IELTS workout of the day #2 Today's topic | Health You should be able to complete this WOD in around 30 minutes. If it takes you more time, don't worry, just keep practising and you will get faster, better and more confident. Good Luck! 1. Brainstorm 10 common health problems/conditions. 2. Give 5 examples of adjectives you could use in relation to health. 3. Identify at least 3 life threatening diseases/conditions. 4. What are the most common causes of these diseases/conditions? 5. Describe the typical treatment or solution for one of these diseases/conditions in no more than three sentences. 6. Rewrite the following sentence in as many different ways as you can in 1 minute. In many developed countries, obesity is overtaking smoking as one of the leading causes of health problems. 7. Give 3 examples of things/activities/habits which are detrimental to your health in general, and 3 examples of good/healthy lifestyle choices. 8. Complete the following 5 condi

IELTS Challenge #1 IELTS challenges are designed to help you practise/learn using vocabulary and grammar closely associated with topics and skills require in the IELTS test. They are designed to help you think faster, develop wider vocabulary and variety in expressing your ideas and to make you more creative when tackling IELTS topics, especially in the speaking and writing sections. You should be able to complete this WOD in around 30 minutes. If it takes you more time, don't worry, just keep practising and you will get faster, better and more confident. Good Luck! IELTS Challenge #1 | The Environment Write down 20 words associated with the environment. Identify at least 3 environmental problems. Identify a minimum of 3 causes of pollution. Describe a solution for one of the above (an environmental problem or cause of pollution)in no more than three sentences. Rewrite the following sentence in as many different ways as you can in 1 minute: The threat of climate change

Powerful Paragraphs! You can improve your writing score in English tests like IELTS, TOEFL and CAE by learning to write well. It is important that you can organize your ideas and express them clearly. To be able to do this you need to know how to organize paragraphs and why they are important in making your writing easier to understand. Let's take a look at some tips on how to use paragraphs correctly to improve the quality of your writing. How to use paragraphs correctly A paragraph contains sentences which express ideas related to the topic of the paragraph. Normally, a paragraph has one or two topic sentences, the main body of the paragraph, and a sentence or two sentences which close or end the paragraph. In multi-paragraph writing, for example, in an essay, a report, or description, each paragraph presents an idea which is directly related to the topic of the entire document. The first sentences, or the opening sentences, in a paragraph establish the topic of the par

Describing a graph & describing trends | Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 To get a high score in Task 1 of IELTS Academic Writing test you need to show you have a good range of vocabulary to descrive visual information.  You also need to be  accurate when you use adjectives, adverbs and phrases to describe the information. Here are some useful words and phrases to help describe trends. Nouns a rise an increase a growth a surge a fall a decline a drop a decrease a peak a fluctuation a variation a period of stability a plateau a plateux Verbs to rise to increse to grow to surge to fall to drop to decline to decrease to peak to fluctuate to vary to stabilize to plateau Phrases to show an upward trend to show a downward trend to hit the lowest point to hit a trough to reach a peak to show some fluctuation to show some variation to remain stable to remain constant to reach a plateau to level off to flatten out Adjectives & A

TOEFL Integrated Speaking Questions 4 and 6 This video gives an overview of the TOEFL Integrated Speaking questions 4 and 6. These questions are about academic subjects. You will learn about: The structure of these questions Tips on how to approach these questions How the questions are scored A high-score sample answer Tips to build and develop your TOEFL speaking skills The video shows the structure of the questions, what they ask, how you should approach these questions, and how your answers are scored. There is also a high-score sample and tips for improving your own speaking skills for TOEFL. This is the format of Question 4: Reading passage Listening passage 30 seconds preparation time 60 seconds response time You will be given a passage to read relating to an academic topic. You will then hear part of a presentation (lecture) on the same topic. You will be given 30 seconds preparation time and then 60 seconds when you record your response to the question. This

English Grammar | More ways of comparing We use less / the least to mean the opposite of more / the most You might imagine that the General Training IELTS test would be less difficult to pass. The morning I sat my exam was probably the least enjoyable time I've ever head. We can add emphasis with words like even , far , a great deal , a little , a lot , much + comparative: A reading comprehension test requires much greater concentration than simply reading a book. In formal English with words like slightly , considerably , significantly + comparative: The number of exam candidates in 2013 is significantly higher than that for the year 2012. The number of women sitting Academic IELTS to enter into higher education is only slightly lower than the number of men. We cannot use very with comparatives (not the number of women was very lower ). We can say two things are the same or similar with as + adjective / adverb + as : My exam preparation course i

