IELTS Grammar: 'lead to'

Students often make mistakes when using 'lead to' in their writing. What's the problem with these sentences? 1. Consumerism can lead to increase the economy. 2. Tourism can lead to destroy natural habitats. 3. A competitive atmosphere in lessons leads to motivate students. The problem is that we need a noun or noun phrase after 'lead to', not a verb. So, here are some some ways that you could rewrite the sentences: 1. Consumerism can lead to a more successful economy. 2. Tourism can lead to the destruction of natural habitats. 3. lead to + noun 4. contribute to + noun 5. result in + noun

IELTS Grammar: 2 common mistakes

Here are 2 mistakes that I've seen a lot recently:

Using "although" wrongly Always putting a comma after "that"

Look at these incorrect sentences: 1. Although, tourism has many benefits, but it also has several drawbacks. 2. Many people believe that, parents should be strict. Now look at the correct sentences: 1. Although tourism has many benefits, it also has several drawbacks. 2. Many people believe that parents should be strict. If you want to improve your level of English (and your IELTS band), it's important to notice small mistakes like this, and try not to make them again.

IELTS Grammar: million or millions?

Students often make mistakes with thousands, millions and billions. It might seem strange, but you should say "10 million" not "10 millions". It's the same with hundred, thousand and billion.

Correct: 10 million people Wrong: 10 millions people, 10 millions of people, 10 million of people Note: When there is no number, we do write "millions of". e.g. Millions of people travel abroad each year.

IELTS Grammar: rise or raise?

These two words are often confused by students. Here is the main difference:

something rises (e.g. the price rose) somebody raises something (e.g. the company raised the price)

"Rise" (rose, risen) can be a verb or a noun. Use it for IELTS Writing Task 1:

The price of cigarettes rises every year. (verb, present) In 2008, the number of customers rose from 100 to 200. (verb, past) There has been a dramatic rise in Internet usage in the UK. (noun) In 2008, the UK saw a rise in the divorce rate. (noun)

"Raise" (raised) is almost always a verb. It's useful for IELTS Writing Task 2:

The Government raises the price of cigarettes every year. Charities work to raise the standard of living in developing countries.

IELTS Grammar: linking with "this"

All students learn to link ideas using words like "however", "furthermore" etc. Most students don't realise that the word "this" is also a linking word. Look at the following examples:

Nowadays, people can use the Internet, fax and mobile phones to work from home. In this way, people who do not have access to transport can find employment. Most products are built to last only a short time, and this creates a "throw-away" culture. A global economy means free trade between countries. This can strengthen political relationships.

The word "this" refers to the sentence or idea that came before. "This" helps you to link ideas and avoid repetition. Native speakers and good writers use "this" a lot, and the IELTS examiner will be impressed if you can use it.

ELTS Grammar: 'for example' and 'such as'

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. Compare these examples:
1. Children should eat less junk food. For example, they should avoid eating

burgers and chips. 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 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.

You can use 'on the other hand' or 'by contrast' in the same way as 'however'. You can use 'while' instead of 'whereas'.

IELTS Grammar: opinion + conditional

Try this useful technique for IELTS writing and speaking: Give an opinion, then follow it with a conditional sentence. Look at these examples:
1. In my opinion, governments should invest more money in public transport.If rail

and bus services were more reliable, fewer people would 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 if Internet

shopping becomes more popular, many traditional shops will losecustomers. I've underlined the conditionals. Examples 1 and 2 are second conditionals, while 3 uses the first conditional.

Practice: 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.

IELTS Grammar: subject + verb

Question: Which of the following is a correct sentence? 1. Learning a foreign language. 2. Firstly, learning a foreign language in order to improve your career prospects. 3. For example, learning a foreign language by living in a country where that language is spoken, and communicating with native speakers on a daily basis. Answer: None of these are correct sentences. None of them has a main verb. To make a sentence, you need a subject (noun/noun phrase) and a verb:
1. I am learning a foreign language. OR, Learning a foreign language isuseful. 2. Firstly, many people learn a foreign language in order to improve their career

prospects. 3. For example, some people learn a foreign language by living in a country where that language is spoken and communicating with native speakers on a daily basis. Some students really need to work on writing correct "subject + verb" sentences. Missing the verb in a sentence is a serious mistake that will definitely affect your score.

ELTS 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)

ELTS Grammar: affect or effect?

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.

IELTS Grammar: 'highest' or 'the highest'?

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.

So, compare these 2 sentences: - The UK had the highest rate of unemployment. - The unemployment rate was highest in the UK.

IELTS Grammar: 'by/in contrast'

A few people have asked me about these phrases recently. Do they have the same meaning? When is each one used? By contrast / In contrast 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. Put "By / In contrast" at the beginning of a sentence, with a comma after "contrast". Example Unemployment rose in the UK. By contrast, the number of unemployed people in Canada fell.

