‘The’ is a word largely missing from some languages. Listen to the song and sing along (lyrics below..)!
Especially important for Indonesian students of English!
A new song focusing on the word ‘lack’, which can often be mistaken with ‘lack of’. The rule for deciding which to use is in the chorus of the song, so listen carefully and choose the correct item – ‘lack’, or ‘lack of’! (Scroll down for lyrics and gapfill!)
The report contains of 22 integrated recommendations under four themes.
This is partly understandable. Our writer has seen consists + of, and has assumed that contain also requires the preposition of. It does not! Continue reading
The first paragraph is mostly argument but it also contains some descriptions.
Yet another word that has slightly different meanings in its countable and uncountable forms. I can’t remember ever seeing it causing grammar problems, but as in the above example, the wrong form may be inappropriate in certain situations. Let’s first of all examine correct usage. Continue reading
Animals in zoos suffer in many ways, but at least they are taken care by vets.
In a passive structure this is a fairly easy mistake to make since the object of care comes before the verb. Let’s take a look at some examples using the featured image for this post as inspiration (crossing the road). Continue reading
With the advanced of technology, millennials are finding it easier to make friends.
I’m not sure why Indonesian IELTS candidates write ‘advanced’ (with ‘ed’) in this phrase. It’s possibly their confusing it with advanced technology.
Before you use these words (advance, technology) in the same sentence, decide whether you want to focus on the technology or on the advance! Continue reading
This problem can be overcome through government policies that improve access to education and trainings.
This is one of the rare occasions when low-band Indonesian IELTS candidates add ‘s’ to a word!
Admittedly you will occasionally see training as a countable noun, but the uncountable form is far more common. Think of training (uncountable) as a synonym for education (aslo uncountable). Continue reading
I think we should employ Tom. He has more experiences than Bill.
It is an irresponsible idea to captive animals in zoos.
This is a word with many forms. Let’s look at how they work in sample sentences and then try some practice. Continue reading
Modern technology is becoming more common both at home and in workplaces.
When you use the workplace (uncountable) you’re talking about the abstract idea of the workplace as a feature of people’s lives along with school and the home. In addition, you’re usually talking about one or more of the following: Continue reading