Friday, October 7, 2016

IELTS Materials and Resources, Get IELTS Tips, Tricks & Practice Test

IELTS Materials and Resources, Get IELTS Tips, Tricks & Practice Test


Advanced Grammar for IELTS: Participle (-ING or -ED) Adjectives

Posted: 07 Oct 2016 04:25 AM PDT

To boost your IELTS Writing score, you should use a range of advanced grammar to impress the IELTS examiner. This lesson will cover Participle Adjectives which is commonly used in IELTS writing task 1, 2 and can help you hike up your score. 

Position:

We often use -ing and -ed participles as adjectives. We usually use them in the same positions as other adjectives:
Example:
A win, even by only one goal, would be a satisfying result.
I never find fast food very satisfying.
Recommendations from satisfied customers got our business off the ground.
We follow up every complaint from customers dissatisfied with our service.

Some participle adjectives (see the table below) can be used on their own before or after a noun:
The chosen song features innovative use of digital sampling.
The song chosen may be a disappointment to lovers of traditional ballads.

But some participle adjectives (see the table below) can only be used after a noun:
x Please dispose of your cigarettes in the provided ashtrays.
Please dispose of your cigarettes in the ashtrays provided

before or after a noun                                 affected, chosen, identified, infected, remaining, selected, stolen
only after a noun                                           applying, caused, discussed, found, provided, questioned, taken

Use:

When we use participles as adjectives, -ing participles have an active meaning and -ed participles have a passive meaning:
I always seem to play for the losing team. (= the team which is losing)
She found the lost ring under the sofa. (= the ring which had been lost)

We often use participles as adjectives to describe feelings or opinions. We use -ing participles to describe a feeling that something causes
It was a frightening film. (= it frightened us/it made us feel afraid)

We use -ed participles to describe a feeling that someone experiences:
I felt frightened when I watched that film. (= I was frightened / I experienced fear)

Note: Inanimate objects cannot have feelings so we don’t usually use -ed adjectives about feelings to describe them:
X The report into the Paddington roil crash was rather worried
The report was rather worrying (= The report made readers feel anxious.)

We can use that/those with all participle adjectives with a meaning like “the one/the ones that …”. In this pattern we use that to refer to a thing and those to refer to things or people:
The easiest route is that taken by Amundsen (= the one which was taken by)
Those living in temporary accommodation will be rehoused within three months. (= those people who are living in)
I feel sorry for those left behind. (= Those people that are left behind.)

Compounds

We sometimes combine participles with other words to make compound adjectives. The participle usually comes last. Notice the use of hyphens when the compound adjective is used before a noun:
This Japanese maple is a particularly slow-growing variety.
Handel’s ‘Xerxes’ was a rarely-performed opera until relatively recently.
Interest in Latino music is no longer confined to a Spanish-speaking audience.
The marines made a death-defying leap over the cliff edge.

Exercise:

Exercise 1:
Study the numbered options in italics in this text. Underline the correct options. Note that in some cases both options are correct.

ieltsmaterial.com-adjectives

Exercise 2:

Improve these sentences by rewriting them using compound participle adjectives to replace the underlined phrases. Use suitable forms of one word from each box to form the compound adjectives and make any changes necessary to grammar and word order.

brilliant                  car                           digital                  home                   film                        fast            rare                        rapid                       technology                                       well
 colour                     drive                         know                  manufacture                   visit                   expand
enhance                       go                          grow                        make                             move

0 Sao Paulo is a city which is getting bigger very quickly.
===>Sao Paulo is a rapidly-expanding city.
1 Northumberland is a part of England which people don’t go to very often.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
2 They were soon engulfed by the water which was flowing very quickly
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
3 In recent times changes which are caused by technical developments have had a profound impact
on working practices
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
4 The oak is a tree which doesn’t get bigger very quickly.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
5 Australian parrots have plumage which is a mixture of bright red, yellow, and green.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
6 The Midlands is Britain’s main region that produces automobiles.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
7 The Hubble space telescope has produced pictures which are improved by electronic means that have amazed the public.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
8 There is a segment of the public that visits cinemas that will always want to see corny adventure movies.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
9 The new wing will be opened by a TV personality whom many people have heard of.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .
10 The desserts which are produced by ourselves are the main feature of our restaurant.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. .

Gluttony – Word Of The Day For IELTS

Posted: 07 Oct 2016 02:22 AM PDT

Gluttony – Word Of The Day For IELTS Speaking And Writing

Gluttony: (Noun) /ˈɡlʌtəni/

Definition:

the bad habit of eating and drinking too much

Synonyms: 

Greed, Craving, Hunger

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:.
“As soon as Christmas is over, people often start to regret their gluttony.”
“His parents evidently did not suffer from drunkenness, gluttony, or excesses of marital discord.”

