IELTS: Vocabulary boosting & fixed expression … there’s nothing I like more !

27th January 2021

IELTS Archives - Page 2 of 10 - IELTS Academic

No preamble, let’s just dive in; how to boost your lexical resources.

Firstly, replace all your basic verbs with ‘better’ ones, L-FWs as IELTS refer to them. Thus, fifteen of the most common English verbs:

be
have
do
say
get
make
go
know
take
see
come
think
look
want
give

Activity 1: Assign three verbs to students (individually or in small groups). They must write a sentence (the more complex the better) utilising the substituted verb. Students can use a thesaurus for assistance.

Example: ‘give‘

I always donate my old clothes to charity.

Activity 2: Convert a simple sentence into a jaw-droppingly magnificent IELTS sentence, employing the whole spectrum of resources, by which I mean phrasal verbs, adverbs, LFWs, idioms etc.

Example:

I always donate my old clothes to charity.

I have to confess that one of my passions is shopping, be it at a mall, a street market or online. As a young person, I adore buying clothes, though I have to restrain myself as many items cost an arm and a leg. Naturally, I accrue a vast wardrobe. From time to time I have a good sort out, sometimes being quite brutal. If I haven’t worn something for, say, two years, then I get rid of it. However, instead of simply throwing them away, or giving to siblings or cousins, I choose to donate to various charities such as UNICEF, Save The Children or Cancer Research. That way, I can contribute to improving the world.

Study the above example. Can you pick out the elements that differentiate this from a basic English class response ?

Write down new vocabulary and make a point of using new words.

Observe how points are introduced, and answers expanded.

How many phrasal verbs are you familiar with ? How about fixed expressions (here I added ‘From time to time‘) which brings us nicely to our next section …

Fixed expressions

As far as I’m concerned // I can’t wait to … //

If there’s one thing that I (love, hate, detest) it’s … // I’m looking forward to … //

It may surprise you to learn that I … // It’s no surprise that … //

The first thing I’d going to do when I … // There’s nothing I like better than … //

Activity 3: Practice using these expressions

Example: After a hard day of teaching, there’s nothing I like better than watching a great movie. Only last night, I saw a fantastic film, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ by Aaron Sorkin who is a highly respected American writer.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 movie review (2020) | Roger Ebert

Young Learners, Level 6: Stay healthy

13th January 2021

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Everybody Up 6, Unit 4: Review new vocabulary, fixed expressions and sentence building

What does she use ?

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In my opinion she uses perfume. She needs shampoo as well as conditioner.

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NOW … Your turn

In ___________________ he uses ___________ . He wants ___________ as well as ______________.

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__________________ she uses __________ as well as ____________. When her hair looks great, she feels de__________ .

Man with messy hair making face - Stock Photo - Dissolve

In ___________________ he doesn’t ever use __________ or __________ on his hair. He has a b_____ so he doesn’t need to buy a r________ .

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________________ she uses _________ before playing in the sun. After sports, she takes a ___________ so she needs a b_____ of s______. When she’s finished she puts on d____________ .

I reckon he has no t________ so he doesn’t need to buy a t_____ of __________ or use d_______ f_______. However, he may want to use some m___________ .

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I r___________ the dog wants to go out. The dog doesn’t need ___________ or _________ . However, it is raining cats and dogs, so he feels very dis_________________ .

You should use ________________ before you go to school.

You should ________________ before you go to bed.

You should use ________________ after shower.

You should ________________ after you eat.

What happens next ? Can you act these scenes ?

