

- By 2024, a third building will have been constructed

In fact, this is a 'future perfect passive' sentence Another option was to write:

- In 2024, a third building will be constructed (simple future, passive)

There's a small difference in meaning between these two sentences The future perfect sentence suggests that construction of the building will already be finished in 2024, whereas the simple future sentence suggests that the construction work will happen in the year 2024

Sunday, September 06, 2015 IELTS Grammar: 'by/in contrast' and 'on the contrary'

A few people have asked me about these phrases Do they have the same meaning? When is each one used?

I often use these two phrases in both writing task 1 and 2 They are exactly the same, and are used in a similar way to "however" or "on the other hand" to introduce a contrast / comparison Put "By / In contrast" at the beginning of a sentence, with a comma after "contrast"

Unemployment rose in the UK By contrast, the number of unemployed people in Canada fell

I don't think you'll need this phrase for any part of the IELTS test It doesn't mean the same thing as

"by / in contrast" We use "on the contrary" to deny that something is true, and to explain that the opposite is true

- Person 1: "You had some problems with your hotel, didn't you?"

- Person 2: "On the contrary, the hotel was great, but the airline lost my suitcase."

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (9) Sunday, September 20, 2015

Here are some phrases (parts of sentences) that people wrote below Thursday's writing task 1 lesson Can you find and correct the mistakes?

Note: I'm focusing here on the parts of people's sentences that contained a problem Don't worry about the information that I've missed out

1 The highest numbers of sales were 3 million Euros and 15 million Euros respectively

2 The highest sales figures for Fairtrade coffee and bananas was recorded in Switzerland

3 Switzerland was earning 15 million euros of fairtrade bananas

4 .with the sales figures for coffee and bananas stood at 3 million Euros and 15 million Euros respectively

5 Switzerland was the highest sales in fairtrade of coffee and bananas

In case you didn't see it, here's my correct version:

In 1999, Switzerland had the highest figures for sales of both Fairtrade coffee and Fairtrade bananas, with 3 million and 15 million Euros of sales for the two respective products

Did you note down the good vocabulary from this week's lessons? Here's a list of some of the best words and phrases Try using them to make your own sentences

 the courses of their choice

 job opportunities, career progression, better salaries

 knowledge and skill gaps are covered

 passionate about what they are learning

 value creative thinking skills above practical or technical skills

 if this were the case

 I personally prefer the current system in which

Did you note down the following 'less common' phrases from the description that I wrote yesterday?

Could you use these phrases in your own sentences?

 it was aired (means 'it was shown on TV')

 the trailers were eye-catching

 the voice of the narrator

 to film such interesting creatures in so many locations

 opened my eyes to the hidden wonders of our planet

The phrase 'less common vocabulary' (or 'uncommon lexical items') is used in the examiner's mark scheme It refers to any vocabulary that examiners don't expect most candidates to use But this doesn't mean 'difficult' words; it means the kind of 'natural' phrases that native speakers use A good example is "DVD box set" - this isn't a difficult phrase, but it's something that

English learners might not be expected to use

Can you correct the mistakes in the following conditional sentences?

1 If there was a ban on cigarette, less people would smoke cigarette

2 If the tax rate on junk food had increased, people would likely to prefer making food at home

3 If schools administered with any teachers, disorder and lawlessness would arise

4 If uncensored commercials had been banned, the crime rate would be seized from rising

Let's take some of the phrases from yesterday's lesson, and see if you can use them to make new sentences about completely different topics

Here are the phrases to use:

1 The focus of _ is on _ rather than _

2 I've recently started taking an interest in _

3 I would never have _ when I was younger

Remember to choose a new topic (not TV) You can put as many words as you want in the gaps

Saturday, December 05, 2015 IELTS Vocabulary: this week's review

In my Saturday blog lessons, I often list the good vocabulary from the previous week Today I'm going to ask you to do this week's vocabulary review

So, look back through this week's lessons here on the blog, and make a note of any good vocabulary that I used Feel free to share your lists in the "comments" area below

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 44 - show limited interest in this area of research

- little information can be relied upon for accuracy - technological advances have altered the way such achievements are viewed - equivalent of

- for both personal and broader econoic reasons - on an individual level

- from an economic perspective - independent and self-reliant - live with family members - cook, clean, pay bills - manage his or her budget - valuable life skills

- greater demand for housing - the construction industry - estate agents

- a whole host of - on holiday - set off on the walk - on the first morning of the holiday - a rented house

- find the coast path - descend the steep steps that led to the beach

Posted by: James Z | Sunday, December 06, 2015 at 10:15 Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (7)

I used some good phrases in yesterday's letter task Even if you're doing the academic IELTS test, I recommend that you note them down

 we could not have chosen a better restaurant

 the ceremony had taken place

 we were relieved to have finally (+ past participle)

 we were in good hands

Think about how you could use these phrases in your speaking test

 The UK had the highest revenue from bananas (noun after, use "the")

 Revenue from bananas was highest in the UK (noun before, no "the")

3) Miss "the" when the meaning is "at its " or "at their ":

 Revenue from bananas was (at its) highest in the UK

 Temperatures are (at their) warmest in the south of the country

Here's a puzzle for you The sentence below is correct, but it seems to break the 'rule' in point 2 above Can you explain why I wrote "the oldest" even though there is no noun after the superlative?

The London underground is the oldest

Sunday, December 20, 2015 A note about grammar

The two lessons below demonstrate how crazy grammar 'rules' can be Most people learn that we always use the word "the" with superlatives (e.g the highest, the oldest), but in reality the English language breaks this 'rule' on many occasions

I'm not a fan of learning such detailed grammar rules myself; I prefer my students to focus on vocabulary So don't worry if my "superlative without the" lessons seemed confusing to you It wouldn't affect your score if you made a mistake when using one of these phrases

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (5) Sunday, January 03, 2016

A student noticed something interesting in my video lesson about "discussion essays" In the lesson I wrote the following two phrases:

1 their determination will help them in competitive situations 2 more useful than a competitive determination to win

The student asked why I used the article "a" in the second phrase Isn't "determination" an uncountable noun? The answer is, not always

Sometimes we use "determination" as a countable noun In the second sentence above, I'm writing about one specific type of determination: the determination to win In this case it's correct to write "a determination"

People often ask me to make a lesson that explains how to use articles The problem is that article use doesn't follow a set of simple 'rules' I think it's best to learn gradually by reading lots of English and by noticing things like the example above

IELTS Vocabulary: 'easy' words in 'less common' phrases

You might think that a word is 'easy' because you understand it But do you really know all the uses of that word? There might be some 'less common' uses that would impress the examiner

Take the word "interest" for example When teaching a class of advanced-level students, I used the phrase "out of interest" (e.g I decided to take the course out of interest in the subject*) My students admitted that they had never heard the phrase "out of interest" before

*out of interest in the subject = because I'm interested in the subject Can you think of any other examples of 'easy' words that are used in 'less common' phrases?