For IELTS Writing:
“The level of heart disease in the western world is a measure of our gluttony.”

Exercise:

Match the word below to complete these sentences.

fabricated, perfection, united, glossy, gluttony, settlement

  1. They have facts, figures, glossy brochures, ……………. lawyers and beatific smiles.
  2. It was a very entertaining, albeit …………………. film
  3. She has committed several sins, greed and ……………… being high on the list
  4. The veggies were cooked to …………….., with no distracting crunchiness to contend with, and the flavors blended together gloriously.
  5. The treaty guaranteed the peaceful ……………….. of disputes between the two countries.
  6. Support within the Labour Party for …………….. action with the Communist Party slackened considerably after the results of the trials become known.

Answer keys:

  1. glossy
  2. fabricated
  3. gluttony
  4. perfection
  5. settlement
  6. united

Check out Vocabulary for IELTS Speaking & Writing on IELTS Material website to improve your vocabulary for IELTS and get a high score in IELTS.

Essay Writing By Gabi Duigu (Ebook)

Posted: 07 Oct 2016 12:31 AM PDT

Essay Writing By Gabi Duigu  is a fully comprehensive resource for passing IELTS Writing Task 2 section of the IELTS test with a grade of 6.5-7.0 or higher.

Book Description:

For most students sitting the IELTS Test, Writing Task 2 is the most difficult part of the IELTS test.

This book will help IELTS learns hike up IELTS Writing score by describing a step-by-step approach to writing essays for the IELTS Academic Writing Module Task 2 and for other similar essay tasks. It also provides exercises to practise the stages individually as well as giving a list of typical essay topics, and there are model essays.  The Answer Key provides explanations as well as answers.

This book:
■ takes you step by step through all the stages of essay writing:
• analysing the topic
• finding the right ideas
• organising the ideas
• using the right language

■ provides precise and practical explanations of the
principles of essay writing

■ gives plenty of examples and models

■ gives meaningful and directly relevant exercises, with clear, objective and explanatory answers in the Answer Key.

SELF STUDY USE:
Students will find that it is easy to use this book for self study.

CLASSROOM USE:
This book has been extensively used in classrooms. It is highly effective for discussion and group work in class. This is a companion book to Visuals: Writing about Graphs, Tables and Diagrams.


Main Content:

Stage 1: The Question
1. Understanding the Question
2. Analysing the Question

Stage 2: Selecting and presenting ideas
3. Finding ideas (Brainstorming, finding more ideas, using examples, the “what if not” situation, looking at the other side)
4. Selecting ideas (Solutions to Problems, evaluation, classification of ideas, types of classification, selecting relevant ideas, level of generalization, overgeneralisation and exaggeration)
5. Organizing ideas (Ranking ideas, consequences, comparisons, alternatives, speculation)

Stage 3: Writing
6. Using the right grammar, vocabulary and style
7. The Sections of the essay (The introduction, the body, the conclusion)
8. Style (Modifiers, overgeneralization, overemphasis, understatement and confusion, waffle, formulaic and thoughtless writing, immature writing, cultural differences in style)
9. Proof reading

About Author:

Gabi Duigu has been teaching English for Academic Purposes and Test Preparation in many countries, and to students from even more countries,
for over 30 years.
She has been an IELTS examiner since 1990.

Download   Essay Writing (Ebook)

IELTS Listening Practice Test 63

Posted: 06 Oct 2016 07:35 PM PDT

SECTION 1

Questions 1-4

Complete the schedule below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Example: Globetrotters Language School

Class Schedule

Chinese Level: Advanced

Level: Advanced

Days: 1_____________evenings

Japanese

Level: 2______________

Days: Tuesday and Thursday mornings

Level: 3_______________

Days: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings

French

Level: Intermediate

Days: Friday 4_______________

Questions 5—8

Complete the information below.

Write NO MORE THAN ONE NUMBER for each answer.

Tuition information

One week 5 $_____________

Four weeks 6 $ ____________

Six weeks 7 $ _____________

Twelve weeks 8 $ ___________

Questions 9 – 10

Complete the sentences below

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer

9. Students can register for a class by visiting __________________

10. _______________________ is in charge of student registration.

SECTION 2

Questions 11-15

Label the map below.

