Common Mistakes at IELTS Advanced

Tài liệu "Common Mistakes at IELTS Advanced".

dulie Moore

CAMBRIDGE

ss available from the British Library 'no responsiblity or the persistence or third-party internet websites referred to in Eguarantee that any content on such websites is, ‘Information regarding prices, travel

given in this work are correct at Came Unvesty Pres does not guarantee

n thereafter

2 Axtices: alan before ndun

3 When dotuse capitalleters? 7

Test1 8

4 When doluse when, ifand whether? 10

5 Punctuation: commas with discourse mates

6 Punctuation: using apostrophes 12

Test2 12

7 Common spelling mistakes 15

8 Spelling: one word or two? 16

9° Adjective forms 4g

Yest3 18

400° UengprepoatlaaEwittiteOE

11 Using prepositions: after verbs 21

12 _ Using prepositions: describing trends and changes

Test4 23

13 Describing statistics: using prepositions 25

14 Describing statistics: nouns 26

15 Describing statistics: verbs 27

Test 5 2s

16 ‘Number and amount

|nouns: habits, customs and practices 45

(nouns: eft, influence and impact 46

sỉ Britain, British or Briton? 52

" Articles: the before general

1 Tick the correct sentence in each pair

1 Many peope are worried about the bad effects of ob Db Many people are worved about the bad effects of mob

2 a `Weneed folook otfoclors sách os the molebif of ' Weneedlolockot foclorssích os rolcbif of bedfhooe

We use the before nouns which describe a general type of thing)

example of that thing These are problems for students living away from the family

We dont know the effects of such chemicals on the body : The role ofthe student at university level varies greatly from country to coun Most of our business is carried out over the telephone

‘Theis also uted before abstract nouns which describe a situation, a DI ora change These words are often followed by of something

There isa problem with the availability of clean water in some villages

The distribution of income is uneven in most countries

On the whole, the standard of living is better in urban areas

‘Many residents complained about the frequency of bus services This advance was brought about by the development of antibiotics

He made a number of recommendations for the improvement ye We use the developmentlimprovement, etc of something to describe of staff training

a general process of change, but developments/improvements, etc in something to desi é

specific changes:

We ty to keep up-to-date with new developments in information technology

2 Correct the mistake below

Dosis ava ess Inpoanc fabled dt

Doctors always stress

3 Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct those:

A diet high in cholesterol is bad for heart

‘The introduction of computerised systems led to an increase in

‘We all benefit from development of new technologies

‘We were unhappy about quality of the food available,

Last year the airline saw a 20% improvement in d There have been changes in the relat

bs (very, really, quite, etc.) in these phrases:

fof women working in senior government posts phrases to be careful with:

gree: [agree with you to a certain degree

We have a wide range of books to choose from

‘numberlamount: an equal number of men and wornen proportion/percentage: a small proportion of patients

"in the same order to form correct sentences, adding any

or prepositions

‘troublemakers / were / responsible for / problems

important / role / education / nowadays

| ‘When do | use capital letters?

1a She explained that Thal food offen rexpines & ot Of ingredient 1b She explcined that thai food offen reqires alot of ngrecints

2 a Sixty percent of students enroled a the universfy ane male Sixty percent of students eneoled atthe University are me, Capital letters are always used for nouns in the following groups:

‘+ countries: Germany, the United States, Britain, the Czech towns, cities, states and regions: Tokyo, Paris, Texas, New South nationalities, ethnic groups and religions ~referring to people, a from a county, egion or culture:

Can you speak Chinese? You can hear he's o

a Buddhist temple months and days of the week: October, Sth April, Tuesday, S Ta lke to learn more about + Capital leters are not used forthe seasons: spring summer, + names of organisations and institutions: the United Nations, the! ‘Where a word like museum, university, station ox hospitals institution, it has a capital letter: Harvard Universing Karachi However, when these words are not part of name, they do not They built a new 100-bed hospital in the provincial capital

He first joined the company in 2008

Also remember: the Earth (but not the World, the Third country, AIDS, CDIDVD (plural CDs/DVDs)

| mecca secre

2 Correct the mistake below

| 3 Add the correct punctuation, including capital letters, in

visitors to china should remember not to give a clock as these customs are common in muslim countries such as she started work for microsoft in july 2005

