English Grammar

A good knowledge of English grammar is essential to express your thoughts in grammatically correct sentences. As you know, the IELTS assesses your proficiency in all areas of English. To score well on the test you need good listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. Developing good listening, reading and speaking skills is relatively easy, but writing requires special practice.

This section offers an explanation of the most common grammar and writing mistakes of ESL students.

Sentence synthesis

Different ways of writing the same sentence
Connecting sentences with conjunctions and transitional adverbs
Joining two sentences with an adjective
If clauses
IELTS essays: common grammar mistakes to avoid
Difference between whether and if
Difference between whose and who’s
All and every
Already and all ready
Common expressions without articles
Mistakes in the use of gerunds
Difference between will and shall
Beginning a sentence with and or but
Difference between than and then
Prepositions before particular words and expressions
How to use tenses correctly in your IELTS letters and essays
Indirect questions
Mistakes with prepositions
Must and have to: differences
Comparisons using as…as

Linking words and expressions
Despite, in spite of and notwithstanding
Using nevertheless
As a matter of fact, in fact, to tell the truth, actually
In conclusion, to sum up, in short
Linking words: in the same way; similarly
Linking words: on the contrary; on the other hand
Linking words: anyhow, anyway, at any rate
Linking words: firstly, secondly, thirdly, in the first place, to start with, for one thing, for another thing
Linking words: words used for generalising
Using however
Using even so and all the same