Subject Index: Grammar lessons, videos and exercises

4th December 2020

Grammar

Adjectives // Young Learners 4 // 26th October 2019:

Adjectives and sentence building // Young Learners, Level 6 // 15th October 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/10/15/young-learners-level-6-sensational-sentences-a-great-game/

Adjectives for Young Learners // Amazing Adjectives // 9th August 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/08/09/young-learners-amazing-adjectives/

Adjectives for Young Learners // 2nd August 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/08/02/young-learners-sentence-building-and-zoom-warm-up-games/

Adjectives – adding adjectives, adding interest // hair styles, clothes, new vocabulary // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1 // 14th October 2019: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/10/14/adding-adjectives-increasing-interest/

Adjectives // Adult Class, Level 1 // 14th October 2019

Adjectives: order // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Describing clothes // 19th March 2020

Adjectives: clothes and materials // Adult Speaking Class, L 2: Describing clothes // 19th March 2020

Adjectives: describing people // Adult Speaking Class, L 3: Describing people // 27th May 2020

Adjectives: personality // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: What type of person ? // 19th June 2020

Adjectives: personality // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Extended exercises // 20th June 2020

Adjectives: personality // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3: // 21st June 2020

Adjectives // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Personality adjectives // 7th June 2020

Adjectives: people and hair // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1 // 14th October 2019

Adverbs // Young Teens // 21st February 2019: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/02/21/young-teens-deeply-madly-truly/

Adverbs & adjectives // Young Learners 4 // 16th November 2019: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/category/young-learners-level-4/

Adverbs of frequency & new adjectives // Young Learners 6 // Cadburys Gorilla // 8th April 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/04/08/young-learners-level-6-adjectives-and-adverbs-review/

Adverbs of degree // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 4 // 27th January 2020

Adverbs of frequency // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2, Quick review // 7th June 2020

Adverbs of frequency // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1, How often do you … ? // 16th August 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/08/16/adult-speaking-class-level-1-how-often-do-you/

Adverbs & expressions // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Adverbs // 26th June 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/26/adult-speaking-class-level-2-adverbs-and-expressions/

Adverb exercise // IELTS: use adverbs frequently // 3rd July 2020

Adverbs of probability // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // Coffee Shop Chat // 11th June 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/06/11/adult-speaking-class-level-2-coffee-shop-chat/

Creative writing // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3: Storytelling part 2 // 30th March 2020

As … as // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 5 // 4th February 2020

Auxiliary (helping) verbs // Beginners’ English: Sentence Building // 16th March 2020

Auxiliary and infinite verbs // Teaching Notes // 9th March 2021:https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/03/09/students-hate-to-be-corrected-but-teachers-like-to-address-issues/

Can, could, be able to // Adult Class, Level 3 // 12th December 2019

Can, can’t, is, isn’t // Young Learners, Level 2: Senses working overtime // 3rd October 2020

Collocations // Adult Speaking Class, level 2: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/18/adult-speaking-class-level-2-collocations/

Collocations // Adult Speaking Class, level 2: More collocations // 16th May 2020

Comparisons and superlatives // Young Learners, Level 5 // 19th October 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/19/young-learners-level-5-amazon-rain-forest-quiz-and-comparisons/

Comparisons and superlatives // Young Learners, Level 5 // 9th December 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/12/09/young-learners-level-5-superlatives-and-superheroes/

Comparisons // Young Learners, Level 5 // 24th August 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/08/24/young-learners-level-5-comparisons/

Contractions (video) // Beginners’ English, Part 2

Discourse Markers // IELTS 5-6.5 // 25th September 2019 /// IELTS // 7th January 2019 //// IELTS 5 – 6.5. Writing example // 15th March 2020

First & second conditional // Adult Class, Level 3 // 22nd April 2019

Future plans Signs // Young Learners 4 // 22nd June 2019

Future plans // Young Learners 4 // 9th November 2019

Future plans // Adult Speaking Class, level 1: What will you do ? // 24th April 2020

Future tense // Adult C, L 3 // 6th November 2019

Have to or must ? // Adult Speaking Class, level 2 // 20th December 2019

Have to or must ? // Beginners’ English // 1st July 2020

Idioms // IELTS 5 – 6.5. Writing example // 15th March 2020

Idioms // Adult Speaking Class, level 2: In order to improve // 30th June 2020

IELTS

Pre-IELTS challenge: creative writing, plan a day, pronunciation // Adult Class L 3 // 30th May 2020

