8. INTRODUCTION TO NOUNS

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.

3 reasons you should learn about nouns

1. You need to know about nouns because they are related to pronouns. Pronouns are very useful for learning about verbs, and writing the "complex structures" referred to in IELTS Band Descriptors.

2. Nouns are also related to the idea of "determiners" [or what some people call "articles"].

3. Nouns have "number". The verb forms and determiners you use must agree with the "number" of a noun.

Don't worry about understanding "number" or "determiners" right now. I've only mentioned these here to convince you that you must make the effort to learn about nouns.
Pronouns, determiners, verbs and number are discussed in later posts. These are all important if you are to show IELTS examiners that you have a good enough grasp of English Grammar to get a score of 7.

Nouns

Nouns are words we use to name different things. Nouns might name:

• people or places; or
• types of animals; or
• things; or
• ideas, feelings or qualities

Examples of nouns

John and Mary are two common names given to people.

Australia or Asia are two common names used for specific places.

kangaroo and mammal are two common names used to describe animals.

animal or desk are two common words we use to describe things that are tangible [things we can physically touch].

guess, fear, compassion are words used to describe "things" that are intangible [things we cannot physically touch]

Types of nouns.

To score 7 in an IELTS test you do not need to memorise the names of these "types" of nouns, but it will help if you are aware of them:

• proper nouns;
• common nouns;
• tangible [or concrete] nouns;
• intangible [or abstract] nouns; or
• collective nouns.

Examples of types of nouns

John, Asia, High Street or The Bible are proper nouns. Most book titles or the titles of poems or songs are spelt with a capital letter at the beginning of a word.

desk, pen and book are common nouns. Each of these words will tell us what class something belongs to. Common nouns tell us what someone is talking about, but do not give us specific information about what is being talked about. On their own, the words desk, pen and book do not tell us about a particular desk, pen or book.

desk, pen and book are tangible or concrete nouns because we can physically touch these things.

geometry, language and bravery are intangible [or abstract] nouns. They are ideas that we cannot physically touch.

army and dictionary are collective nouns. The collective or group name tells us what a group is made of. An army is made up of soldiers, and a dictionary provides a list or words and definitions.

a mob of cattle, and a flock of sheep are examples of another type of collective noun.
The word cattle on its own does not tell us how many cattle there are, nor does the word mob tell us what type of animal or person is in the group: The word mob might mean a group of people, of cattle, of kangaroos, or of gangsters.

Just to make sure you are really confused, a mob of cattle is sometimes called a herd of cattle.

Examples of very obscure [hardly ever used except in TV quiz shows] collective nouns are "a murder of crows" or "a coven of witches".

As I have already said, you do not need to memorise a rule like "There are many types of nouns: proper, common, tangible, abstract and collective".

You simply need to be aware that these categories exist.

An expression like "flock of sheep" is a collocation.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

• Follow this blog for useful links and advice
• Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons
• Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

7. ENGLISH GRAMMAR IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.

As we have already seen, IELTS Descriptors make it clear that you must understand some English Grammar to score 7 in an IELTS test – but this does not mean you need to understand everything about English Grammar.

When you are using this blog and my YouTube channel to assess your strengths and weaknesses, some of the detail in this blog might seem too simple. No doubt you already understand the basic principles of grammar from studying your own first language. However, there will be some differences between English and other languages that might affect your score, and that you ought to be aware of. 

WHY ENGLISH GRAMMAR SEEMS CONFUSING
One reason English Grammar may seem harder than it really is, is because there are so many different terms for the same thing.

Examples:

·         The Bare Infinitive of a verb is sometimes called the Plain Form of a verb, or even the Base Form of a verb, depending on which book or tutor is discussing it. The Bare Infinitive, the Plain Form and the Base Form of a verb are all the same thing.

·         Words ending in ING might be called a Present Participle; a Gerund [or a Noun-verb]; or an Adjective [or an Adjective-verb]
We need to see ING words in context to know what type of job they do.

·         The Present Participle form of a verb is used for the Continuous Verb Tense which is sometimes known as the Progressive Verb Tense.

