Chap 1

Academic Vocabulary for those who hate spending too much time on bullsh*t IELTS books Kien Tran Dear Customers and Shareholders, First of all, you may be scratching your head wondering why I addressed you as shareholders and customers In case you are unaware, customers and investors (or shareholders) are not the terms I arbitrarily call you all I did that for a good reason In essence, from business's perspectives, you are both my customers and my shareholders, not my students On the flip side, I am not your coach, not even your teacher so to speak I instead prefer to address myself as your CEO, who has the responsibility to live up to the expectations of shareholders and customers-you As shareholders, you have "invested" your money to "the company" and expect a decent return on your investment, which in this case your IELTS performance As per general principles, the goal is to maximize shareholders' value or your return on investment As customers, you have purchased my product using your hardearned money and expect the product to work to your great benefit, thereby in return taking the company's reputation to the next levels Increasing customer satisfaction has always been my primary goal I have always been impelled to create the product that suits your educational needs and serve your purposes well enough Therefore I really wish this book can offer you the best guidance you need for your success Due to limited time and intense work schedule, my apology for any possible errors Now let's enjoy and have fun! Kindest regards, Kien Tran Preface* *Introduction You right now might be wondering why just reading lazily like what you are doing at this very moment, without taking any notes, can help you remember all the fancy academic vocabulary. Is that even possible?  My answer is YES, YES, YES. And I'm not just saying that. The way it works is extremely simple, yet, not a lot of folks know about and even if they do, not many of them will make use of it. I am going to explain to you in later section of the book. But for now, just keep in mind that this book WILL make a big change in your life Don't tell me you only need English to pass the bullshit IELTS exam that you will have to pay a fortune for the fees  and not to mention you don't necessarily enjoy the experience  it gives you. You will need English for the rest of your life, hands down. Until you die. Let's be honest, 10 years ago, no English was okay. Now, if you don't speak and write in English properly and professionally, you will never get ahead of the game. So, you might notice I mark some words or phrases as RED, good question, they are words that are informal. You should NOT use them in formal writing like IELTS But feel free to use them in daily conversation or informal writing. They are very very common. But wait, isn't this book supposed to be for Academic vocabulary learning purpose? Oh yeah, I'm glad you mention that. It IS for academic vocab learning. Just wanna chill a little bit as this is just a preface section. I'm gonna get more serious later on and it will, in fact, turn you on as you will learn big time.  So the question is  Are you ready? Ok dumb question. I know you are 100% ready. LOL Let's jump right into it Essays with Kien Tran Before Legalize => Legalization Add more specific Add cause-effect After Naturally and Repeatedly Now, I will use academic vocab in REAL LIFE, naturally and repeatedly. See the word "naturally" and "repeatedly"? These are vitally important (1) for the success of learning vocabulary in a short period of time. Therefore, do not take them lightly (2). HAHA Okay, have you noticed what's going on right now? These two above phrases are the very first two academic phrases that you are gonna learn. You will see them every so often (3) as you go through the book. Why do you have to see them again? Remember repetition? It's key. It's vitally important (1). That's why you will have to see them over and over again, coupled with (4) new phrases. This will, of course, produce desirable learning outcomes (5) since you will familiarize yourself (6) with a myriad of (7) useful vocab that you will finally have a chance to use in formal writing. In conclusion of this page, you have already learned seven vitally important phrases that cannot be taken lightly in IELTS writing.  You will see more vitally important ones later on because this is what this book is all about. Just by reading, you will succeed.   (1) Very important (2) Take them seriously (3) from time to time, often (4) beside (5) give good results (6) get familiar with (7) a lot of/many A lot of a myriad of *use with prudence, may not be altered in some specific cases Talking with Kien Tran Do you like talking to me? Hmm  You don't say anything so I take it as a YES. In this book, it's like you are talking to me. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm talking to you directly. We will have a chat about anything you can think of. The environment, food and beverages, animals, the universe, movies, music, you name it. This book is interesting, making normal stuff academic. An unprecedented (8) book about learning vocabulary just for you, my friend. I hope you don't take it lightly as this is all my expertise (9) dedicated to (10) creating the best learning experience so you can enjoy and have fun.  (8) Never done or known before (9) expert knowledge in a particular field (10) devote time and effort to You will see a myriad of topics that I will do my best (11) make it simple and easy to understand to simplify (11) and at the same time utilize (12) as many academic words as possible so you can easily (12) use familiarize yourself with them as well as you ever dream of.  