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.
Below are some of the most common English mistakes made by ESL students, in speech and in writing. Go through the examples and make sure you understand the corrections. Then try the grammar test at the end to check your progress. Wrong I have visited Niagara Falls last weekend. Right I visited Niagara Falls last weekend.
Right Where can I find a bank? Wrong
Wrong The woman which works here is from Japan. Right The woman who works here is from Japan.
I live in United States. Right I live in the United States.
Wrong She’s married with a dentist. Right She’s married to a dentist. Wrong She was boring in the class. Right She was bored in the class. Wrong I must to call him immediately. Right I must call him immediately. Wrong Every students like the teacher. Right Every student likes the teacher. Wrong Although it was raining, but we had the picnic. Right Although it was raining, we had the picnic. Wrong I enjoyed from the movie. Right I enjoyed the movie. Wrong I look forward to meet you. Right I look forward to meeting you. Wrong I like very much ice cream. Right I like ice cream very much. Wrong She can to drive. Right She can drive. Wrong Where I can find a bank?
Wrong When I will arrive, I will call you. Right When I arrive, I will call you. Wrong I’ve been here since three months. Right I’ve been here for three months. Wrong My boyfriend has got a new work. Right My boyfriend has got a new job. (or just "has a new job") Wrong She doesn’t listen me. Right She doesn’t listen to me. Wrong You speak English good. Right You speak English well. Wrong The police is coming. Right
The police are coming. Wrong The house isn’t enough big. Right The house isn’t big enough. Wrong You should not to smoke. Right You should not smoke. Wrong Do you like a glass of wine? Right Would you like a glass of wine?
Wrong There is seven girls in the class. Right There are seven girls in the class. Wrong I didn’t meet nobody. Right I didn’t meet anybody. Wrong My flight departs in 5:00 am. Right My flight departs at 5:00 am.
IELTS Grammar: find the mistakes
Find the mistakes in the following sentences. All of the sentences relate to the graph in this lesson. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Families who do not have cars have dec reased from 1971 to 2007. Households without a car percentage gradually decreased. There is a rise can be noted in the proportion of households with two cars. The number of household with no car we re well below 50% in 1971. There were least percentage of household who had three or more cars, but it steadily improved to 5% by 2007.
CORRECT ANSWERS FROM SIMON:
MISTAKES: 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) CORRECT SENTENCES: 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.
Americans use the present perfect tense less than speakers of British English and a British teacher might mark wrong some things that an American teacher would say are correct.
US Did you do your homework yet? Brit. Have you done your homework yet? US I already ate. Brit. I’ve already eaten. In British English, ‘have got’ is often used for the possessive sense of ‘have’ and ‘have got to’ is informally used for ‘have to’ .
This is much less common in American English. Brit. I’ve got two sisters.
US I have two sisters. Brit. I’ve got to go now.
US I have to go now. There are a number of other minor grammatical differences. Vocabulary There are a lot of examples of different words being used in British and American English. Here are a few of the commonest. angry (Brit.) = mad (US) autumn = fall boot (of a car) = trunk chemist’s = drug store
cupboard = closet flat = apartment lift = elevator nappy = diaper pavement = sidewalk petrol = gas/gasoline rubbish = trash tap = faucet trousers = pants There are British words which many Americans w ill not understand and vice versa. There are also words which e xist in both British and American English but have very different meanings.
Present Perfect Over the last twenty years, the average size of households has fallen dramatically. This is a present perfect verb. It is used here to describe a continuing trend. The average size of households began to fall twenty years ago and has continued to fall. The number of one person households has grown, This is a present perfect verb. It is used here to describe a continuing trend. The number of one-person households began to grow twenty years ago and has continued to grow. due largely to the ageing of the population, as has This is part of a present perfect verb. In this sentence, 'as has' is a brief way of saying: and the number of one-parent families has grown too. the number of one parent families. Couples having smaller families have also contributed Have contributed is a present perfect verb. It describes a contribution to the fall in household size (couples having smaller families), which began in the past and is continuing. Note the position of 'also', which is not part of the verb. to the fall in household size. In 1976, 60% of families were couples with children. By 1996, this had fallen to 51%. Part of this change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple-only families. People are now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, they are spending more time living in couple-only families, both before they have families and after their children have left home. This is a present perfect verb. It is used here to describe a completed activity (their children left home) which has an impact on the present (the parents live in a couple-only family). However, children are leaving home later. In 1981, 34% of children aged 20-24 lived with their parents. By 1991, this had increased to 40%. This increase has to some extent countered Has countered is a present perfect verb. It is used here to describe the current effect of the 1981-1991 increase in the
percentage of children living with their parents: it has to some extent countered the fall ... Note the position of to some extent , which is not part of the verb. , the fall in the couples with non-dependent children only.