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (12) Sunday, February 07, 2016

Should you write "most people", "most of people" or "most of the people"?

1 Don't write "most of people"

2 "Most of the people" is correct when you are talking about a specific group of people e.g most of the people in my department

3 For IELTS writing and speaking "most people" is the best phrase

Here are some examples for IELTS Writing:

 English is taught in most countries (most of countries)

 Most people agree that the ability to speak English is a useful skill

 Most products are made in factories rather than by hand

 Crime is on the increase in most major cities

In the comments below Wednesday's lesson, a few people said that they didn't see any "advanced" vocabulary* in my essay But examiners are not looking for "advanced" vocabulary; they are looking for "less common" vocabulary

"Less common" vocabulary means words and phrases that most students wouldn't think to use in their essays For example, in the first line of my essay, I used the verb "to rival" You might know the noun "rival", but have you ever used it as a verb? This is not an "advanced" word, but it is certainly less commonly used by IELTS candidates, and the examiner would be impressed to see it used in this way

Here are the "less common" phrases from my essay:

 the Internet is beginning to rival newspapers

 the ability or opportunity to get online

 employ professional journalists and editors

 contribute with our own updates on social media

 an explosion in the use of platforms

Although you probably understand the phrases above, most candidates would not use them in their essays

*I never use the terms "advanced vocabulary" or "difficult vocabulary" Anyone can find a "big" word in the dictionary and translate it The difficult skill is to use words together in collocations and phrases

I recently read a student's essay that contained the following sentences:

1 As a matter of fact, it is no clandestine issue to anybody that sport has indisputable impacts on overall health of people

2 The proponents of this view perceive that investment in enhancing the number of health- related facilities is not alone a cure-all for protecting and maintaining healthy atmosphere

3 To revolutionize public health, alternative effective measures are entailed

I told the student that I thought she was trying too hard to be 'difficult' Which words or phrases in each sentence do you think I suggested changing?

Here are my improved versions of the sentences in yesterday's lesson I've replaced the strange words with more natural alternatives

1 It is widely accepted that sport has a positive impact on people's physical and mental health

2 Investment in facilities will not, by itself, lead to an overall improvement in public health

3 In order to revolutionise public health, alternative measures will need to be taken

Did you analyse the essay in Wednesday's lesson? Here are some good phrases that you could try to use yourself:

 seen as places of opportunity

 high crime and poverty rates

 the air quality is poor

 public transport systems are overcrowded

 take steps to tackle these problems

 promote the use of cleaner public transport

 enhance the quality of life Remember that 'topic vocabulary' is the key to a high score in writing task 2

Someone asked me the following useful questions:

 Instead of 'reduce pollution' , can we write 'bring down pollution' or 'lessen pollution'?

 Instead of 'reduce the pressure' , can we write 'cut down the pressure'?

My answer is no Although 'bring down', 'lessen' and 'cut down' can be used as synonyms of 'reduce' in some situations, most native speakers wouldn't choose to use them in the contexts above In other words, 'reduce pollution' is a common collocation, but 'bring down pollution' isn't

To see which verbs collocate (go well) with 'pollution' click here

To see collocations with the word 'pressure' click here

Can you see the mistakes in the following topic sentences?

1 On the one hand, people facing different situation living in a city

2 The problems that urban inhabitants may face with are high cost of living, many kinds of social problems as well as poor air quality

3 People dwelling in cities are facing different kind of issues every day

4 On the one hand, the denizen need to face the challenge life in urban sprawl

5 The fantasy of high standard city life is infact faced with reality of many daily challenges

Tip: the easiest way to improve these sentences is by simplifying them

Here are my suggestions for correct, simplified versions of the sentences in yesterday's lesson:

1 People who live in cities face various problems

2 The problems that urban inhabitants face include a high cost of living, social problems, and poor air quality

3 People who live in cities face various problems

4 People who live in urban areas face various challenges

5 City life is much more challenging than many people are led to believe

 Sentences 1 and 3 were trying to communicate the same simple idea, so I used the same easy sentence for both

 Notice that I removed the words 'dwelling' and 'denizen' Don't try to show off with difficult words in your introduction

 Notice how the verb 'face' is used: A face(s) B For example: people face problems

In which of these sentences is the passive used correctly?

1 The amount of rainfall was increased last month

2 An increase in rainfall was seen last month

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 51 3 The UK was experienced an increase in rainfall

4 Rainfall has been reduced this year

5 Income tax has been reduced this year

Did you note down these good phrases from Wednesday's lesson?

 it is an abstract concept with no definite meaning

 it can mean or represent

 depending on a person's age, culture or background

 a feeling of pleasure in a particular moment

 health, security, financial stability or success

 in our own individual ways If you want to write at a band 7-9 level, vocabulary is the key!

Did you notice the paraphrasing that I used in Thursday's lesson?

 the amount of time = the time spent

 10 to 15-year-olds = aged between 10 and 15

 chatting on the Internet = chatting online = chat online = engage in online conversation

 playing on games consoles = playing computer games = play on their consoles

 more popular = boys favour = girls prefer

 the majority of = most of them = most girls and the comparisons that I made?

 Boys favour / By contrast, girls prefer

 close to 70% of girls , compared to about 50% of this cohort who

 most of them , whereas most

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 52 Saturday, April 09, 2016

IELTS Vocabulary: learn from examples

Instead of looking for a grammatical explanation for the use of a word or phrase, it's often better to search for real examples of usage

Take the following question, for example A student asked me:

Is there a difference between "in terms of" and "with regard to"? When and how should we use these phrases?

Can you find 3 examples of each of the two phrases in the student's question above? Use a search engine, such as Google, and choose examples that come from reliable sources (e.g newspaper articles) Does this help you to see how and when the two phrases are used? Do you think there is a difference between them?

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (15) Sunday, April 24, 2016

Did you notice the following phrase in my conclusion in Wednesday's lesson?

"companies should place as much importance on their social responsibilities"

Notice the "verb + noun" collocation that I used: place importance on

Did you know that we can say "place importance on something"? Have you ever used this collocation / phrase yourself?