{went to university in geneva in switzerland

‘we took a taxi from york station to the royal

this is a photo of me on wall street when we the red cross works throughout the world not

trlcle: gian, the or— (no ardicle)

concentration of acid in a/thel- stomach

bly long time for the results to be announced

{improvements in althe/— quality as well as an/thel-

‘of businesses fail in the first year

‘athe! significant number of homes had two cars

‘sharp decline in a/thel- proportion of aid allocated to health ole of an/thel- extended family in caring for older people

have succeeded to a/the/- certain extent

-althel- basic education

‘deals with a/the!- recruitment of new staff of these figures?

ent communication skils

Janumber of mistakes with articles (the, a/an) and capital

‘and correct them

¬

yarn,

er for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on

‘was set up to protect refugees throughout World problems It has its headquarters in

hhas a staff of around 6,540 in safeguard rights and well-being of

n of the 20.8 milion people which UNHCR

pecially in countries in africa and asia More

ug are in europe and united

nth Đội

3 Put the words below together to make three cai punctuation and extra words (such as articles or preposit

1 odile is french she was born lyon 21 september 1968 she moved britain 20 years ago and now has british citizenship she speaks english fluently but she still has quite strong french accent

corinne lives with her husband steve near melbourne australia steve is australian but corinne has german mother and american father she was born united states and met steve while they were both working europe

andré is travel photographer he lives switzerland buthe spends large part of the year travelling around world last summer he went on long trip south america to photograph ancient inca temples

Rewrite the sentences below using the word given and necessary to keep the meaning the same +

‘The council wants to encourage new businesses to develop

"X - Bene sicrg nena

whether aniversities should charge tuition fees

‘an eventor situation that we believe will happen:

‘finish my studies (expect to finish.) jyou arrive atthe airport (We expect the person to arrive.) out a hypothetical possibility, especially in conditional sentences:

sift was a real emergency

sare any problems (Problems are only a possibility)

lifLasked you a few questions about the accident?

re we are considering two possibilities:

to have the beef or the lamb

shave to get part-time jobs whether or not they want to

gto discuss whether they should take further action

iswhether immigrants should adopt local customs

{t's useful or just a waste of money, they could give us a breakdown of the marks, eeeeee«.e.ee 0F not he had the disease,

| Punctuation: commas with discourse

‘certain verbs (and nouns) which involve considering two options:

1 Tick the correct sentence in each pair

1 @ Inconclusion the world population is expanding at an a b_Inconclasion the world population is expending at an 2a Tr welook for exanpl, a sport in schools

b Tf welock, for exanple, at sport in schools Discourse markers are words or phrases which show how ideas

‘They are often separated from the rest of the text by commas,

‘We usually use a comma after a phrase or an adverb which

In addition, many disabled people suffer discrimination at work

On the other hand, the unemployment rate has fallen rs Finally, local councils need to consider the cost of eeyeling schemes

Unfortunately, there were no more tickets available 5 Similarly, animals kept outdoors are also vulnerable to infection

‘We also use commas around certain words and phrases in the middle

‘This problem can, however, be solved quite so simply

There are more jobs in the city, but, of course, the cost of living sn l

Which option you choose depends, to a certain extent, on your budget,

Water is particularly scarce in arid regions, for examplefor instance in Af People who live in cold countries, such alike Norway, have to spend mores

-Where an adverb describes an adjective, commas are not needed:

This was matched by a similarly dramatic increase in Maye However careful you are, accidents can always happen

2 Correct the mistake below

3 Add commas in the sentences below where needed

1 What happens if for example you forget your password?

‘To sum up I like to recap the main advantages and Statistics can however be misleading,

Low-lying countries such as Bangladesh are p Furthermore not everyone will be able to afford

Contact sports like rugby will inevitably:

Assimilarly priced house in the city centre

‘We will of course reimburse any travel

contractions - where a leter or letters have been missed out

‘used in informal writing or to represent spoken language

send the goods by firs class post

dy gone through passport control, so Tcouldn't go back

like to change the booking

shas) been invited to the party?

is this? (whose = belonging to who) ( have not) been announced yet

ithe answer or Ido not know the answer (not Hdenot-knew-sheanswer}

15 we need to consider te ease for ĐỘ)

Uneray, webu lod for oameple a ways

‘such a5 rook insulation and double-glazing a Poreote ưng to perme Lt toll He owerbutlaings

Stoonally its much easier for governments of rich veguistions for industry without their econonses st

"`

tu? (thế {atuvø, However portant this i

Underline the best word or phrase to complete each sentence

1 I would be grateful when/iffwhether you could confirm the booking’

2 What's the best way to deal with a patient who'stuhoselwho

3 It's important to start saving towards a pension naw so that!

secure iffas/when you retire

Please don't hesitate to contact me ifithat/whether you have:

1 don't know yet ifthat/whether or not tbe able to come

Cheap airlines have brought benefits Such as/For ex longer only for the rich

‘The bank has announced that it will lose 50 of i

ure and, ultimately, gain more from

- You get back!

