IELTS Advice: grammar or vocabulary?

Students often ask me questions like: "Can you explain phrasal verbs?" or "Can you explain how to use prepositions?"

The problem is that the word explain implies that phrasal verbs and prepositions are grammar issues with easy rules. In fact, there are no easy rules to explain phrasal verbs, prepositions, and many other areas of language. Instead of treating these things as relating to grammar, it's best to see them as vocabulary items.

In any language, some things can be explained using grammar rules. Unfortunately, everything else is vocabulary. You don't need to explain vocabulary; you just need to learn it gradually.

Comments

[ghyath]

Dear Simon
I have got my result L7.5,R 6.5,W 6.5,S8.it was disappointing as I need 7 in each.any way thank you.
I would like to ask a question,which is better to work royal eye hospital in manchester or moorfields eye hospital in london,as my wife has two offers.we will consider seriously your opinion.
Thank you.

[ahmedsalman]

Dear Simon
i have just my IELTS test today, it was good but i have one issue which makes me so narvous,
when i am doing my writing tasks, i started by doing task 2, i did well but i needed more papers so i asked the exam team to provide me another answer sheet, a completed my task two in the second answer sheet, then i did my task 1 in the same "2nd", i am so worried that the examiner might find task 1 empty in the first answer sheet and think that i did not do it?
would you kindly tell me what might happen, from your experience as an examiner???
thank you so much

[Rajput]

Dear Simon,

I have got L8,R7,W6.5,S6.5.This was my 7th attempt and in previous 5 attempts i used to 7.5 in speaking but my reading was poor, however, thanks to your great website, it was improved to 7 in sixth attempt but I was given 6.5 in both writing and speaking. I tried very hard this time and as my perception I did a lot better than last time in both writing and speaking but still i have got 6.5. please advise should I go for remarking?
Thanks

[sarah]

Dear Sir,
I am very delighted to inform you that I have passed the exam and have got my band 7 overall. My biggest fear was from the writing section, however, thanks to you and to your lovely website which I found it more than useful and Ill definitely recomend it to all my peers.

Many Thanks
Sarah

[Simon]

Hi Ghyath,

You're nearly there. I'm sure you'll get four 7s soon.

I'm afraid I'm not the right person to give advice about which hospital to choose, but apparently both of those hospitals are excellent.

...

Hi Ahmedsalman,

Don't worry. The examiner will check all of your sheets carefully. Good luck!

...

Hi Rajput,

There are no guarantees of course, but maybe you could try getting a re-mark. Good luck if you do!

...

Well done Sarah! Thanks for recommending the site.

[Hemn Merany]

Hi there,
I have just taken the IELTS test in the UK- Bangor centre. I want to share writing and speaking questions.
Firstly, in task one we have given two bar charts about the average number of vacation days per year in five European countries which were Germany, Denmark, France, Ireland and England, and another chart was about working hours in those countries per year. The second task was about Media coverage of violent crime and its impact on us; some people believe that it should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree? ( the question was not exactly the same with which I wrote, but the idea is the same).
In terms of speaking test, my first part was about my subject in a university and why I have chosen it, and some questions in this area were asked. The second part I have been asked to describe a street in my hometown which I like, where it is, who live there, and why I like it? In the third part there were some questions about other streets in my hometown, disadvantages of overcrowded cities, involving in our local society, what should we do? Is there any kind of obligations about that?
Overall, hopefully I think this time I did all parts quite good, good luck to others.
Many thanks to Simon and his useful tips and ideas which I have got from his website and his informative E-BOOK, I strongly suggest all students to follow his daily lessons and buy his E-BOOK. If do that, I am sure you will get your target soon.
Kind regards,
HEMN MERANY

[ghyath]

Dear Simon;
Do these words(furthermore,in addition,moreover),can introduce the second idea of a paragraph.I mean if the paragrah for example(poverty can be solved by...Firstly,....secondly,.....)can we replace secondly with (in addition or other words),or (in addition, moreover,furthermore) should add new ideas to the idea after firstl.
I hope I could express the questionclearly>
Thanks

[Hemn Merany]

Hello there,
Good point Simon, as a foreign student I think using a preposition and phrasal verb accurately are one of the biggest problems. I guess it takes time to be familiar with. I suppose reading more and think about the structure and the usage of them it might work. I believe the more you read the more you get. So, don't worry and keep studying and reading more in English.
HEMN

[ahmedsalman]

Dear Simon,
Thank you for your time and your kind reply.
This is my first time trying doing IELTS exams,
so i hope things go well and i get a remarkable score.
i found your site so useful, and i got alote of use from it.
Thank you for your honest efforts.
Yours,
Ahmed Salman.

[Ranjeet]

Dear Simon,

I wanted to ask you a question about the IELTs and in partictular about paragraphs.

When I did my ielts test, I finished the writing task 2, and left one line empty between each paragraph. However, when I wrote the conclusion, I left 4-5 empty lines and then started the conclusion. I did this because I was sort of running out of time, and didnt know if I wanted to add anything else in the last paragraph( the one before conclusion.

so it looked a bit like this

introduction

paragraph1

paragraph 2

conclusion

Do you thing this will affect the mark I get?

[Ranjeet]

Dear Simon,

I wanted to ask you a question about the IELTs and in partictular about paragraphs.

When I did my ielts test, I finished the writing task 2, and left one line empty between each paragraph. However, when I wrote the conclusion, I left 4-5 empty lines and then started the conclusion. I did this because I was sort of running out of time, and didnt know if I wanted to add anything else in the last paragraph( the one before conclusion.

so it looked a bit like this

introduction

paragraph1

paragraph 2
....
....
.....
....

conclusion

Do you thing this will affect the mark I get?

[Simon]

Hi Ghyath,

Yes, it's fine to do that.

...

Hi Ranjeet,

Don't worry. It won't be a problem.

[Ranjeet]

Thanks you soo much for you answer,
it helps me not to think about it now

[MEENAKSHI CHAUHAN]

hello simon,
i want to ask u a question regarding to writing task 1 that is it mandatory to write conclusion according to the current wrting format or can we write the most highlighted trend in a paragraph just after an introduction's paragraph.
for example, At a glance , the maximum water used for agriculture with 80%.

[Simon]

Have a look at this lesson Meenakshi:

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2012/01/ielts-writing-task-1-you-dont-need-a-conclusion.html