IELTS: Adverb exercise // use adverbs frequently // 3rd July 2020

IELTS: Mindset first day warm up // IELTS: Mindset // 23rd June 2020

IELTS: warm up games // https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/02/25/ielts-warm-up-games/

IELTS: vocabulary building // IELTS: Vocabulary activities // 24th April 2020

IELTS // idioms and vocabulary games // Preparing for speaking test // 15th May 20202

Modal verbs // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 25th July 2020

Modal verbs // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 25th January 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/01/25/adult-speaking-class-level-2-part-6-2/

‘ness’ or ‘ment’ ? // IELTS // 28th January 2019

Past continuous // Young Teens // 17th January 2019

Past continuous // Adult Class, Level 3 // 23rd September 2019

Past continuous exercises // Beginners’ English, Part 2

Past perfect // Adult Class, Level 3 // 23rd September 2019

Past simple // Adult Class, Level 3 // 23rd September 2019

Past simple & past continuous exercise // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1 // 15th August 2020

Past Tense // Starting Past Tense // Young Learners, Level 4 // 4th May 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/05/04/young-learners-level-4-starting-the-past-tense/

Past Tense // Exercises, common verbs, pronunciation omnibus // 21st October 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/21/past-tense-various-exercises-2/

Past tense // Beginners’ English // Beginners’ English Part 4

Past tense exercise // Adult Speaking Class, L2 Part 2

Past tense exercise // Beginners’ English, Part 2

Past tense exercises // Teaching Notes // 12th July 2020

Past tense pronunciation // Beginners’ English: The past is passed // 7th July 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/07/05/beginners-englishthe-passed-it-past-pronunciation-guide/

Past tense & past continuous // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Grammar quiz // 27th June 2020

Past tense & past perfect/ // Adult Speaking Class, L 2: Grammar – perfect form // 25th May 2020

Phrasal verbs // Adult Speaking Class. Theme: Love & marriage Part 3

Phrasal verbs & collocations // Beginners’ English Part 4

Phrasal verb exercises // Teaching Notes: Phrasal verbs // 16th June 2020

Possessives // Young Learners 3 // 7th September 2019

Present continuous (house plan) // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 4 // 27th January 2020

Present perfect exercises // 6th September 2020 // Beginners’ English // Adult Speaking Class Level 1: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/09/06/present-perfect-exercises/

Present perfect exercises // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 4th July 2020

Present perfect exercises // Beginners’ English

Present perfect // Adult Class, Level 3 // 23rd September 2019

Present perfect (have you ever ?) // Adult Class, Level 1 // 26th February 2019

Present perfect (for & since) // Adult Class, Level 3 // 21st November 2019

Present perfect review // Adult Class, Level 1 // 5th March 2019

Regular & irregular verbs // Beginners’ English Part 4

Reflexive verbs // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 Part 2

Relative clauses & relative pronouns // Adult Class, Level 3 // 5th November 2019: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/11/05/adult-class-level-3-business-icons/

Relative pronouns // IELTS 5-6.5 // 25th September 2019:

Relative pronouns quiz // IELTS Review // vocabulary, discourse, sentence building // 25th June 2020

Relative pronouns // IELTS // 1st July 2020

Reported Speech // Adult C, L 3 // 8th October 2019

Reported Speech // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 5 // 4th February 2020

Review (irregular verbs, adverbs) // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2, Quick review // 7th June 2020

Sentence correction (basic) // Young Learners 4 // 16th November 2019

Similes // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 5 // 4th February 2020

Speaking Grammar

Past Tense // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1 /// Adult C, L 3 // 23rd September 2019 /// Adult C, L 3 // 16th September 2019

Past-time expressions // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 6 // 8th February 2020

Third Conditional: Mr Bowditch // Adult Class, Level 3 // 22nd October 2019

Superlatives (Animals: longest, smallest) // Young Learners, Level 4 // 24th November 2020: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/11/24/young-learners-level-4-longest-heaviest-shortest-lightest/

