EdMIUMGood Grammar for IELTS is very important to crack the exam. Though grammar is not directly tested in the exam, this plays a major role in getting a high IELTS score. Grammar for IELTS helps you to perform well in all the four modules of IELTS i.e. listening, reading, writing and speaking. English Grammar for IELTS helps you to progress especially in speaking and writing. These are the modules where English grammar plays an active role to express your ideas.
Grammar for IELTS is also necessary both in reading and listening as well. This will help you become more familiar with the sentence structures and understand the idea of what others say. The best way to improve Grammar for IELTS is to study each and every rule.
PS: To improve your basic grammar for IELTS, make your own examples and then practice every rule by doing exercises.
The IELTS exam modules are graded in each test in the context below:
Writing:
- Task Achievement/ Response
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Speaking:
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Pronunciation
In this article let us look at:
1. Grammar Rules for IELTS
While preparing for the exam, English grammar for IELTS Writing plays a major role, as discussed above. Grammar for IELTS in speaking and writing modules has few rules to follow in order to score high in the IELTS exam. You need to learn the basic grammar for IELTS, here are the rules:
Rule 1: Simple Aspect
You have to use the simple aspect to talk about general, permanent or repeated actions.
Example: I often read business magazines.
This implies that you read a magazine regularly which means it is a habituated action.
Rule 2: Simple Continuous
The continuous aspect is to focus on progressive actions that usually happen at the time of speaking. The present continuous is used to refer to an action that is happening at the time of the conversation.
Example: I am watching a horror series.
It implies to all verb tenses: Present, Past and future. This rule should be used to focus on the continuity of the action. If you like to focus on the result of the action, then use the simple aspect.
Usage of Rule 1 and Rule 2 in IELTS:
Grammar for IELTS writing in part 1: It is used when describing trends shown in graphs and charts. You might be using simple past a lot because you report situations that happened in the past.
Grammar for IELTS Speaking in Part 2: You have to answer questions more about yourself. You need to make sure you use the right tense and the right aspect- simple or continuous- depending on the context you want to speak.
Rule 3: Simple Past and Present Perfect
We use past tense to express or talk about something which already happened in the past and do not have any connection with the present.
Example: I ate my lunch.
The action is already completed and has nothing to with it in the present.
We use present perfect tense if there is something you have to talk about that happened in the past and have some kind of connection with the present.
Example: I haven’t eaten my breakfast yet, I’m starving.
The above is present perfect as it is a past action and is still continuing in the present.
Usage of Rule 3 in IELTS:
Grammar for IELTS Speaking: In this module you might have to speak about different events from the past or about yourself. They may be still related to the present.
Rule 4: Passive Voice
The passive voice can be used to sound more formal and impersonal. The passive voice sentence forms by using the verb “to be” in the tense plus the past participle.
Example: Almost 50% more courses were to be chosen in the next semester.
Usage of Rule 4 in IELTS:
Passive voice can be used in both writing tasks in the IELTS exam, especially in reports where formal tone is needed.
Rule 5: Modal Verbs
Modal verbs can be used to express different nuances like degree of certainty- could, may, might, can, can’t, must
Could have, might have, and may have: These verbs can be used to express possible actions in the past or present
Can: It is used to make general possible statements about the present.
Can’t: used to express impossibility
Must: it is used where you are sure about something being true. It can be used for the same meaning in the past.
Example: She may need some rest.
Usage of Rule 5 in IELTS:
Reading: You may find modal verbs in reading and listening. If you get the right meaning you’ll get a better chance of getting the answers right.
Speaking: You can use them in part 3 of the speaking module. It helps in extending the discussion from yourself to other aspects of the questions you get during the test.
PS: Modal verbs can be used to express probability when making generalizations and talking more abstractly.
Following the rules in the grammar for IELTS, there are few mistakes to avoid, in order gaining high score
· Use of the word “the”: It is used for talking about people or things that are known to the speaker already. It is also used with superlatives, ordinal numbers, countries that have plurals or the words “republic” or “united”.
· Countable and uncountable nouns: There are few nouns in English which are uncountable. They can only be singular but never plural.
· -ing or to +infinitive
· Use of articles before Noun phrases
· Use of commas
· Prepositions after adjective and Noun
· Common Spelling Mistakes
2. Frequent spelling Mistakes
While preparing for the exam, the first thing you should concentrate is on grammar and vocabulary for IELTS. IELTS grammar practice is one of the ways which you can avoid these spelling mistakes. IELTS basic grammar is to be learnt in order to avoid these mistakes.
Double ‘L’ in adverbs: If an adjective ends with L, the adverb will have double L.
Example: Normal-normally, beautiful-beautifully
Add –ing and –ed to verb: If a verb ends with e, then e is dropped before add -ing or –ed
Example: Live-Living-Lived, Fake-Faking-Faked
Word Ending with Consonant + vowel + consonant pattern of letters, then we double the fnal consonant and add –ing or –ed.
Example: Plan-Planning-Planned
If a verb ends in –ie, we change it to –ying by adding
Example: Lie- Lying
There is no actual grammar test in the IELTS exam. But it is very much important for you to learn grammar for IELTS. You should refer to IELTS grammar books and write tests regularly in order to get a good score in the exam. You can write IELTS grammar tests online and search for the best grammar books for IELTS. Refer to the link to practice for the IELTS exam.