You might think that you know the word "importance", but I would be surprised if you knew all of the common collocations on this webpage Remember: it's easy to learn the meaning of a word, but this doesn't mean that you know all of the word's uses

Have you noted down the following good vocabulary from this week's lessons?

 should do the trick (informal) = should be enough

 ramble on (informal) = say too much

 dive right in (informal) = go straight to

 with the sole aim of

 a wider role to play in society

 treat employees well, rather than exploiting them

 ensure that they have a good quality of life

 use a proportion of their profits

 in the world as a whole

 accounts for the vast majority of

 they've used up their energy

 leave a good impression on someone

Let's review the paraphrasing that I used in Thursday's lesson:

 the pie charts compare = the pie charts give information about

 water usage = the water used

 water usage = water is consumed

 the rest of the world = the world as a whole

 the rest of the world = worldwide

 for residential purposes = by homes

 San Diego and California = two American regions

Remember: Paraphrasing is considered to be a 'high level' language skill The ability to say or write the same thing in several different ways is the sign of an 'advanced' language user

Note: I'm reposting this list of topics because it was difficult to find amongst my older lessons

Look through the following list of common IELTS topics Do you have opinions about them? Could you discuss them in an essay or in a conversation?

1 Advertising 2 Animal Rights: testing on animals, vegetarianism, zoos 3 Cities: urbanisation, problems of city life

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 54 4 Crime: police, punishments/prisons, rehabilitation, capital punishment

5 Education: studying abroad, technology in education, education in developing countries, higher education, home-schooling, bad behaviour, corporal punishment, single sex education, streaming (grouping children according to ability)

6 Environment: global warming, impact of humans on the environment, solutions to environment problems, waste/rubbish, litter, recycling, nuclear power

7 Family: family size, working parents, negative effects on children, divorce, care for old people 8 Gender: gender and education, gender and work, women’s and men’s role in the family 9 Genetic Engineering: positives, negatives, genetically modified foods

10 Global Issues: problems in developing countries, how to help developing countries, immigration, multi-cultural societies, globalisation

11 Government and Society: what governments can do, public services, censorship, video cameras in public places

12 Guns and Weapons: gun ownership and possession, police and guns, nuclear weapons, armed forces

13 Health: diet, exercise, state health systems, private healthcare, alternative medicine, stress 14 Housing and Architecture: state housing, old buildings, modern/green buildings

15 International Language: English as an international language 16 Money: money and society, consumerism

17 Personal Development: happiness, success, nature or nurture 18 Sport and Leisure: professional/competitive sport, sport salaries, sport and politics 19 Tourism: positives, negative effects on environment, future of tourism

20 Traditions and Modern Life: losing traditional skills, traditional customs 21 Transport: traffic problems and solutions, public transport, road safety

22 Television, Internet and Mobile Phones: positives and negatives, Internet compared to newspapers and books

23 Water: importance of clean water, water supply, water should be free, bottled water

24 Work: same job for life, self-employment, unemployment, work/life balance, technology and work, child labour

This is the topic list that I work with when preparing lessons, and it's the basis of my ebook It's a good idea to print this list and try to work through it

Saturday, June 04, 2016 IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Can you correct and improve the following introduction paragraph?

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 55 It is commonly increasing to hear about that some people are in hope of the current century and look it as an check out to make good changes to the globe From my view some changes can be better for the world, there are few ideas that I would love to see in the nextby century

Instead of correcting every grammar mistake, an easier way to improve the introduction paragraph in yesterday's lesson would be to simplify it To simplify something, we need to focus on the message that we are trying to communicate; how can we deliver that message in the clearest, simplest way?

For example, here's a simplified version of the introduction:

Many people are confident that this century will be a positive one I share this optimism, and there are several positive changes that I hope to see over the coming years

IELTS Vocabulary: from this week

Did you take note of the following vocabulary from this week's lessons?

 can never be wholly harnessed

 the future of higher education lies in the balance

 deeper and more enlightened understanding

 how best to improve transportation

When we make 'culture' countable, we are usually* talking about the group of people itself So, 'a culture' can be similar to 'a society' or 'a community'

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 66 For example:

- Children are taught to respect different cultures (different groups of people) - Traditional cultures are disappearing (traditional societies or communities)

You might also see "a culture" used to describe an "attitude" e.g The manager is trying to create a culture of success

Here are the "band 7 to 9" phrases from Wednesday's essay See if you can write a full sentence with each of these phrases

 lead to the loss of

 it may be true in the case of

 seem to be unaffected by

 advances in technology that have driven industrialisation

 contributed to the disappearance of

 generations of families grew up in small communities

 led to the dispersal of families

 villages are inhabited by commuters

 have been completely untouched by

 traditional skills are passed on to children by parents and elders

 from weather predictions to market prices

 have survived and even flourished

Vocabulary was a strong feature in Wednesday's essay, but I'll talk about some other aspects of the essay tomorrow

Sunday, February 26, 2017 IELTS Grammar: compound and complex?

Some IELTS students spend a lot of time preparing "difficult" sentence structures to impress the examiner One particular issue that people ask me about is the use of 'compound' and 'complex' sentences

The first thing I would say about compound and complex sentences is that they are not "difficult"

Here in the UK, children learn about these sentence structures in primary school (click here to see how children are taught to understand sentence types) If you use words like and, but, because, although, while, when to connect ideas, you will automatically write a longer sentence that will be either compound or complex

The second thing I would say is that you should not be worrying about these things when you are writing an IELTS essay Just focus on answering the question and explaining your ideas well I'm sure you'll naturally use "connecting" words to join ideas and create some longer sentences, so there's no need to worry about this at all

Sunday, March 12, 2017 IELTS Grammar: is, will, would, would have

Compare the following sentences Can you explain the difference in meaning between each one, or suggest when we might use each one?

2) This book will be useful

3) This book would be useful

4) This book would have been useful

Thursday, March 23, 2017 IELTS Writing Task 1: hyphen and no 's' before noun

Look at the following (correct) phrases:

 the charts show three 10-year periods Now compare those phrases with two more:

 over the period of 10 years

 the charts show three periods of 10 years

Can you see the difference? Can you explain the grammar rule here, and can you think of any other examples?

Saturday, April 01, 2017 IELTS Grammar: plural with singular

Did you notice the following sentence in my essay on Wednesday?