You do not have to memorise all of the different names for parts of English Grammar: To score 7 in an IELTS exam you only need to understand some of the parts of English Grammar.

It is a good idea to try and learn about English from more than one source, because you might hear something described two or three different ways before you find an explanation that is helpful.  On the other hand, try not to use too many different sources - you don't want to become confused by different terminology.

Another reason English Grammar might seem hard is because some English Grammar really is hard.

The parts of English Grammar needed to get an IELTS score of 7 are not. For example, you do not need to know that "Adverbial Clauses Always Begin With a Subordinating Conjunction".

Your challenge is to find sources of English instruction that are designed to teach you at an appropriate level to get a score of 7 in an IELTS exam.

This blog and the improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons are designed to teach you the basics of English Grammar in a simple and logical sequence. Free sound files are available to help you remember the important rules and lists discussed later in this blog.

THE MINIMUM YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ENGLISH GRAMMAR

• gender [already introduced here]
• what nouns and pronouns are, and how to use pronouns
• what verbs are, and how to use basic verb tenses
• collocations [already introduced here]

Gender

The difference between "he" and "she" is important. There are at least half a dozen [6] languages that do not use words equivalent to he, his, him, she, her or hers.

If your first language does not use equivalents of these words, you must make an effort to learn how these words are used in English, and practise using them properly.

You need to be clear about gender when we start to discuss some pronouns.

Verbs

Every English sentence has at least one verb. If you cannot use the right verb form in a sentence this will:

• count as poor grammar in an IELTS speaking or writing test; and
• it might affect your understanding of what you read or hear during an IELTS test.

You must understand simple verb tenses.

Here is a sampling of verb forms used in one IELTS Practice Academic Reading Task:

• may have
• might have
• had been
• have been
• has been

If you are confident your knowledge of verbs is already excellent, working through this blog and the YouTube lessons will help confirm this, or uncover any weaknesses.

Pronouns

There are 9 types of pronouns, each with a special grammatical job to do. Just one of those jobs is to help us learn about verb forms.

Pronouns are also extremely useful for building the "complex structures" referred to in the Band Descriptors.

Collocations

Collocations are yet another part of grammar referred to in the Band Descriptors.

This blog's post 5 already introduces collocations, prepositions, idioms and colloquialisms.

Free sound files are available to help you memorise some collocations and prepositional phrases, but I recommend you make pronouns and verbs a priority.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

• Follow this blog for useful links and advice
• Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons
• Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

6. GENDER

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.




WHAT WE MEAN BY "GENDER"
In everyday English, we use the word "sex" when we are talking about physical or biological differences between men and women.

In everyday English we use the word "gender" when we are talking about the different social roles of men and women.

In English Grammar, we use the word "gender" to classify nouns and pronouns according to whether they are female, male or neither.

GRAMMATICAL CLASSIFICATIONS BY GENDER

Feminine Gender words are used only to describe females;

Masculine Gender words are used only to describe males;

Gender Neutral words are used to describe

• people or animals that might be either female or male; and
• things that might be either female or male; and
• things that are definitely not either female or male.

       

                

    

	FEMININE GENDER	MASCULINE GENDER	GENDER NEUTRAL
1	Female	Male
2	Woman	Man	Person
3	Mother	Father	Parent
4	Sister	Brother	Sibling
5	Daughter	Son	Child
6	Aunty	Uncle
7	Niece	Nephew
8	Grandmother	Grandfather
9	Granddaughter	Grandson
10			Chair
11	Mare	Stallion	Horse
12	SHE	HE	I YOU IT WE THEY

All of the words in rows 1-11 of the above table are nouns.

The words in row 12 are examples of pronouns.

Examples

Anna is a female name. She is a female pronoun.

We can say "Anna is tall", or we can say "She is tall".

John is a male name. He is a male pronoun.

We can say "John is tall", or we can say "He is tall".

Australia is gender neutral. It is a gender neutral pronoun.

We can say "Australia is a great country" or we can say "It is a great country".

When we do not know the sex of a dog, the word "dog" is gender neutral.

We can say "The dog is scary", or "It is scary".

When we do know the sex of a dog, the word dog is either a Masculine Gender word, or a Feminine Gender word.