IELTS Writing Task 1: to, by, with, at

Several people have asked me to explain how to use to, by, with and at when describing numbers. Here are some examples to give you a basic idea of the differences: 1) Use to when describing what happened to the number: In 2008, the rate of unemployment rose to 10%. 2) Use by when describing the amount of change between two numbers: In 2009, the rate of unemployment fell by 2% (from 10% to 8%).

3 )S dng with ni v lng ca d liu :

Obama won the election with 52% of the vote. 4) Use at to add the number on the end of a sentence: Unemployment reached its highest level in 2008, at 10%.

IELTS Writing Task 1: how to start sentences

It's useful to think about how to start your sentences. For example, here are some sentences about the year 1970: 1) 60 million tonnes of goods were transported by road. 2) The amount of goods transported by road totalled 60 million tonnes. 3) Road vehicles were used to transport 60 million tonnes of goods. You should notice that it's much easier to begin with the number (sentence 1). This is how I usually prefer to write sentences for task 1. Number 2 is good, but you might find that you repeat "the amount of goods" too many times if you only use this type of sentence. Number 3 is the most difficult. You can't say "Road was used", so you have to add the word "vehicles". Most students make a mistake here.

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)

IELTS Grammar: 'most' or 'most of'?

Should you write "most people", "most of people" or "most of the people"? Answer: 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.

IELTS Vocabulary: word family for 'compare'

Let's look at the word family for 'compare'. Remember that we are looking at usage, not meaning (I'm sure you know the meaning of these words).

The graph compares the number of males and females... 10% of males were unemployed, compared to only 8% of females. The unemployment rate was high in 2008 compared with previous years. By/in comparison, the unemployment rate in 2008 increased to... Figures for the USA were comparable with/to those for the UK. The figure for females was comparatively low, at only 8%.

You've probably noticed that this word family is really useful for writing task 1.
s dng "compare to" khi mun so snh s ging nhau gia 2 vt khc hn nhau. Cn "compare with" c s dng khi mun so snh 2 th ging nhau

IELTS Grammar: 'by' or 'to'

In IELTS writing task 1, you might need to use verbs like increase, decrease, rise and fall. These verbs can be followed by the words 'by' and 'to', but what's the difference? Let's use these figures: Company profit in 2005 = 20,000 Company profit in 2010 = 25,000

Now compare these sentences: - Company profit rose to 25,000 in 2010.(tng n) - Company profit rose by 5,000 between 2005 and 2010.(tng khong) It's easy: 'to' is used before the new figure, and 'by' is used to show the change. It's the same when you are talking about a fall.

IELTS Grammar: double, twice as, twofold

A few students have asked me about how to use 'double', 'twice as', 'three times', 'twofold', 'threefold' etc. Compare how each word/phrase is used in the following examples: 1. 'double' (verb) The number of unemployed people doubled between 2005 and 2009. 2. 'twice as...as/compared to', 'three times as...as/compared to' There were twice as many unemployed people in 2009 as in 2005. Twice as many people were unemployed in 2009 compared to 2005. 3. 'twofold', 'threefold' (adjective or adverb) There was a twofold increase in the number of unemployed people between 2005 and 2009. (adjective with the noun 'increase') The number of unemployed people increased twofold between 2005 and 2009. (adverb with the verb 'increase')

IELTS Writing Task 1: 'in' and 'by' with dates

Look at the following description: In 2002, the cost of an average house in the UK was around 130,000. By 2007, the average house price had risen to almost 190,000, but it fell back to just under 150,000 in 2008. Notice the verbs used with "in" and "by":

I used "in" with the past simple (was, fell). I used "by" with the past perfect (had risen) to give the idea that the increase had happened in the years leading up to 2007. To avoid worrying about "by + past perfect" you could write: "Between 2002 and 2007, the average house price rose to..."

IELTS Writing Task 1: the most common mistake

The most common mistake in IELTS writing task 1 is not a grammar mistake. Find the 2 big mistakes in the sentences below (not grammar mistakes).

The unemployment rate in the UK rose by 2% between 2008 and 2009, whereas Canada decreased by about 1%. The USA was the highest, at just over 4%. CORRECT ANSWER FROM SIMON: Thanks, you all seem to have spotted the problem: You CAN'T write "Canada decreased" or "the USA was the highest". Canada didn't decrease! The unemployment rate decreased. Here's an example: The unemployment rate in the UK rose by 2% between 2008 and 2009, whereas in Canada it decreased by about 1%. The unemployment rate in the USA was the highest, at just over 4%.

IELTS Writing Task 1: percentages

Here are 3 useful techniques for describing percentages:
1. English speakers usually put the percentage at the start of the sentence. 2. Use while, whereas or compared to (after a comma) to add a comparison. 3. Use "the figure for" to add another comparison in the next sentence.

Use these examples as models for your own sentences: In 1999, 35% of British people went abroad for their holidays, while only 28% of Australians spent their holidays in a different country. The figure for the USA stood at 31%. Around 40% of women in the UK had an undergraduate qualification in 1999, compared to 37% of men. The figures for the year 2000 rose slightly to 42% and 38% respectively.