Online courses are becoming a common feature of university education

It might seem strange to mix a plural with a singular like this, but it's correct The reason is that the courses are being grouped together as one feature Look at some similar examples:

- Traffic jams are a feature of everyday life in modern cities

- Online courses are a positive development

- Electric cars are a good idea

- Lower birth rates in America are an interesting trend

Let's review the good vocabulary from this week's writing and speaking lessons First, some phrases from my task 2 essay:

 are becoming a common feature of

 the opportunity to engage face-to-face with

 rely on written forms of communication

 come into direct contact with

 a negative impact on peer support

 chatting through website forum areas

 cover the material at their own pace

 regardless of age, location, ability and background

 enrolled on an online MBA course Second, some phrases from Friday's speaking lesson:

 just the right level of background noise

 over the course of the afternoon

 takes a lot of pride in making

 avoid drinking too much caffeine

 the atmosphere and noise level

 focus on my work without distractions

Note: You should see a difference in 'tone' (i.e how formal or informal something is) between the two lists of phrases above Can you see what I mean?

Saturday, April 08, 2017 IELTS Grammar: a student's question

A student asked me about the following sentence:

 Traffic jams are a feature of everyday life in modern cities

He asked me if the following version is also correct:

 Traffic jams are a feature of everyday's life in modern cities

What do you think? Is the second sentence correct? Why / why not?

Saturday, April 15, 2017 IELTS Grammar: 'overview' mistakes

Here are some sentences that people wrote below Thursday's writing task 1 lesson Can you find and correct the mistakes?

1 There are a lot of fluctuations in cost these years

2 Prices of both food and oil have a significant increase in eleven years

3 The trends show almost similar figures throughout the period

4 Oil and food prices follow nearly same trends within period

5 Both goods increased theirs prices throughout the period shown

6 Both goods had their prices increased throughout the period shown

IELTS Grammar: 'to' with 'ing'

Many students have learnt that 'to' can't be followed by a word ending in 'ing' But you might have noticed that I break this 'rule' in some of my essays For example:

"strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents"

This phrase is completely correct, so it must mean that the "rule" was wrong! You can put 'to' with 'ing' in many situations Here are some examples:

 The key to being more productive is

 I look forward to seeing you

 He admitted to taking the money

 Scientists are closer to being able to

 Seven steps to reaching your goals!

Can you find any more examples?

Tip: try searching on Google for "to being", "to having", "to doing" etc

Sunday, May 21, 2017 IELTS Grammar / Vocabulary: 'fixed phrases'

Sometimes it's better not to look at word usage from a grammar perspective Instead, we can accept that some phrases are 'fixed', and there's no point worrying about the individual words within them

The phrase "I look forward to seeing you" , from yesterday's lesson, is a good example There's no point trying to understand why we use "to + ing" in this phrase Just learn it as a fixed phrase

Let's take another example Someone asked me for a grammatical explanation of my use of the word

"for" in the sentence below:

One option would be for police officers to visit schools (taken from this essay)

Here's the answer that I gave the student:

It might be best to learn the whole phrase "one option would be for x to " without trying to understand it word by word You could consider this to be a 'fixed phrase'

In other words, rather than looking at this from a grammar perspective, you could learn it as a vocabulary item Then, the best way to understand the phrase is to see it used in various different contexts Here are some examples from a Google search:

 One option would be for national authorities to intervene

 In order to improve the economy, one option would be for the government to invest in infrastructure

 One option would be for staff to work more hours

IELTS Grammar / Vocabulary: too simple?

In Wednesday's lesson I said that the sentence below needed to be corrected and improved

 Fierce debates have been provoked if assignments ought to be done by students

In the "comments" below the lesson, I suggested two corrected versions:

 People have different views about whether school pupils should have to do homework

 Opinions differ as to whether (or not) school children should be given homework

But a student (Kami) asked a useful question:

Hi Simon You made it too simple What if I were fascinated by more advanced and complex structures to use while I apply correct grammar? I failed to find any grammar mistakes in the first sentence

How do you think I should answer Kami's question? Are my suggestions too simple? And what advice do you think I should give about the issue of "advanced and complex structures"? I'll give you my answer and advice in tomorrow's lesson

Sunday, June 04, 2017 IELTS Grammar / Vocabulary: 'advanced and complex'?

In this lesson I'll try to answer Kami's question (see yesterday's lesson) Let's start by looking at the sentence below in more detail

Fierce debates have been provoked if assignments ought to be done by students

There's really only one grammar mistake in the sentence above: the word "if" is used wrongly We would need to write something like this: "Fierce debates have been provoked about the issue of whether assignments "

However, vocabulary is the real problem in the sentence:

1 The word fierce is much too strong, and seems unnatural or inappropriate in this context Are people really having fierce (i.e furious, very angry) debates about homework?

2 I would also question the use of the word debates Are people really debating this homework issue?

Maybe they are, but this still seems a little exaggerated to me

3 Next, while it isn't grammatically wrong, I would question the use of the word provoked Has someone or something provoked this debate?

4 Finally, assignments are not necessarily the same thing as homework Assignments can be done in the classroom, so the use of this word confuses the issue

While the grammar of the original sentence was almost correct, any native English speaker would find the sentence strange or unnatural, due to the vocabulary issues mentioned above There's nothing

"advanced or complex" about choosing inappropriate or exaggerated words that no English speaker would use

It's good to be fascinated by new words and phrases, but using them correctly and appropriately is a different challenge For most people, trying to write like an English-speaking journalist or novelist is like trying to play football at the level of Messi or Ronaldo! If you aim for such a high level, you're likely to make big mistakes

From the New Yorker Dec 17, 2012:

"Like a lot of debates about education, what Cooper calls “the battle over homework” is not really about how to make schools better."

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 72 From Gisborne Herald June 5, 2017:

" Constance Hall She has more than half a million followers on social media, uses swear words like commas and has a fierce opinion about homework for her primary-aged children, "

"American education writer Alfie Kohn’s 2006 book, The Homework Myth, provoked a rethinking of homework across the continent."

Posted by: Alibaba | Monday, June 05, 2017 at 02:30

You are making Simon's point Newspaper writing in English is NOT essay writing Newspapers are written in a 'dramatic' way to attract readers This type of vocabulary works well in this type of writing which is meant to entertain and stimulate It is not appropriate in an essay context

Posted by: sjm | Monday, June 05, 2017 at 05:51 http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=homework+debate&year_start80&year_end 0 8&corpus&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chomework%20debate%3B%2Cc0

Posted by: Alibaba | Monday, June 05, 2017 at 09:55 http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=provoke+debate&year_start60&year_end 08& corpus&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cprovoke%20debate%3B%2Cc0

Posted by: Alibaba | Monday, June 05, 2017 at 10:15 http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=fierce+debate&year_start60&year_end 08&co rpus&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cfierce%20debate%3B%2Cc0

Posted by: Alibaba | Monday, June 05, 2017 at 10:16

e.g The brothers often dress alike.