We can say "She is well trained" if it is a female dog, or "He is well trained" if it is a male dog.

Traditionally, when we do not know the sex of a person, we use the masculine pronoun "he" .

We can say "The surgeon has a good reputation," or we can say "He has a good reputation."

As our expectations about the social roles of men and women are changing, it is now common and acceptable to use the pronoun "she" instead of "he" if we do not know the sex of a person*.

We can say The surgeon has a good reputation," or we can say "She has a good reputation."

*Using "He" when we do not know the gender of a person is still common and acceptable.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

5. COLLOCATIONS, PREPOSITIONS, IDIOMS & COLLOQUIALISMS

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.

If you have looked at the Band Descriptors I mentioned in my first post, you will have seen some comments about the use of collocations, and the over-use of unusual idiomatic expressions.

Definitions of collocation, idiom and colloquialism tend to vary from one source to another. They tend to overlap - for example, a particular expression might be both idiomatic and colloquial.

In an IELTS test you will not be expected to categorise different expressions, but you need to be aware of how things are described or named in English, depending on location.

Collocations

A collocation is a group of words that:

·         are often used together; and

·         when used together convey a specific meaning.

Examples

• now and then
• fly-buys
• politically correct

Now and then

You might know the usual meaning of the word "now" and the meaning of the word "then". When we put these words together and create the expression "now and then", what we mean is "occasionally".

The special meaning of "Now and then" is not hard to understand once it is explained, but in an IELTS speaking or writing exam, you would not necessarily need to know or use the expression. You could paraphrase this collocation easily by saying "occasionally".

Fly-buys

I'm sure you know the meanings of the individual words "fly" and "buy", but "fly-buy" has a very specific meaning. A fly-buy point is a bonus point you can collect when you buy things from some retailers.

While you can substitute "occasionally" for the expression "now and then", it would be very difficult to paraphrase the expression "fly-buy".

Fly-buy is a useful collocation, but you might not need to know it for an IELTS exam.

Politically correct

As a general rule*, people associate the word "politics" with elections and government policies.

When the words "politically" and "correct" are used together, they take on a very specific meaning related to the practice of discrimination.

Words or statements that seem to discriminate on the basis of gender [sex], race, nationality or more, would not be considered politically correct. ["Not politically correct" = "politically incorrect".]

Politically correct is an English collocation you should know, whether you are likely to use it in an IELTS exam or not.

Prepositions

Prepositions are one type of word we can use to connect words or groups of words together.

Examples

·         He was driving down the road

·         Please do not put your elbows on the table while eating

·         Be careful when you put the baby in the pram.

There are not always clear rules about which preposition to use in certain contexts. The use of prepositions might vary according to local practice.

We might drive down a road, along a road, or up a road. Using any of these prepositions could be correct.

On the other hand*, we might drive up a hill or down a hill, but it would make no sense to say we drive along a hill.

As you listen to people speaking English or as you read something written in English, try to pay attention to how prepositions are used.

When you are speaking or writing in an IELTS exam, the correct use of prepositions is as important as* the correct use of collocations.

Idioms

Idioms are expressions which mean something other than the literal meaning of the individual words.

The major difference between* collocations and idioms is that collocations are direct in their meaning, while idioms tend to rely on metaphor, or painting a picture with words*.

Examples

• "now and then" is a collocation, because both "now and then" and a word like "occasionally" make a direct reference to time. 
• "as useful as a hole in a pocket" is an idiomatic expression because it conveys its meaning indirectly: To understand the expression you are required to interpret the word picture* rather than simply define it.
• "too much of a good thing" is one of the thousands of idiomatic expressions contributed to the English Language by the playwright Shakespeare. This is an expression that might refer to the ill effects of drinking too much alcohol or of over-eating. In another context "too much of a good thing" might be used to describe the way a child is "spoilt" by his or her parents [i.e. being given everything he or she asks for such as clothes, toys or even freedom].

Colloquialisms

Colloquialisms are often – though not always – informal expressions, usually belonging to a particular place, culture or English dialect. Slang is just one type of colloquialism.

The meaning of the word can change depending on where it is used.