Past Perfect Over the last twenty years, the average size of households has fallen dramatically. The number of one person households has grown , due largely to the ageing of the population, as has the number of one parent families. Couples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall in household size. In 1976, 60% of families were couples with children. By 1996, this had fallen This is a past perfect verb. It describes an activity which was completed by 1996. The past perfect may be used to describe the earlier of two points in the past. The year 1996 is in the past. The time before and up to 1996 is in the earlier past.
to 51%. Part of this change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple-only families. People are now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, they are spending more time living in couple-only families, both before they have families and after their children have left home. However, children are leaving home later. In 1981, 34% of children aged 20-24 lived with their parents. By 1991, this had increased This is a past perfect verb. It describes an activity which was completed by 1991. The past perfect may be used to describe the earlier of two points in the past. The ye ar 1991 is in the past. The time before and up to 1991 is in the earlier past. to 40%. This increase has to some extent countered, the fall in the couples with non-dependent children only.
The Internet - The can mean the only one, and is used to indicate that something is unique. Another example is the World Wide Web. The world’s - The is used with things known to everyone. Other examples are the sun, the sky, the moon .
The future - The is used with time expressions. Other examples are: the present, the past, the 1990s. Computers - There is no definite article here because the writer is describing computers in general rather than one particular computer or the computer as an invention Note: Other general plural nouns in this passage are highlighted in pink: TV signals, video signals, fax machines, messages, children
The computer - The is often used in science and technology with widely known inventions. Other examples are: the microchip and the telescope.
The time taken - This is a shorter way of writing the time which is taken. The noun takes the definite article because we are told which/what time?
The problem - There are unstated words which make the noun definite. The problem could mean: the problem which we must address or the problem with regard to the Internet .
The computer industry - This describes a particular type of industry . The user's ID and age - are unstated words here which make the noun definite. The user could mean: the user of the Internet.
The problems - The noun takes the definite article because we are told what/which problems. The answer is: the problems we have yet to consider.
TO GET TO GET + direct object = to obtain, to receive, to buy: To obtain Examples She got her driving license last week. They got permission to live in Switzerland. To receive Examples I got a letter from my friend in Nigeria. He gets $1,000 a year from his father. To buy Examples She got a new coat from Zappaloni in Rome. We got a new television for the sitting room. TO GET + place expression = reach, arrive at a place: Examples We got to London around 6 p.m. What time will we get there? When did you get back from New York? TO GET + adjective = to become, show a change of state: Examples It's getting hotter. By the time they reached the house they were getting hungry. I'm getting tired of all this nonsense. My mother's getting old and needs looking after. It gets dark very early in the winter. More examples for you. He got on his bicycle and rode down the street. He gets up at 6.00 a.m. every morning. She got out of the washing-up every day, even when it was her turn. We got off the train just before the bomb exploded. We've got through all the sugar - can you buy some more? The children are very quiet - I wonder what they're getting up to. TO GET + preposition / adverb is used in many phrasal verbs. Here are some of the most common ones: Examples Phrasal Verb Meaning get at try to express get away with escape punishment for a crime or bad action get by
manage (financially) get down descend; depress get off leave a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane) get on enter/sit on a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane); have a relationship with someone; manage get out of avoid doing something, especially a duty get over recover (from an illness, a surprise) get through use or finish the supply of something get up leave your bed get up to do - usually something bad
When to use “Also” “Also” is used to add extra information to a sentence. Examples of when to use “Also” I love drinking Italian wine but I also so Spanish wine. I hate going to Science class. I also hate Geography class. “Also” is also used after the verb “to be” and is used before singular verbs. I am also feeling very tired. I was also born in 1984! I also love riding bikes! She also lives in this neighbourhood! “Also” is also used with modal verbs I can also run very fast. I should also start studying for my English exam. When to use “Too” “Too” is basically used in the same way as “Also”. Ben can speak English and Jordi speaks English too. = Ben can speak English and Jordi also speaks English! I like eating ice-cream, I like eating cake too! = I like eating ice-cream, I also like eating cake!
Remember: We use “Too” at the end of a sentence. I am hungry too. I am studying English too. “Too” can also be used to express and excess I have eaten too much food! I feel ill! I am too tired to do my English homework! He is too tall to fit in the car! I am too old to run!
The differences between through &across. Both describe transitions, but "across" is related to traversal, "through" is related to penetration, going into something. Using across and through is similar to the difference between on and in. I am walking across the desert. ( I am on the desert ). I am driving through the tunnel. ( I am in the tunnel ). Her are some examples: 1. Yesterday it was so warm. We walked with our dogs through the garden. 2. It's the second time we have flown across the Atlantic. 3. I saw your sister walking across the street. She was all alone. 4. I suppose the burglars got in through an open window. 5. This man swam across the Atlantic in 1930. 6. Don't go through the forest when you are alone. 7. He was watching her through the bedroom window. 8. He probably swam across the river in a few minutes. 9. I've lost my keys. I'll have to climb in through the window. 10. I saw this terrible accident when I was driving through the tunnel.