Video cameras make cities safer for inhabitants, workers and visitors alike

Can you write a sentence using 'alike' in the way that I used it in point 3 above?

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (14) Sunday, October 08, 2017

IELTS Grammar: mistakes with 'alike'

Several people wrote sentences below yesterday's lesson, but some of them contained mistakes

Can you correct the sentences below?

1 The two teachers had alike ideas about using technology in education

2 My three children had received an academic reward alike at the end of the term

3 The profits gained from the selling of bouquets of flowers are given for the sellers and the poor alike

4 CCTV footage confirm your safety, prevent losing of precious items from footpath,shopping mall and alike

Saturday, October 14, 2017 IELTS Grammar: copy sentence 'patterns'

In last Saturday's lesson I suggested that you write a sentence using the word 'alike' I gave you a model sentence, so you only needed to follow the 'pattern' of that sentence Let's look at some examples.

Video cameras make cities safer for inhabitants and visitors alike.

Teaching assistants make lessons easier for students and teachers alike.

The school website can be used by students, teachers and parents alike

Can you see how I used exactly the same sentence pattern in number 2, and that I made a few changes in number 3?

Sunday, October 15, 2017 IELTS Grammar: instead of 'rules'

Instead of trusting the grammar 'rules' that you find in a book, why not do your own investigating to see exactly how a word or phrase is used by native English speakers?

This is what I was encouraging you to do in yesterday's lesson about the word "alike" Instead of explaining the grammar rules, I simply showed you some correct sentences that contained the word I gave you a 'model' or 'pattern' that you can use to make your own sentences

Click here to see another example of a lesson in which I used 'model' sentences instead of rules to show how a word is used

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (4) Saturday, October 28, 2017

IELTS Grammar: not following advice leads to mistakes!

In Thursday's lesson I suggested some phrases that could be used in a task 1 introduction sentence

However, I noticed below the lesson that some students had used their own ideas instead of my suggested phrases Unfortunately this led to some big mistakes in the sentences below:

1 The bar chart portraits the three different environmental unfriendly techniques for recycling the waste management in various countries of Europe

2 The bar chart depicts data about the percentage of recycled waste that is put into a landfill, an incinerator, or have been disposed of in other ways which are done in various EU countries

3 The bar chart shows the percentage waste that is recycled.Meanwhile, put into landfill, incinerated, or disposed of in other ways in various EU countries

Can you see the mistakes that could have been avoided if the students had used my suggestions?

Saturday, November 11, 2017 IELTS Grammar: 'rain' topic mistakes

The following sentences were written by students below yesterday's lesson Can you correct or improve them?

1 Yes, I like when it rains Because it makes the weather awesome

2 People say environment affects mood and I am with this

3 After few seconds it started raining and I was beaten heavily

4 Taichung, my city only rain in summer

5 I don't like the rainy day, when it is dropping on my face, let me feel sticky

6 I've got caught in the rain several times so far as I got nothing to cover me at that time

Sunday, November 19, 2017 IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 phrases

Here are the best words and phrases from Wednesday's essay Note them down, and try to use them in your own sentences - perhaps you could even try rewriting the essay using the list below to help you

 just one possible way to tackle the problem

 fail to adhere to this law

 prison sentences for repeat offenders

 put education at the centre of a recycling campaign

 the environmental impact of household waste

 Another tactic that governments could use

 waste is processed more effectively

 dispose of their waste more responsibly

Saturday, December 02, 2017 IELTS Vocabulary: good phrases

Did you note down the following phrases from yesterday's description?

 indoor and outdoor football pitches

 just down the road from where I live

 an old warehouse was knocked down

 book the courts for games of tennis

 attract spectators as well as participants

 facilities, activities, lessons and clubs

 something fun and productive to do

 brighten up my local area

 improve our quality of life

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (1) Sunday, December 03, 2017

IELTS Grammar: imagining something that doesn't exist

An interesting aspect of the speaking part 2 question that I answered on Friday was that I had to imagine a sports centre that doesn't currently exist

Look at the phrases that I used when imagining:

 The place of entertainment that I wish we had

 My ideal sports centre would have

 I can think of the perfect place for this

 It would be easy for people to get to

 I think a sports centre would be much better

 There could be sports lessons

 I’m sure many adults would join the gym

 The centre could hold sports events

 A sports complex would give young people

 A sports centre would brighten up my local area

Notice that I mostly used 'would' and 'could' to imagine things Try preparing an 'imagining' description yourself, and make sure you use these words

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 84 Saturday, December 16, 2017

IELTS Grammar: mistakes using model sentences

On Thursday I suggested that you write some sentences using two of my own sentences as models

Here are the model sentences:

1 More waste goes to landfill sites than to any other refuse management facility

2 Austria and Belgium are the most environmentally friendly of the fifteen countries, recycling around 60% and 50% of their waste respectively

And here are some sentences that people wrote in the 'comments' area below the lesson Can you find and correct the mistakes?

1 More expenditure spends on cars than to any other consumer goods

2 More women go to science degrees than any other university courses

3 America and China are the most exported countries of all, exporting almost 2300 billion and 1600 billion respectively

4 America and Canada are the most culturally friendly of the fifteen countries, with welcoming 50% and 60% of foreigners respectively

IELTS Vocabulary: review of this week

Here's a list of useful vocabulary from this week's lessons:

 break a goal into smaller steps

 an abundance of working-age adults

 provision of housing and public services

 rates of crime and antisocial behaviour

 the needs of are not met

 an exodus of well-qualified young graduates

 the most impressive that I've ever seen

 has traditionally been used in

 it symbolises history, strength and reliability

 the stories that are associated with it

Sunday, January 07, 2018 IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Here are some sentences that people wrote below Thursday's lesson Can you correct the mistakes that they contain?

1 Growth population in England is projected at 5.9%

2 The number of public living in England is projected to grow by 5.9%

3 There was a slight increase in England's population approximately 5.9%

4 There is alike growth rate trend in Northern Ireland and Scotland population

5 By meanwhile the growth prospects is expected to be almost 3.2% in Scotland and 4.3% in Ireland

Sunday, January 14, 2018 IELTS Grammar: mistakes and corrections

Let's look at the grammar problems in last Sunday's lesson

1 Don't write "growth population" You need to write "population growth"

2 You can't write "the number of public" because 'public' is uncountable

3 Don't write "there was" when giving a future prediction

4 You can't put "alike" before a noun, so "alike growth rate" is wrong

5 Don't put "is" after a plural (prospects is), and you can't write "by meanwhile"

Here are my corrected versions of the sentences:

1 Population growth in England is projected at 5.9%

2 The number of people living in England is projected to grow by 5.9%

3 There will be a 5.9% increase in England's population

4 There are similar population growth trends in Northern Ireland and Scotland

5 The population is expected to grow by 3.2% in Scotland and by 4.3% in Northern Ireland

Saturday, January 27, 2018 IELTS Grammar: correct the mistakes

Can you correct the mistakes in the following sentences that students wrote about yesterday's 'status symbols' topic?