Examples

"thong":

• in the USA is an article of underwear
• in Australia is a form of footwear

What Australians call a thong is known as a "flip flop" in New Zealand.

What is called "takeaway food" in EE is called "takeout food" in AE. 

Idioms, Colloquialisms, and IELTS tests

While the Band Descriptors ask you to use some collocations correctly, they caution against over-using idioms.

If your English is somewhere below an IELTS 8 standard, using an expression like "as useful as a hole in a pocket" during an IELTS exam would sound un-natural. It is also an expression that might have no meaning to other International English speakers.

Collocations, Prepositions, Idioms, Colloquialisms and Employment

I assume that after you score a 7 for your IELTS exam, you will either be looking for employment or advancing to a further course of study.

Many Native English speakers are unaware of just how much of their speech includes collocations, idioms and colloquialisms. This applies to instructors as well as other professionals. Familiarity with collocations can help you benefit more from a course of study.

If two people with equal experience and qualifications apply for the same job, an employer will always prefer the candidate whose command of English seems greater. Employees must be able to take and share instructions, and work with others whose first language is not English.

The ability to quickly understand what is being said is both a safety and a productivity issue.

In some occupations you must be able to understand a very specific meaning no matter how many colloquialisms or idiomatic expressions are used.

[Australian] Examples of Medical "Terminology":

• I have the runs, or I have the trots are just two expressions an older Anglo-Australian might use to tell you they have diarrhoea.
• I have a pain in my ticker would mean I have a pain in my heart.

Familiarising yourself with these "non-standard" forms of English - especially in your chosen field of employment - can be very useful. 



NOTES
* Expressions with an asterisk are all examples of collocations.

A common expression in English is "a picture paints a thousand words".  The collocations "painting a picture with words" and "word picture" are derived from this expression.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

4. ENGLISH VOCABULARY

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.





ENGLISH VOCABULARY

• paraphrasing
• learning new words
• pronunciation of new words

Paraphrasing

Examiners do not expect you to know every word in the English Language, but they will want to know you can find enough words to say what you mean.

For example, if you cannot think of the expression "Public Transport" you can paraphrase this by saying something like "government buses and trains" instead.

Whenever possible – whether at home, at class or simply eating lunch - speak English. This will help you learn to think in English, and also give you practice at paraphrasing.

Learning new words

As well as providing information about the individual sounds used to speak English, the BBC website has excellent short videos you can watch that will help you expand your vocabulary.

You can explore this part of their website starting here.

Pronunciation of new words

IELTS examiners accept both English English and American English words, spelling and pronunciation. Whichever version of English you speak, you must be consistent. Be careful not to mix English English and American English too much.

A good online dictionary to use is Collins Dictionary.

Collins not only offers you a choice of American English or English English spelling, it lets you hear how words are pronounced in English English or American English.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

3. PRACTISE ENGLISH SOUNDS

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.

ENGLISH SOUNDS

There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, but the spoken language uses 44 distinct sounds. Twenty of these are vowel sounds.

You must spend some time working on these sounds to:

• improve your IELTS Listening Test score; and
• improve your IELTS Speaking Test score; and
• improve your employment prospects.

ENGLISH ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

IELTS examiners will not mind whether you speak English English [EE] or American English [AE] but, whichever version of English you speak, you should be consistent with:

• your spelling; and
• your pronunciation.

Examples:

• mobile phone [EE] = cell [AE];
• colour [EE] = color [AE]; and
• can't is pronounced differently depending on whether you are speaking EE or AE.

Understanding what others say in English

How well can you hear the difference between these two words?

pan

pain

In a listening exam you cannot afford to waste time relying on the context to understand what you are hearing.

Formal and Informal English

Different people have different accents, whether English is their first language or not.
While people tend to use formal English when they write something, few people use formal [or "proper"] English when they speak in informal situations.
The more you know about how English words should be pronounced, the better your chances of understanding people who speak English informally.

I speak English English with an Australian Accent:

• When I am careful to speak English formally [EE], I will pronounce words carefully; but
• When I am speaking informally with other Australians my pronunciation is not so careful, and I tend to use a lot of idiomatic expressions.