Future with 'Going to' The future with 'going to' is used to speak about future intentions or plans made before the present moment. Examples: We are going to study Russian next semester. Where are you going to stay in New York? She isn't going to take a vacation this year. The future with 'going to' is used to express events you have already planned in the future and your intentions for the future. We sometimes also use the present continuous for planned events in the near future. Examples: She's going to attend university and study to become a doctor. We're going to make the presentation next week. Future with Going to Structure Positive Subject + to be + going to + verb I am going to attend the meeting. He, She is going to attend the meeting. You, We, They are going to attend the meeting. Negative Subject + to be + not + going to + verb I'm not going to visit Rome next year. He, She isn't going to visit Rom

Future Future with 'Will' the future with 'will' is used to make a future prediction or express a decision about the future made at the moment. Examples: It will be sunny tomorrow. I think the government will help the poor. I'm hungry. I'll buy something to eat. The future with 'will' is used to make future predictions and promises. Often the precise moment the action will occur is unknown or not defined. This tense is often used with the following time expressions: soon next month / year / week Basic Construction Positive Subject + will + verb + object(s) + time Expression The government will increase taxes soon. Negative Subject + will not (won't) + verb + object(s) + time Expression She won't help us much with the project. Question (Question Word) + will + subject + verb + object(s) + time Expression Why will they reduce taxes?

Present Perfect Continuous The present perfect continuous is used to express how long a current activity has been going on. It is often used in context to provide a reason for a present result. Remember that continuous forms can only be used with action verbs.  This tense is often used with the following time expressions: since + specific point in time for + amount of time Basic Construction Positive Subject + has / have + been + verb + ing + object(s) + time expression Example He's been cleaning house for two hours. Negative Subject + has / have not (hasn't / haven't) + been + verb + ing + object(s) + time expression Example Janice hasn't been studying for too long. Question (Question Word) + has / have + subject + been + verb + ing + object(s) + (time expression) Example How long have you been working in the garden?

English grammar | Present Perfect The present perfect is used to say what has happened recently and has an effect on the present moment. We often use 'just', 'yet' and 'already' to express the relationship to the present moment. Examples Have you seen Mary yet? They've already had dinner. She's just been to the dentist's. The present perfect is also used to express something which has happened up to the present moment of time. Examples Have you worked here for a long time? Peter's lived here since 1987. She hasn't had much fun this week. Positive Form Subject + have + past participle + object(s) Examples Peter's lived here since 1987. We've been very busy today. Negative Form Subject + have + not + past participle + object(s) Examples I haven't been to class very often this month. She hasn't had much fun this week. Question Form (Wh?) + have + subject + past participle? Examples

Past Perfect Simple They had lived in New York for 3 years before they moved to Seattle. (up to the time they moved to Seattle) Past Perfect Continuous She had been studying for 4 hours when he arrived. (The four hours directly before he arrived) Now, let's take a look at the specific differences between the two forms: Past Perfect Simple is used to express finished activity before a specific point of time in the past. Example: He had already eaten when his wife came home. Past Perfect Continuous is used to express continuous/progressive activity up to a specific point of time in the past. Example: They had been waiting for 2 hours before their friends finally arrived.

Past Perfect Continuous Listed below are uses with examples, and the structure of the past perfect continuous tense. Something that had been happening before something else took place I had been working for three hours when you arrived. Susan had been thinking about the idea for a while when Bob made the suggestion.   Something that had been happening over a period of time in the past up until another point in the of past I had been playing tennis for two hours when I sprained my ankle. Jack had been studying for two years when he was drafted into the army.   Something that had been happening in preparation for something else I had been practicing for three days and was ready for the concert. Tom had been studying hard and felt good about the test he was about to take.   In the third conditional to express imagined conditions If I had been working on that project, we would have been successful. She would have been ready for the test if she had been prep

Past Perfect There are two past tenses used to describe things that happen before another point in time in the past. Use the past perfect to talk about an event which had happened at some point in time before something took place. Tom had interviewed five times before he got his first job. She had already eaten by the time they arrived. Past Perfect Structure Positive Subject + had + past participle I, You, He, She, We, They had finished before I arrived. Negative Subject + had + not (hadn't) + past participle I, You, He, She, We, They hadn't eaten before he finished the job. Questions Question word + had + subject + past participle What - had he, she, you, we, they thought before I asked the question? Past Perfect Listed below are uses with examples, and the structure of the past perfect tense. Something that had happened before something else took place I had eaten lunch before they arrived. Susan had already finished the pro