Write the correct letter; A—J, next to questions 11—15.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 63

11. Harbor View Bookstore
12. Pear Cafe
13. Souvenir Store
14. Art Gallery
15. Harbor Park

Questions 16 – 20

Complete the sentences below

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Harbor Park

16. The park was built in ______________.

17. A ______________ stands in the center of the park.

18. Take the path through the__________________.

19. In the middle of the garden is a__________________ .

20. A ___________________takes you down to the harbor and a view of the boats.

SECTION 3

Questions 21-24

Complete the information about the archives.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Welcome to City Archives

The following people may use the archives:

  • University students with a valid 21_____________
  • City residents with payment of 22_____________
  • All others: Special permission from the director is required.

Hours:

Days: 23 ____________ through _______________

Hours:  9:30 A.M. until 24 ________________P.M.

Questions 25—30

What can be found on each floor1 of the archives building?

Write the correct Utter, A-G next to questions 25-30.

CITY ARCHIVES

A. nineteenth-century documents
B. maps
C. personal papers
D. photographs
E. books about the city
F. newspapers
G. information about the woolen mill

Floor of the building

25. basement          _____

26. ground floor    _____

27. second floor     _____

28. third floor        _____

29. fourth floor      _____

30. fifth floor         _____

SECTION 4

Questions 31-33

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Historical Uses of Wind Power

Ancient China Windmills were used to 31___________

Ancient Persia Farmers used wind power to 32_____________

The Netherlands People used windmills to 33____________

Questions 34 – 40

Complete the chart below

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer

Wind Power
Advantages Disadvantages
Unlike oil and coal, wind power does not cause 34__________ The cost of the initial investment is high.
There are limited supplies of oil and coal, but wind is a 35_____________ The 37___________ of the wind is not constant.
It 36_________ to generate electricity with the wind Wind turbines are usually located far from 38___________
Wind turbines do not take up much land Wind turbines may spoil 39_____________
Wind turbines are as 40___________ as a high-speed car.

Answer keys:

1. Wednesday and Friday
2. intermediate
3. beginning
4. mornings
5. $125
6. $410
7. $575
8. $1,050
9. the school office
10. Mr. Lindsay
11. A
12. C
13. F
14. H
15. I
16. 1876
17. statue
18. woods
19. fountain
20. staircase
21. identification card/ID
22. an annual fee
23. Tuesday; Sunday
24. 8:30
25. D
26. A
27. F
28. B
29. G
30. C
31. pump water
32. grind grain
33. drain lakes
34. pollution
35. renewable resource
36. costs less
37. strength
38. cities
39. the scenery
40. noisy

BONUS EXERCISE: GAP-FILLING 

The texts below are transcript for your IELTS Liste. ning Practice Test. To make the most out of this transcript, we removed some words from the texts and replaced with spaces. You have to fill each space with the missing word by listening to the audio for this IELTS listening practice test. 

Section 1. You will hear a man asking for information about lan guage classes over the phone.

Woman: Good morning. [……………………………]Language School. How may I help you?

Man: Yes, I was wondering if you could give me some information on language classes.

Woman: Certainly. What [……………………………]are you interested in studying?

Man: Well, that's the thing. I'm interested in learning [……………………………], but I'd also like to [……………………………]my Chinese. I don't know which to study right now.

Woman: Maybe the class [……………………………]will help you decide. Did you want to study in the morning, afternoon, or evening?

Man: I work in the evenings, so mornings or afternoons would be best.

Woman: Then that [……………………………]it for you. We offer an advanced Chinese class, but it meets on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Man: I couldn't do that. When do the Japanese classes meet?

Woman: We have beginning Japanese on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, no wait, that's [……………………………]Japanese. Which level do you want? [……………………………]?

Man: No, beginning. Definitely. I know some Chinese and some French, but I'm a real [……………………………]with Japanese.

Woman: Well then, are you free Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings? That's when the beginning Japanese classes meet. We also have inter¬mediate French on Friday mornings.

Man: I could do those mornings, but I'd [……………………………]afternoon. Don't you have anything in the afternoon?

Woman: We have intermediate Japanese class on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Man: I really need a beginner class. So I'll take the morning Japanese class. Could you give me an idea of the [……………………………]? What would be the [……………………………]for the Japanese class?

Woman: The beginning-level classes meet three times a week, so they cost a bit more than the other levels. For a [……………………………]course, the cost would be [……………………………].

Man: That's a bit steep.

Woman: If it's hard for you to pay that much, you could sign up for just four weeks of class and pay [……………………………]. Or, you could pay for one week at a time, at [……………………………]a week.

Man: That comes out to be much more expensive once you add up all the weeks.

Woman: That's true. You can save money by [……………………………]for two levels together. For example, pay for your beginning and intermediate classes now and you'll get twelve weeks of class for just [……………………………].