1 Owning a house is symbolised for having enough money to live

2 I don’t think the possessions take an important role for our life

3 People has a high regards to personality possessing extremely huge houses

4 Owning summerhouse which is usually a little cottage in countryside is a status symbol

5 They are considered as status symbols of the upper class people which make them proud to see people marvelling at these things

Posted by Simon in Vocabulary/Grammar | Permalink | Comments (26) aturday, February 24, 2018

Did you notice the following collocations (words that often go together) in Wednesday's lesson?

A student called DaNang even made a collocations exercise in the comments area below Wednesday's lesson Good work DaNang!

1 'Some people believe that all ' (no comma after "that")

2 ' should carry a gun, while ' (don't begin a sentence with "While," - use "while" after a comma to link contrasting ideas in the same sentence)

3 'In my view' OR 'From my point of view' (not "From my view")

4 'the advantages of police officers carrying guns OUTWEIGH the disadvantages' ("outweigh" NOT

5 ' the disadvantages because ' ("because" is used to connect ideas in the SAME sentence You don't need a comma before "because")

Good work Hana, Felora and Evan Simon

Posted by: Simon | Monday, July 19, 2010 at 16:33

Sentence 3 is NOT correct 1 and 2 are fine

Posted by: Simon | Monday, October 18, 2010 at 16:27

Sentence 3 should be written as one sentence with no stop or comma:

"Children's behaviour is getting worse nowadays because parents are not strict enough"

1 We have been friends (present perfect - from the past until now) 2 If people work in teams, THIS can help them to achieve more

3 Unemployment is another important issue

4 It is difficult to live in a new country and speak a new language

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 89 5 Many children behave badly, perhaps because their parents are not strict enough

I have tried to give the easiest solution, but many of the students' answers above are also correct

Posted by: Simon | Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 10:06

1 With developments in nuclear technology, the risk of accidents IS being reduced

('risk' is singular) 2 Scientists need to DO more RESEARCH to improve the safety of nuclear power stations

('do research', not 'make researches' - never use the plural, 'research' is uncountable) 3 There are several ways to write this Gopi's suggestion is a good one:

The use of nuclear power produces not only cheap electricity, but also less pollution

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 16:28

(NEVER "I am agree") 2 On the other HAND, it may be (2 words) difficult OR: perhaps it is difficult

(Don't use "maybe" at the start of a sentence in formal/academic writing)

3 Although (NO COMMA) we all need to work in order to pay our bills, (NO "BUT") we also need to enjoy our jobs

Also, don't use "etc." in your essays

Posted by: Simon | Monday, February 21, 2011 at 14:24

1 WHO travelled (or TRAVELLING) THE UK 2 WHO visited THE UK 10 MILLION

(no "s" on hundred, thousand, million etc after a number)

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 90 3 You can't say "the least country" - change it to "least popular country"

Thanks for you suggestions - it seems you all had the right idea

Posted by: Simon | Monday, March 21, 2011 at 17:36

1 Governments have played an essential role in society OR: Governments have an essential place in society

In English, we don't say "play a place", we say "have a place in" or "play a role in"

2 Lack of exercise has bad effects ON health OR: Lack of exercise has a bad effect on health

I prefer "has a bad effect on" (singular) You must know how to use 'effect' and 'affect' I've done a lesson on this in the IELTS Grammar section

Lead to + noun 'Lead to getting' is ok, but I'd just use the noun 'promotions'

4 This may help them to reach their dreams

'Contribute to' needs to be followed by a noun 'Contribute to reaching' is ok, but I'd prefer to keep 'reach' and change the verb: 'help them to reach' is much more natural

5 The main thing is to make people aware of this problem OR: The important thing is to make people aware of this problem

"Aware OF" not "aware for" But also, we don't say "the main important" You should use either "the main thing" OR "the important thing"

Posted by: Simon | Monday, May 30, 2011 at 14:59

1 The number of holidays abroad INCREASED DRAMATICALLY in 2005

2 The figure ROSE again in 2006, but it FELL in 2007

3 In 2008, the number of foreign holidays FELL to its lowest point

The main problem is the use of the passive (was increased) when the verbs should be active (increased)

Also, you need to use 'rise' (rose) instead of 'raise' (raised) The meaning of these 2 verbs is the same, but we use them differently:

"The government RAISED taxes last year"

For the same reason, you can't use 'reduced':

Posted by: Simon | Monday, July 11, 2011 at 23:06

1 It is clear that diplomas and degrees were the most popular qualifications. - no comma after "it is clear that" - use plurals of 'diploma' and 'degree' because we are talking about a general category (it's similar to saying "dogs and cats are the most popular pets", not "dog and cat ")

2 Parents usually try to provide their children with different alternatives. - not "are try" - provide someone WITH something

 Maybe I'd change the sentence to "Parents try to give their children different opportunities."

3 Most computer games contain a lot of violence. - Not "most of" - "several" is followed by a plural, countable noun e.g several problems, several scenes of violence

4 The number of people living in cities will increase sharply. - It's not passive ("will be increased" by someone?? - no)

5 Advertising is widespread nowadays. - If you're not sure, you could write: "Advertising is everywhere"

Hope you found this useful - it wasn't easy!

Posted by: Simon | Monday, November 07, 2011 at 17:43

1 The pollution and waste that we produce also affect animals. ("affect" without "on" or "have an EFFECT on")

2 Many animals are in danger OF extinction

3 Traffic congestion is on the increase in most countries.  (NOT 'nearly all over the world')

4 Most people who live in cities are affected by traffic.  (we don't say "most of people" or "suffer from traffic")

5 Schools can PLAY a big part in educating children about this issue

Posted by: Simon | Monday, November 21, 2011 at 11:32

1 "mature enough" instead of "enough mature": Children are not mature enough to make decisions

2 Poor parenting has contributed to children misbehaving OR Poor parenting has contributed to bad behaviour among children ("children's misbehaviour" is ok)

4 "educatING" - I'd probably write "Bringing up and educating children is the responsibility of parents"

Posted by: Simon | Monday, December 12, 2011 at 13:27

Firstly, each sentence has a mistake involving an uncountable noun: ADVICE, KNOWLEDGE, RESEARCH, INFORMATION should not be used in the plural or with a/an

