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Grammar is an essential part of mastering the English Language. Understanding and correctly applying the rules of English grammar is, therefore, essential to the successful use of your Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing skills in an IELTS Test. However, learning the English grammar rules may be perplexing and even tedious at times, but you can begin to overcome such difficulties by drawing on a few crucial grammar tips and rules.
In this article there are 10 useful tips and rules of grammar to understand and utilise when taking an IELTS Test.
The ‘Simple Aspect’ verb tense form is used to talk about general, permanent, or routine actions:
The above verb examples imply that the actions are being performed on a regular basis. The past tense form of the verb must be used if those regular actions occurred in the past.
You apply the ‘Simple Past’ verb tense form to express past actions that have no connection with or impact upon the present:
However, if the action occurred in the past but is somehow affecting the present, you must use the ‘Present Perfect’ verb tense form:
Michael has lived in his house since 2015. (Michael is still living in the house today)
The secret behind sounding formal and impersonal when speaking and writing in English is the use of ‘Passive Voice’. It is formed by using the verb ‘to be’ in the tense form you want with a past participle:
The ‘Passive Voice’ is being applied above, with the past tense form of ‘to be’ and the past participle of the verb ‘infect’.
Modal verbs are utilised when you want to express different levels of certainty:
Your written text will look professional with the correct application of capital letters, and it is not difficult to memorise the rules. Put a capital letter for:
It can be confusing when there is a collective noun as the subject of a sentence and you must decide whether to assign a plural or singular verb form. If the collective noun represents a group acting as one unit, it needs a singular verb form. However, when the collective noun consists of several entities acting independently, a plural verb form is required:
Always write complete sentences that have the two fundamental parts of a ‘Subject’ and a ‘Verb’ (with the verb forming part of a ‘Predicate’ stating something about the subject):
If one of these essential parts of a sentence is missing, you will get a sentence fragment that makes no sense. Accurate and clear speaking and writing must always be done using complete sentences.
Use of ‘complex sentences’ in an IELTS Writing task will gain you higher marks. A ‘complex sentence’ contains a subordinate clause that has no meaning when standing alone. A subordinate clause adds more information to the main clause of a sentence.
Try to learn more subordinate conjunctions that you can utilise to construct perfect ‘complex sentences’ in your IELTS Test.
A ‘Dangling Preposition’ occurs when a preposition is isolated from its object:
It is not an error to end a sentence with a preposition. In emails, text messages, and notes to friends, it is perfectly acceptable to use a ‘Dangling Preposition’ as a more informal writing style. But when needing to write a very formal research paper or submit a business proposal, avoid ending sentences with prepositions.
Here are some important spelling rules to memorise so that basic spelling mistakes can be avoided in your IELTS Writing task:
consistent – consistently
normal – normally
fire ⇒ firing ⇒ fired
tie ⇒ tying
These are just a few essential insights into the correct use of English grammar rules. Learning how to apply such grammar rules will help to improve your overall English proficiency and enable you to score a far higher mark in your IELTS Test.
To immediately extend your understanding of all the rules of English grammar, whilst also strengthening the core English language skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, you must seek the support of an experienced IELTS private tutor. At ‘English for Everyone’, Mr. Jeff is a native-speaking British-trained teacher who will provide you with the best English class for adults in Johor Bahru. So get in touch with Mr. Jeff now!