Man: That's not a had deal, but I can't come up with that much money at once. I ll just pay for the [……………………………].

Woman: Fine. That class begins next week, so you need to register right away.

Man: Can't I register over the phone?

Woman: No, I’m sorry, we don't take phone registrations. What you'll need to do is visit the school office today or tomorrow. Rring a check for the tuition and a [……………………………]

Man: Is that all?

Woman: Yes, we'll give you a registration form to complete, or you can save time by visiting our website and [……………………………]the form there. Complete it and bring it into the office with your [……………………………].

Man: Great. I'll stop by this afternoon.

Woman: Fine. When you arrive, ask for Mr. Lindsay. He's in charge of stu¬dent registration.

Man: I'm sorry, Mr. who?

Woman: Mr. [……………………………], spelled L-I-N-D-S-A-Y.

Man: Thank you for your help.

Woman: Thank you. We'll look forward to seeing you in class.

Section 2. You will hear a tour guide giving information about a shopping district.

Tour guide: This afternoon we'll visit the city's shopping [……………………………]. Several blocks in the area are closed to car [……………………………], and I know you’ll enjoy walking around there. I'd like to give you an overview of the district now since you'll be on your own once we get there.

You'll see on this map here that the shopping district [……………………………]of two streets—Pear Street, which runs north and south, and [……………………………], which crosses Pear Street right here. Let's start our tour here on Pear Street where the star is. This star marks the Harbor View [……………………………]. It's very popular among locals as well as [……………………………]. You can buy a range of books of local interest as well as a variety of magazines and newspapers. It's directly across the street from the City Library, which is also [……………………………]a visit. It's in one of the oldest buildings in the city and [……………………………], among other things, an interesting collection of rare books.

Now, moving up Pear from the bookstore toward Cherry, the next building on the left is the Pear Cafe. You’ll notice it's right on the corner of Pear and Cherry streets. It's a great place to relax while enjoying a [……………………………]cup of coffee or tea. You can talk with friends or read quietly. They have a [……………………………]of books and magazines available.

From the windows of the cafe, you can look right across Cherry Street for a lovely view of [……………………………]. It's a rather small garden, but it contains a variety of [……………………………]plants and flowers.

Let's leave the cafe and cross Pear Street. On the opposite [……………………………], we're at Caldwell's Clothing Store, which you might also want to visit. They sell both men's and women's fashions from countries around the world.

Continuing down Cherry Street, the next building on the right after Caldwell's is the [……………………………]. Stop in here to get maps and books about the local area, as well as T-shirts and [……………………………]with pictures of the city. Now, we cross Cherry Street and we're at the art [……………………………], one building down from the corner. Here you can see and, of course, [……………………………]many fine paintings and [……………………………]by local artists.

Let's keep going down Cherry Street toward the harbor. On the left, right after the gallery, is Harbor Park. It's a lovely place, and it's cer-tainly worth spending some time there.

Harbor Park was built on land [……………………………]to the city by Captain Jones, a lifelong resident of this city. Captain Jones designed the park himself, and it was built in [……………………………]. Exactly in the center of the park a statue of Captain Jones was [……………………………], and it's still standing there today. It shows Captain Jones on the bow of his ship.

After viewing the statue, you can follow the path that goes through the woods just behind. It will lead you to a lovely garden, in the middle of which is a fountain. This is a nice place to enjoy a few quiet moments.

If you still feel like walking, continue on to the far end of the garden. There, you'll find a wooden [……………………………], which will take you down to the [……………………………]. You might enjoy the view of the [……………………………]from there. There's also a walking path along the water, which will eventually bring you back up to Cherry Street.

You can see that there's [……………………………]to do in this part of the city. The bus leaves at [……………………………].

Section 3. You will hear a conversation between a university student and a librarian about using the City Archives.

Student:         Hello. I was [……………………………]if you could give me some information about

using the [……………………………].

Librarian: I'd be happy to. Are you a [……………………………]of the city?

Student:         Actually, 1 live just outside the city, but I study at the university [……………………………].

Librarian: That's fine. All you need to do is show your university [……………………………]card and you can use the archives at no [……………………………], as long as your ID card is current, of course.

Student:         Yes, it's valid. So I don't have to pay anything?

Librarian: No. City residents pay an annual fee, but students can use the archives for free. Everyone else needs to get special [……………………………]from the director, but that doesn't apply to you, of course.

Student:         Oh, good. I was also wondering about the schedule. I have classes every day, Monday through Friday, and I also have a [……………………………]job, so I could really only use the archives on weekends.

Librarian. That's not a problem at all. We're open all weekend; [……………………………]the only day we're closed is Monday. So you can come any day, Tuesday through Sunday.