Although it is important to practise speaking English with Native* English Speakers, it is also helpful to study the sounds of English from a formal source which uses the 44 sounds properly.

  

Make sure you are understood when you speak English to others

Practise making each of the 44 English sounds as clearly as possible. The tiniest difference in a vowel sound can completely change the meaning of a word.

How clearly can you say the following?

She asked her friend.

If you find it hard to make the consonant sound D on the end of a word like "asked", this will affect your score in an IELTS speaking exam.

IELTS examiners need evidence that you understand English Grammar. If you know that "asked" is grammatically correct but it sounds like you are using the grammatically incorrect word "ask" this will count against you.

Pronunciation

Most languages have "tongue twisters" - expressions which are difficult to articulate clearly but can be fun to try and say quickly. This is especially true if they can sound rude when mispronounced. For example, when I was a young child and children were forbidden to swear, two popular tongue twisters were:

• Polish it in the corner; and
• I chased a bug around the room.

The faster we said them, the more we managed to say "shit" and "bugger".

A more adult version is this one:

I'm not the pheasant plucker 
I'm the pheasant plucker's son;
I'm just plucking pheasants
'Til the pheasant plucker comes

My point is that everyone struggles with some sounds in any language. NEVER be afraid to pronounce words formally, no matter how strange they sound to you or how much effort it takes to say them properly. 

For example, one practice IELTS test uses the word "rainforests".

The sound STS at the end of the word might sound strange to you, and might be difficult to say clearly.

It is more important for you to take the time to say the word correctly than to say it quickly.

There is a lot to learn about which part of a word or sentence you should stress in order to make your meaning clear, but making sure you are understood by others begins with the 44 English sounds.

Assessing Yourself and Studying English Sounds

The best place to start working on English sounds – especially vowel sounds – is the British Broadcasting Commission's [BBC's] EnglishLearning website.

Whether you speak EE or AE, this British site will be helpful. You must be able to hear the different sounds clearly if you are to understand what others say in English, and if you are to make sure you are understood by others when you speak English.


*Native = born. Native English Speakers are people who have been listening to or using English as a first language since they were born.

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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

2. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES!

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please consider starting with the very first post as it contains useful hints and links.   Working through this blog in sequence can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the English Language.

Unfortunately, if you fail an IELTS test your score will not help you discover your English Language strengths and weaknesses.

The best person to identify your strengths and weaknesses is you.

IELTS exams are very expensive, and failing is not just frustrating, it can undermine your self-confidence.

You must honestly assess your mastery of things like:

• English Sounds;
• English Grammar; and
• English Vocabulary.

To help assess your strengths and weakness, read this blog from the beginning and watch the lessons on my improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube Channel:

• If you learn nothing new, you can count your understanding of a topic as a strength;
• If you only learn one new thing about a topic, your knowledge will be strengthened;
• If you don't know much about a topic, count this as a weakness you must work on.

My next post discusses English Sounds and provides some handy links.


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I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane

1. KNOW WHAT IS REQUIRED TO GET AN IELTS SCORE OF 7

Have you already taken an IELTS exam, but not managed to get the score you need?

If you have consistently scored a minimum of 5 in each of the four tests:

·         Reading;

·         Writing;

·         Listening; and

·         Speaking

I can help you improve your English to IELTS 7 standard

·         Follow this blog for useful links and advice

·         Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube lessons

·         Use my free sound files to help you study by listening

KNOW WHAT IS REQUIRED TO GET AN IELTS SCORE OF 7

The organisation that owns and controls the IELTS exams is quite open about what is required to score 7.

Band Descriptors set out how a candidate's scores are calculated.

Just some of the things you must show examiners if you want to score 7 are:

• awareness of style and collocation;
• ability to use a range of complex structures with some flexibility;
• ability to frequently produce error-free sentences;
• that you do understand some English Grammar.

You can find the full Band Descriptors for Writing Task 1 here

You can find the full Band Descriptors for Writing Task 2 here

You can find the full Band Descriptors for Speaking here

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EMAIL ME

engtutormelb@gmail.com

When you email me, feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the most difficulty.

Thanks for dropping in!

Jane