2 and 3 have no other mistakes:

2 Students need to develop their knowledge and skills. 

3 We can use the Internet to do some research

Number 4 has one other mistake: "fastly" is not a correct word Use "quickly":

4 If we want to find some information quickly, the Internet is the best resource

In number 1 there is a problem with "influence on" This is correct when influence is a noun e.g "to HAVE AN influence on", but not when influence is a verb We also need to change the word "many" because it isn't used with uncountable nouns:

1 Parents influence their children and give them advice

 OR: Parents have an influence on their children and give them advice

 "a lot of advice" is fine (in my opinion), but "lots of" is more informal" It might be better to find another word if you don't like "a lot of" e.g you could write "invaluable advice" (which means

Posted by: Simon | Monday, January 16, 2012 at 12:24

1 I agree that we should BE MORE interestED IN our own societies and countries

- we say "be interested in" not "interest with"

- You could also say "be more concerned about" or "take more interest in"

2 There ARE three main problems that we need to tackle THE first (one) IS education

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 93 - the biggest mistake in that sentence was not starting a new sentence after 'tackle'

3 You should mention your opinion in the introduction so (that) THE examiner HAS some idea what to expect from your essay

- 'idea' can be singular or plural We often say 'some idea'

Posted by: Simon | Friday, April 06, 2012 at 16:57

1 There were NOT 51 million incidents There were 51 incidents per million passenger miles

2 'Incidents' does NOT mean 'serious fatalities'

3 Don't use the word 'popular' when talking about negative things like injuries

4 You can't say 'a somewhat difference' Also, the figures don't show numbers of people USING the services

5 "who were been incidents and injuries travelled" = bad grammar Also, only use 'such as' when you give a few examples, not when you mention ALL of the items

6 The bus was not USED by 80 people Don't use 'tallied' in this way

7 Strange sentence organisation - especially the use of "being lower than light rail"

8 Don't use 'went up' - you can't talk about increases or decreases when the items are different and no times are shown

1 There were 51 incidents and 35 injuries per million PMT on buses

2 In general, both the figures for incidents and injuries were dramatically higher for the demand response field

3 The number of injuries was higher than that of incidents

4 There was a small difference between the number of incidents and injuries on heavy rail and light rail

5 The bar chart compares the number of passengers who were involved in incidents and injuries on five types of transport in 2002

6 There were nearly 80 incidents and exactly 66 injuries on buses

7 Of the three types of rail service, light rail services saw the highest number of incidents and injuries, followed by heavy rail and then commuter rail

8 Injuries on buses WERE approximately 4 times higher than those on commuter rail services

Posted by: Simon | Monday, June 11, 2012 at 11:07

1 A higher proportion of American people got married in 1970 than in 2000

(problems were 'more proportion' and the position of 'got married')

2 There are many things WHICH/THAT ARE easy enough for those young people to do

OR: Many things are easy enough

3 I agree that volunteer work can help to teach young people about having responsibilities

(don't write 'I am agreed' or 'youngs', and we don' really say 'build up the responsibilities')

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 94 4 Society benefits (or 'will benefit') as the juvenile crime rate falls

(not 'gets benefitted' and not 'reduced' in the past tense)

5 Work experience may make finding a job quicker and easier

('experience' is usually uncountable, so don't write 'having a work experience' You can't say 'help to having')

The answer is NO "Expenditure" means "money spent", but not "time spent"

1 There are 2 problems: - families didn't decrease, the NUMBER of families decreased - the time is past, so don't use present perfect "have decreased", use past simple "decreased"

2 You can't say "Households without a car percentage"

3 The problem is the 2 verbs in "there is" and "can be noted"

4 Several problems: - "the number were" (number is singular, and it's really a percentage rather than a number) - "well below" means "a lot below" - this is not true in the graph

5 Several problems: - "There were least percentage of household" is not good English. - "improved" is the wrong word to use - an increase isn't always an improvement (e.g an increase in pollution is not an improvement)

1 The proportion of families without a car decreased between 1971 and 2007

2 The percentage of households without a car decreased gradually

3 There was a rise in the proportion of households with two cars OR: A rise can be noted in the proportion of

4 The proportion of households with no car was just under 50% in 1971

5 In 1971, only a small percentage of households had three or more cars, but the figure rose steadily to about 7% by 2007

Posted by: Simon | Sunday, August 05, 2012 at 13:41

Hi Simon and IELTS students

My results were out last week, and I decide to share my thoughts of hitting a high band score in the writing test from the point of view of a test-taker and an IELTS student

I sat the IELTS before, and I received a band 7.5 in the writing test As an English major, however, I expect a band score higher than this because it is not quite enough for a student studying English in my opinion, and having a good band score in the IELTS test always gives me an edge

My writing question was “the reasons for and solutions to traffic congestion” (similar wordings) I like this type of writing question the most because it is rather “direct”, and you just need to account for the problem / phenomenon and suggest solutions It follows that it is comparatively easier to structure my

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 95 essay and word my arguments

I think many students are interested in knowing what a band-8 essay written by a non-native speaker looks like as I was looking for such pieces of work too while I was preparing for the writing test

However, I can tell you that there is no secret After getting a band 8 in the writing test, I realize that while a wide range of vocabulary is important, it does not come before clarity That is to say, it is a no- no to attempt to use complex grammatical structures and (seemingly) sophisticated vocabulary items at the expense of clarity and precision Never do this Granted, students can study advanced grammatical structures and learn sophisticated vocabulary to boost their band scores, but this should be done after they have a relatively good command of English – when they can produce frequent error-free sentences, as shown on the Writing Band Descriptors (band 7) The fact that you use many long sentences and “big words” in an essay where grammatical mistakes impede communication would just result in a low band score

So, what words did I use to boost my score? I am afraid that I did not use many big words, nor did I use any memorized phrases / templates / paragraphs Simon always emphasizes the importance of

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 13:02

In the first two sentences, the 'thing' that my boss is recommending is the holiday, not "me"

- My boss recommended a long holiday (active) - A long holiday was recommended (passive) - It was recommended that I take a long holiday (passive)

1 I was named by my mom/mum She likes its sound

My name was chosen by my mom/mum She likes the way it sounds / she likes the sound of it

2 It's AN unusual name in my country

3 I would (or I will) never change my name because I'm very proud of it

4 My parents GAVE me a good name

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 107 5 Well, I haven't (really) thought about it

Please read my explanations carefully, because some of the students' answers above are not quite correct

1) I know that the book is useful Maybe I have used it before, or I'm using it now I can definitely recommend it

2) I intend to use the book in the future, and I am sure that it will be useful Or I'm recommending the book to someone i.e you should use this book because it will be useful for you.