Tag questions // Adult C, L 3 // 15 August 2019 \ 12 November 2019

Third conditional compilation (various examples, lesson plans and exercises) // 18th July 2020 https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/07/18/third-conditional/

Third Conditional // Adult Class, Level 3 // 22nd October 2019

Third conditional // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2, Part 3 // 16th January 2020

Third Conditional exercise // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3: Third Conditional 23 Jan 2020

15 most common verbs // Adult C, L 3 // 23rd September 2019 // Beginners’ English Part 4 //

Verb ‘to have’ & Viet translation // Young Learners 1 // 16th March 2019

Verb ‘to have’ // Young Learners 1 // 26th May 2019

Verb ‘need’ // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1:What do you need ? // 21st May 2020

Verbs ‘want’ or ‘need’ // Young Learners, Level 6 // 13th January 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/01/13/young-learners-level-6-stay-healthy/

What do they like ? // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1:What do they like ? // 22nd June 2020

Which one ? // Young learners, Level 4 // 10th November 2020

Past Tense: Various exercises

21st October 2020

An omnibus of past tense exercises

Most common verbs infinite / past / past participle

Exercises

Pronunciation guide

TOP 25 REMEMBERING THE PAST QUOTES (of 78) | A-Z Quotes — because practice makes perfect

15 most common verbs:

infinite \ present // past // past participle (verb 3)

1	to be	was were	been
2	to have	had	had
3	to do	did	done
4	to say	said	said
5	to go	went	gone
6	to get	got	got/gotten
7	to make	made	made
8	to know	knew	known
9	to think	thought	thought
10	to take	took	taken
11	to see	saw	seen
12	to come	came	come
13	to want	wanted	wanted
14	to use	used	used
15	to find	found	found

Regular verbs: just add -‘ed’. However, as you see, in this list only one common verb, ‘want’, is regular.

NOTE: ‘to be’ is different:

I am hungry / You are hungry / She is hungry / We are hungry

Now, practice: In groups of three or four, ask each other questions in order to feel more natural using the past tense. Let’s start simply:

What did you do today ?

Each student takes turns describing their day. Use these photos to help you.

Extra practice:

buy / drink / surf the internet / help parents / cook / do homework

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English.

Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

Piano playing monkey | Playing piano, See monkeys, Gershwin

The monkey plays piano.

Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

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She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

Sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain | Science News

I watch the amazing Spiderman.

Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man is a great New York movie

Put these verbs into the past tense, then complete the sentences:

want ———

take ———

decide ———

see ——–

buy ——–

think ——–

learn ——–

I —— to stay in bed this morning

She —– great photos with her new iPhoneX

We have —— to go to Thailand for Tet

Last night I —- a great film !

He —- food for Christmas from Harrods.

Tuesday ! I —— today was Wednesday

We —– about past simple in our lesson.

Pronunciation guide

In English, verb can be regular or irregular.

Regular verbs add -ed or -d in the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

I walk to work // I WALKED to work

I play guitar // I PLAYED guitar

She smiles on TV / She SMILED on TV

They dance in T-ara // They DANCED in T-ara

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-ed past tense verbs pronunciation

Words have 3 end sounds:

‘t’

‘d

‘id’

If the word ends with:

ch / f / k / p / s / sh / thi – The sound is ‘t’ look = ‘lookt’

t /or / d/ – The sound is ‘id’ visit – ‘visitid’

Other sounds are ‘d’ bang = ‘bangd’

What is the correct pronunciation for these regular verbs ?

Look = Looked // laugh = laughed // end =

beg = / visit = / kiss =

brush = / breath = / love =

Read these sentences:

He cleared up the mess / He rolled up the newspaper / I have visited India

No Homework ! That sounded good / Teacher shouted, ‘No way !’

We all worked hard today / Tom talked so much /

The students played many games and laughed.

Top 10 Places to visit in India for First Time Traveler — They have visited India

8-year-old girl stuns playing 'complicated' Led Zeppelin song on drums - National | Globalnews.ca — She has banged the drum !