Past Continuous Listed below are uses with examples, and the structure of the past continuous tense. Something happening at a specific point of time in the past I was watching TV at 9 o'clock last night. They were working on the report at six. Something that was happening during a period of time in the past We were studying during the recess. Peter was sleeping during class. Something that was happening when something important took place She was speaking on the phone when he arrived. When he won the game, I was cooking. Something that was happening while something else was happening She was working on her homework while I was preparing dinner. They were finishing the project while we were putting together the proposal. Common time expressions used with the past continuous: at six, nine o'clock, etc. during, while, when Structure   Positive Subject + conjugate the helping verb "be" + verb + -ing. I was, You were

Past Simple Use the past simple to talk about activities or routines which take place at a specified time in the past. Notice that all subjects take the same conjugation of the verb. Regular verbs end in '-ed'. visit - visited enjoy - enjoyed Irregular verbs have various forms and each verb needs to be learned. see - saw think - thought The past simple is used to express a finished past action which occurs at a specific moment in the past. Examples She visited Iran last month. They didn't go to Tom's party last weekend. Where did you go on vacation last summer? The following time signifiers often indicate a specific point in time. last ago in ... (plus a year or month) yesterday when ... (plus a phrase) Examples They had lunch at home last week. He left the company many years ago. Susan bought a new car in May. He telephoned his friend in Rome yesterday. I played golf when I was a teenager. Positive Form Subject + past

Present Simple Here are some typical uses and examples showing how we form the present simple tense in English grammar. Present Simple for permanent or long-lasting situations The IELTS exam has four different sections. Over 1.5 million people take the IELTS exam every year. IELTS is administered by the British Council, IDP Australia and Cambridge University. Present Simple for regular habits and daily routines IELTS exams are usually on Saturdays, in the morning. She studies for her IELTS exam every evening after work. When are the IELTS test results available? Present Simple for facts You need IELTS to study at a University in the UK. What does 'Band 9' mean in IELTS? There isn't any extra time to transfer answers at the end of the IELTS Reading exam. Present Simple for feelings I hate having to prepare for IELTS. She loves learning new expressions she can use in her IELTS writing. Why are you worried? I don't want to fail my IELTS exam! Present Sim

English grammar mistakes | using nouns: appearance, outlook, looks Public art can have a considerable effect on the outlook of public spaces. [incorrect] Public art can have a considerable effect on the appearance of public spaces. [correct] The appearance of something is the way it looks and a person's appearance is the way the person looks [their face, body, hair etc.] and the way they dress: Artificial ingredients are sometimes added to enhance the taste or appearance of food . Many young women spend a lot of time on their appearance . [not their appearances ] A person's looks refers to how attractive they are - their face, etc. but not their clothes: She had gone grey and lost her looks . [= she was not as attractive as before]. A person's outlook is the way they think about their life and the future: The accident completely changed her outlook on life. She enjoys each day more now . How to use English modal verbs English Grammar

English grammar common mistakes | using time words The effects will only be seen over a long duration . [incorrect] The effects will only be seen over a long period of time. [correct] Managers are expected to work for a long time . [incorrect] Manageres are expected to work long hours . [correct] We use hours to talk about the time during the day or week when something usually happens, especially the time when someone works or when something is open: working hours , office hours , opening hours Most nannies work long hours for low pay . [=they work many hours a day] We use period or period of time to talk about a particular length of time: Sales rose by 20% over a six month period / over a period of six months . Sportsmen can earn a lot of money, but only for a relatively short period of time . We use duration in formal writing to talk about how long something lasts: Make sure that your visa is valid for the duration of your stay . The timing of some

English grammar | confusing nouns Changes to the exam format could have a serious influence on candidates. [incorrect] Changes to the exam format could have a serious effect on candidates. [correct] It is difficult to assess the impact of the disaster on tourism. It is difficult to assess the extent of the disaster on tourism. An influence is something which causes people to think or behave in a different way: We need to learn more about the influence of violent computer games on young people . Our experiences have a huge influence on our personality . An effect is what happens to someone or something as a result of something else: Research has shown the harmful effects of stress on mothers and unborn babies . The new resort has had a beneficial effect on local businesses . [not effect to ] * Remember, effect is a noun. The verb form is affect: Homes on the west coast were seriously affected by the hurricane . An impact is a powerful effect of something,

As a tourist, you should show respect for local behaviour . [incorrect] As a tourist, you should show respect for local customs . [correct] They encourage the practice of teachers reading aloud to young children. [correct] They encourage the habit of teachers reading aloud to young children. [incorrect] A habit is something a person does regularly in a particular way as part of their everyday life, often without thinking about it: After a while, seperating rubbish for recycling just becomes a habit . People's habits have changed. Families no longer eat meals together . A custom is something people in a particular country or of a particular religious or ethnic group do because it has been part of their culture or way of life for many years: He studied Maori culture and customs . The custom of decorat ing a tree at Christmas goes back hundreds of years . A practice is a method of doing something which is usually used, especially in a particular country,