The word "would" implies a condition (if ) For example, "this book would be useful if I had it or if I bought it" Imagine you're in a bookshop looking at the book, and you think to yourself: "Hmmm, if I bought this book, it would be useful" In other words, I'm considering buying the book because it looks useful

Another possibility is that you are recommending the book to someone else: "You should use this book, because it would be really useful for you (if you did)"

NOTE: "this book would be useful" DOES NOT MEAN "it might be useful or it might not"!

4) This sentence is imagining a different past i.e I didn't read the book, but I can now see that it would have helped me (if I had read it)

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 10:29

"everyday life" is a very normal phrase in English As a few people wrote above, "everyday" is an adjective, so it's the same as writing "daily life" We don't say "everyday's life" or "daily's life"

Posted by: Simon | Sunday, April 09, 2017 at 19:08

1 I would prefer to use "prices" instead of "cost" and the verb "fluctuate" instead of the noun

"fluctuations" We also need to change the words "these years" For example:

The prices of food and oil fluctuated considerably over the period shown

2 We need to change the phrase "have a significant increase in eleven years"

The prices of both food and oil increased significantly over the 11-year period

3 It's strange to use the phrase "almost similar" Either write "similar" or "almost the same" Also, I would either write about the trend OR about the figures, not both For example:

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 108 - The figures for food and oil prices were similar throughout the period shown

- Food and oil prices followed similar trends throughout the period shown

4 "nearly same trends within period" is wrong Use one of the sentences that I wrote for number 3 above

5 "goods increased theirs prices" is wrong Here's my corrected version:

The price of both goods increased over the period shown

6 "had their prices increased" is wrong Use my answer to number 5 above

Posted by: Simon | Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 18:20

1) It's better to talk about "oil price", "price of oil", "food prices" etc These are the normal collocations that we use in this context

Although "price" and "cost" are often used in the same way in everyday English, they are seen as different concepts in the world of business So, the "cost of oil" tends to refer to production costs, rather than the price for the buyer Put "price vs cost" into Google to read more about this

I suppose this is why it seems more natural to me to use "price"

2) Price and prices are both correct

I'm glad you learnt how to use "similar" from the lesson too!

Posted by: Simon | Monday, April 17, 2017 at 19:59

Attendance at UK universities rose between 2006 and 2015, with the number of female university entrants increasing by 20,000 over the 9-year period, and the number of male entrants peaking at 157,000 in 2011

Note: there are several other correct ways to write this sentence, and most people who commented above seem to have the right idea

Here are my corrected versions of the sentences:

1) In 2009, 49% of the trips made by Americans WERE FOR travel to (AND FROM) work

2) In 2009, 49% of the trips made by Americans WERE for the purpose of TRAVELLING to (AND FROM) work

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 109 3) In 2009, 49% of the tripS made by Americans WERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMMUTING

4) In 2009, 49% of the trips made by Americans WERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMMUTING

5) In 2009, 49% of the trips made by Americans WERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMMUTING

6) In 2009, 49% trips made by Americans WERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRAVELLING to and from THE workplace

- we need to write "THE chance"

- no need to repeat the word "there"

- we really need a second conditional: If I HAD , I WOULD love

Or, using the first conditional:

2 "too many" is a negative expression

Just use 'many' or 'lots of'

I took lots of beautiful pictures on my camera

It's about 80 km from the city

- use "a" instead of the number "one"

- May was in the past, so use "spent" instead of "have spent"

- "in May", not "on May"

So the correct sentence is:

I am going to talk about a day that I spent in the countryside in May

- "Countryside" is uncountable, so you can't say "a" countryside

- after writing "where", don't add "there" on the end of the sentence

It was in the countryside near to my city, where some relatives were living

Posted by: Simon | Tuesday, October 03, 2017 at 13:32

People use different names, but here's what I call the tenses above

1 I'm writing = present continuous 2 I won't be able = future simple 3 I told you I was going = past simple (told) and past continuous (I was going) 4 who's playing this Saturday = present continuous for a future plan / event 5 you'll be = future simple

6 starts = present simple used for a future event 7 I've been asked = present perfect PASSIVE 8 if you're free on Saturday = present simple used as part of a conditional about the future 9 he'll be going = future continuous

I don't think anyone who commented above mentioned the use of the present simple and continuous for future plans and events

1 We don't put "alike" in front of a noun, so "alike ideas" seems very strange Just use "similar":

The two teachers had SIMILAR ideas about using technology in education

2 "alike" doesn't work with some verbs For example, "we received a letter alike" doesn't work - we would simply say "we BOTH / ALL received a letter

My three children ALL received an academic AWARD at the end of the term

3 The use of "alike" is ok here, but "are given for" is wrong

The profits gained from the selling of bouquets of flowers are given TO the sellers and the poor alike

Note: Instead of the sentence above, I think it would be more normal to write something like this:

A proportion of the profits from the SALE of bouquets of flowers is given to the poor / given to charity

4 There are several problems in this sentence, but the main one is the phrase "and alike" Don't use

"alike" after the word "and"

Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 111 Here's what I think the student wanted to write I don't think "alike" really works here, so I've missed it out

CCTV footage keeps us safe and prevents the loss of precious items in public places like shopping malls

In the first two sentences, using "alike" is similar to using the word "both" e.g "Video cameras make cities safer for BOTH inhabitants and visitors."

The meaning of "alike" in the third sentence is exactly the same, but we can't substitute it with "both" in this case, because there are 3 items instead of 2 (only use "both" when talking about 2 things, not more)

The first two sentences are identical in structure: plural noun + make + plural noun + adjective + for + two nouns + alike Sentence 3 is different: singular noun + can + passive verb + by + three nouns + alike

Posted by: Simon | Sunday, October 15, 2017 at 10:11

Please note that I rarely use the word "alike", and we can simply delete it from the end of all 3 sentences in the lesson above

It feels like I'm saying too much about this one word, expecially as I don't use it very often and it isn't really necessary anyway!

However, I only really used "alike" to illustrate a more useful point about sentence patterns I hope you've taken this point from my lesson

No more lessons about "alike", I promise!

Most people noticed problems with the words 'portraits' (which is actually a plural noun), 'depicts' and 'meanwhile' These are the problems that I noticed first.

Tiêu đề	IELTS Grammar and Vocabulary Lessons
Tác giả	Simon Corcoran
Chuyên ngành	English Language
Thể loại	Course material
Năm xuất bản	2010-2018
Thành phố	Manchester

Định dạng
Số trang	112
Dung lượng	1,01 MB