Student:         Are you open in the evenings?

Librarian: Yes, we're open from [……………………………]in the morning until [……………………………]in the evening.

Student:         That will fit my schedule well.

Librarian: Is there something else I can help you with?

Student:         Yes. One thing I'll be needing to see for one of my class [……………………………]is old photographs. Do you have photographs of the city in the [……………………………]that I could look at?

Librarian: Yes, we store all the photographs in the [……………………………]. Those stairs over there will take you down to the photography collection. Just tell the [……………………………]there what you're interested in, and he'll help you.

Student:         Those would be nineteenth-century photographs?

Librarian: Yes, the [……………………………]collection is there. Now, if you're interested in seeing documents from the nineteenth century, those are right here on the [……………………………].

Student:         I would like to see some of those documents. Does that collection include newspapers, too?

Librarian: No, all the newspapers from the [……………………………]ones, in the eighteenth cen¬tury, up to the current time, are on the second floor. Here, let me just give you this map of the [……………………………], and you'll be able to find whatever it is you need.

Student: Thank you. Oh, I see you have a whole room [……………………………]to maps.

Librarian: Yes, on the third floor.

Student: That's great because one thing I need to do is look at how the city has [……………………………]over time.

Librarian: I'm sure you'll find a lot of helpful information there. Of course, some of the maps are several [……………………………]old, so generally visitors are only allowed to see photographic [……………………………]of them.

Student: That shouldn't be a problem. What's this on the fourth floor— Ogden's Woolen Mill?

Librarian: As I’m sure you know, Ogden's Woolen Mill was the major [……………………………]responsible for the growth of this city in the nineteenth century. The Ogden [……………………………]gave money for the archives to devote an entire floor to information about the history of the mill.

Student:         Will I be able to find information about the Ogden family there photographs, personal papers, things like that?

Librarian: Probably the family photographs are stored [……………………………]in the pho¬tography collection. The personal papers would be on the [……………………………], where we keep all the personal papers of famous [……………………………]of our city.

Student:         Thank you so much for your help. I'll be able to do a lot of my research here.

Section 4. You will hear a lecture about wind energy.

Lecturer: With the rising cost of [……………………………], there's a great deal of interest these days in developing [……………………………]sources of energy. Today, I'd like to talk about one of these—wind power. In the past couple of [……………………………], there's been an [……………………………]of interest in using the wind as a source of energy, but the idea isn't new at all. People have been [……………………………]the power of the wind for centuries, ever since ancient peoples first used [……………………………]. In ancient China, farmers used a rudi-mentary sort of [……………………………]to pump water. Wind power was used in other parts of the [……………………………]world, as well. In Persia, for example, farmers used [……………………………]mills to grind their grain. During the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, people went back to the ancient idea of using the power of the wind to move water. They used windmills to drain lakes, thereby creating more land for farming.

Lecturer: At present, people around the world are using the wind to generate electricity, some old methods, some new. Is this the solution to our modern energy problems? Well, as with anything, there are both [……………………………]and disadvantages to using wind power. Let's take a look at some of the reasons to use wind power. One of the biggest prob¬lems with using fuels such as [……………………………]and [……………………………]is pollution. Wind power, on the other hand, is clean. It causes no pollution and therefore doesn't contribute to [……………………………]. Another great advantage of wind power is that it's a [……………………………]. Oil and coal reserves are limited, but we ll never run out of wind. Economics is [……………………………]reason to use wind power. Using the wind to generate electricity costs less, much less, than running other types of generators. In addition, since wind [……………………………]don't take up much land, the land around them can be used for other purposes, such as farming.

There are disadvantages, however. Even though generating electricity with wind is relatively [……………………………], the technology isn't chcap. The initial costs of setting up wind turbines can be quite high. Another issue is [……………………………]. Wind doesn't blow at a [……………………………]strength. Therefore, at times, a lot of electricity can be produced while at oth¬ers there may be little or none. Wind turbines usually have to be located in [……………………………]areas where the land is open. Their distance from cities, where the most electricity is needed, is another issue. Although wind is [……………………………]to be a clean source of energy, wind turbines cause their own sort of pollution. Wind turbines are usually placed in high, open areas, where they're easy to be seen. [……………………………]often feel that the beautiful local [……………………………]is [……………………………]by the sight of the wind turbines. In addition, wind turbines aren't quiet. In fact, one wind turbine can produce as much noise as a car traveling at [……………………………]speeds.

Practice every day to improve your IELTS listening skills. Don’t forget to visit IELTS Material website on a daily basis to find more practice tests for every skill in the IELTS Test.

1 comment:


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