Tip! Expertise = knowledge + skill + experience Knowledge = knowledge Be careful dedicated to LEARNING dedicated to learn Should students wear uniform? What do you think? Should students wear uniform? This is such a classic essay question, not unprecedented at all. It's so basic that everyone wants to take it as an example to illustrate their point (13) prove their point, or (13) in essay writing. The answer to that question can use as example be yes or no depending on what view you want to take. Whether students should wear uniform or not (14) Does not have any does not have anything to do with (14) our current relation with, does not lives. Remember our job is to choose a viewpoint and affect answer that and then move on with life. Nobody cares so you don't need to worry about any essay questions from now on. Just answer and that's it. No right or wrong answer.  Okay, I guess you may have a myriad of ideas in your mind right now as this is an extremely easy topic. To me, the answer to that is NO. I don't think students should wear uniform because 1. That will compromise (15) their individuality (16) 2. Not every student likes it  3. Uniforms are not usually of good quality (17) (15) ~lose (16) uniqueness of character (17) ~This shirt is of high quality = The quality of this shirt is high Or I can say YES if I agree if I want to. Either way, I don't care and neither should you. No one cares if not “ways” they wear uniform or not, you can control that. The same goes for other topics (18), don't be scared, any (18) Other topics as well, no difference idea is a good idea. The choice is all yours.  Individuality US, Canada, UK Australia, Europe Collectiveness Vietnam, China, Japan Quick Grammar #1 This is the quick grammar section where I show you some of course, quick grammar notes you might need to bear in mind (19) as they are vitally (19) remember/ important to your success in writing. You cannot take keep in mind them lightly. You have to familiarize yourself with all of them because every so often you may make (20) bad, negative mistakes that can be detrimental (20) to your IELTS grade.  Remember:  Nobody, no one, somebody, someone, everyone, everybody, anyone are NOT plural. They are singular Therefore, it's must be like Everyone IS, everyone DOES, everyone takes Somebody IS, somebody DOES, somebody takeS Anyone IS, anyone DOES, anyone takeS.  Every animal IS nice, every job IS, every love IS Don't compromise your grade by not knowing them This is so fundamental, vitally important and has a lot to do with your grades. So now you know it. How cool! bad Detrimental salt, sugar, red meats Beneficial Veggies, flaxseeds, fruits Thinkin' in English A By-product Reading this book can also create a by-product (21) Your primary purpose of reading this book is to grasp as many vocabulary as you can in your head. But you also start to think in English more and better. Why? Because the way I use language, coupled with how interesting I am, makes it possible (22) for you to do that.  (21) a secondary product Writing easy language like what I am doing right now is not as easy as it sounds (23). It still involves a lot of underlying principles (24) in psychology and advertising. Many people refuse to do that and they end up compromising reader's engagement. That's one of many reasons why you don't like reading books although books are good to read. Right? Let's be honest. You don't like reading books, why do you read my books? Get the idea? Many people don't even have a clue about how to engage readers. That's why they fail and still stay ignorant. That also explains (25) why my book is meant to just read.  (23) easy as people think (22) allows/enables (24)Basic principles you behind anything (25) This is a very good linking phrase Thinking in English is vitally important and you should not take it lightly. I know I am overusing these orange-colored phrases. That's done for a reason and you already know why. Haha. So please don't ask me to paraphrase to avoid repetition. Because repetition is, (26) The essense hands down, the backbone (26) of memorization The basics The fundamentals Tip! Use "irrespective of" or "regardless of" at the end to provide more details (on universality) People can go to the church every Sunday, regardless of religious background The meeting will start at 5:00pm, irrespective of weather 6 Terminologies vs Academic Vocab Some people mistakenly think terminologies are academic vocabulary and vice versa. Yes, they are similar to some degree (27) but not entirely the same 'Bond convexity' is a term in finance. 'Nasal disease' is a medical term. 'Self-fulfiling prophecy' is a term is psychology. They are not really academic vocab. They belong to the field itself and stay there permanently You almost cannot use them too extensively. You can only use them when talking about a specific topic. In IELTS writing, you are not required to know all of these technical terms. But you definitely have to know and use fluently academic vocab that constitute (28) any essays, irrespective of (29) topics. Get it?  = regardless of Okay, just like the phrase "irrespective of" I used above. It is quite an academic vocab and you have to know it no matter what if you really want to write successfully.  Another clear difference, terminologies help show off your knowledge. Academic vocab help show off your language skill. IELTS is all about language skill. So I place more significant emphasis (30) on academic vocab than terminologies. But it's also not wrong if you know terminologies. Academic vocab and terminologies complement (31) each other and ultimately (32) constitute the strength of your overall intelligence.  (27) To some extent (28) Create, build, be a part of the whole thing (29) regardless of, no matter = regardless of (but not formal) (30) stress, take it more seriously (31) support each other (32) at the end make/be a part of constitute Hydro and oxygen constitute the water particle Lack of focus and hard work constitute failure *use with prudence, may not be altered in some specific cases Quick Grammar #2 Previously, you saw I used the phrase "to some degree" and you've probably seen a lot of people use "to some extent".  To some extent, to some degree, in some way, at some point What do they even mean? They just simply mean something is PARTLY true or not always applicable Examples: I agree at some point. (I partly agree) Learning English is good to some degree (not always good) Bear in mind that although there is a word 'some', this is not an indication of (33) plurality. So please don't add any 's' at the end of any following word like "to some extents" or "at some points". That's not gramatically correct and may compromise your grade if you don't pay enough attention.  (33) it's not an indication of = it doesn't mean (that) This doesn't mean This is not an indication of *use with prudence, may not be altered in some specific cases Is Marketing Good or Bad? What is your thought on that? All too often, people think marketing is evil and deceptive. But that is not necessarily true (34) Marketing links products of value (35) with those who are not aware of its existence (36). Most products you buy on a daily basis (37) are facilitated (38) by a myriad of marketing activities. And you like these products. If Apple did not do marketing well, nobody would buy their products, irrespective of how high value they are of. Therefore, marketing is not only good but vitally important and we should not take it lightly Without the existence of (39) marketing, it would be detrimental to the economy because products would not match customers' needs. Businesses would suffer losses (40) and customers would lose the chance (41) to improve their life by using these products. We, therefore, could imply (42) that the health of any economy relies heavily (43) on marketing activities.  (34) it's not all true (35) have value (36) know it (37) every day (38) help, assist, support (39) without it (40) too easy (41) lose the opportunity (42) suggest that (43) too easy, u know it (44) understood, viewed All in all, marketing should be perceived (44) as good if (45) too easy, u know it not highly beneficial (45). We should do more and more marketing to facilitate our economy.  daily/day-to-day on a daily basis (Sounds more formal, other variations are "on a regular basis" "on a monthly basis", etc *use with prudence, may not be altered in some specific cases Before Making it formal by giving it considerable details and boredom After Academic Vocabulary For Those Who Hate Spending Too Much Time On Bullsh*t IELTS books Is Tourism good or bad? Okay, let's be honest. This is one of the IELTS essay question. But don't let the word 'IELTS' fool you. It's just a simple question, with the brand 'IELTS' attached What's your thought on this? Some might say tourism is not good as he or she has trouble seeing any economic activities involved. That is why it is not necessarily true. Tourism is highly beneficial to the economy, irrespective of its kind. A country with a high degree of (46) tourism facilitates (46) high level of economic activities as people are motivated (47) to (47) too easy, work hard to serve foreigners and make money from but important catering food (48) and rendering services (49). These activities are vitally important to create more value to (48) serving food (49) perform services the society (50) they are being a part of.  (like legal services etc) (50) too easy, Just like when you are beautiful, people are more likely but important to (51) associate with (52) you can greatly benefit (51) has higher chance from that (53). The same goes for a country, if a to country is beautiful enough to attract tourists, they will (52) connect with easy but make money and as they make more money, they can (53) important spend and invest the money. Spending and investing facilitate the growth of a country and that cannot be taken lightly.  Therefore, even though tourism may not be as highly beneficial as it appears, it is vitally important for everyone Tip! "Motivation" or "is motivated to" can be taken advantage of in IELTS because of its high cause-effect relationship generated If the governments provide free education, students will be get lazy => If the governments provide free education, students will NOT BE MOTIVATED to work hard By using "motivation"/"be motivated", the causeeffect relationship appears stronger 10 Is Watching TV Good or Bad? a What is your thought on that?  By the way, I don't even have a TV. My laptop has almost everything. The same might go with you. But should we watch TV? TV has been around (54) for decades and it seems to continue its aggressive evolvement as technology comes in. There are a myriad of companies selling TV of great value and great efficiency on the market. In fact, TV were even a necessity (55) when we were kids. But let's face it, in today fast-paced life (56), who would have time to watch TV? Retired people would Young people may not. Watching TV may take a great amount time but does not necessarily create the equivalent value for our lives (54) has been there, has been existing (55) a very very important thing (water is a necessity) (56) fast life We, as young students or workers, may only have maximum two to three hours to watch TV and it's already a waste. We also don't use TV as much as we think we do when we were in the store. The 'nice' salesperson has probably already used his or her savvy (57) very skilful, very good (57) sales skills to get you buying.  Therefore, it much depends on your age. If you are young, you shouldn't buy and watch TV. If you are retired, TV might be of great value for your entertainment purposes.  a very important thing a necessity Getting up early to exercise is very important for your health => Getting up early is such a necessity for health *use with prudence, may not be altered in some specific cases ... students should wear uniform because 1.  That will compromise  (15 ) their individuality  (16 ) 2. Not every student likes it  3. Uniforms are not usually of good quality  (17 ) (15 ) ~lose (16 ) uniqueness of character (17 ) ~This... You will see a myriad of topics that I will do my best (11 ) make it simple and easy to understand to simplify  (11 ) and at the same time utilize  (12 ) as many academic words as possible so you can easily (12 ) use familiarize yourself with them as well as you ever... China, Japan Quick Grammar #1 This is the quick grammar section where I show you some of course, quick grammar notes you might need to bear in mind  (19 ) as they are vitally (19 ) remember/ important to your success in writing. You cannot take