‘Nouns which are commonly misspelt include: 4

faccomsynodation, benefit, country, environment, government, percentage, moiTE

tn British English, the noun programme has two matn meanin

7 ining programme =a series of sessions, a TV programme = aT broadcast {gut a computer program = computer software

“Words containing the ie or ei vowel combination often cause problems British es

Wiuldren learn a rhyme to help them remember: “T before E except after” sehievetachieverent, believebelef, hygienethygleta, retievelretrieval

ut receivereceipt, deceiveldecet, ceiling

tn British English, practice is the spelling ofthe noun and practises the verb form:

Now they can put into practice what they have learnt

si

{rl be a good opportunity to practise speaking English

‘The adjectives dependent and independent are spelt with -entat the end:

‘The degree of influence is dependent on a number of factors

‘Dependant is a noun referring to a person who depends on someone else financial:

‘The company provides private healthcare for workers and their dependants

3 Correct any spelling errors in the sentences below

1 beleive that successful companies need an experienced workloress

We need to look at goverment expenditure on enviromental projects:

Food hygine is a major concern for restaurant owners

‘Many farmers are dependent on foreign investors

‘This money should be spent to benifit the poorest countarles Strong health and educational programes are vital for dev

‘The propotion of women who acheive first class d ¢ Everyone has the right to practise their eligion 18

Tfepon ljespis website, wilde, workforce, workplace ome, outside, overall, overcome thing, someone, sometimes

nowadays, trowghout, whereas

hich are written with a hyphen include:

fie te

h ae written as separate words include:

spend a lot of money on clothes

ds of pollution have decreased in the past five years

‘even though she knows its bad for her health

his 7 ar ‘has been delayed (= an adverb meaning perhaps)

‘iain reason for the change may be financial (= a verb phrase)

Nobody seems to talk face-to-face now-a-days

n the compounds and phrases in the sentences below

they were satisfied, where as only 60% of men were happy nd every thing was neatly arranged, are due to changes in lifestyle,

health and well being of all our residents

re the outbreak of the civil war

n of people living in the country side,

in school should be compulsory

{through out the country

the correct sentence in each pair

11a Nery university students have a port=tine jobs 1b Nary university students have a part tne jobs

2 These Jobs comot be done by unexperienced young people 1b These obs cannot be done by inexperienced young people :

‘There are many compound adjectives in English which are usually ‘good-looking, good-natured, well-known, well-educated, well-paid badly-behaved, bad- tempered, ill-equipped, hard-working, easy-going short-lived, short-tempered, short-term, long-term, long-lasting {fully-qualified, full-scale, full-size, full-time, part-time, time-co

‘Many phrases describing the age, size or length of something are form

‘way When they are used before a noun, they are hyphenated:

six-year-old boy He is six years old

‘three-month training course ‘The course lasts three months,

‘a two-bedroom flat 4 flat with two bedrooms

‘Adjectives are also formed using prefixes, especially to describe opposites:

dis- dissatisfied, disorganised ‘over- overcrowded, overpriced inexpensive, inexperienced, inappropriate post- post-chool, postgraduate im- immoral, immature, impolite pre- pre-school, prearranged ron- nonexistent, non-smoking un- unaware, unsuitable,

tr Some of these adjectives are spelt with a hyphen and some as one words check a dictionary for the correct spelling

2 Correct the mistake below

Don't you think thats bit unappropriate for

2 job interview?

Dontt you think

3 Underline the correct word

The figure rose steadily over a 30 year/30-year period

The stalls sell a variety of non-expensivelinexpensive snacks

He was a polite, well-educated/good-educated man

The family live in a simple, single-storey/single storeys house

She is punctual, conscientious and hard work/hard-working

Everyone needs a healthy, well-balanced/well balanced diet

All supervisors must attend a week-long/one week long sa

Many tours onto te mountains wearing ini Is

@ Z armed, I was tod by a rather urpite

as only a single room availble 1 then Fit was a Fifth Fox room and the Ft was

“rorthaugh I had « runber of heavy bags, no body

me

Larva at my room, I realised that I had

\ Thế uramract key and had to retum 40 the reception Whnon I Finally Found some ore Ảo exchange the key and

gd fo.gct wto my room, 1 foud that it was cramped

sth no phone a tdevson as advertised on your

2 Underline the correct words in the text below

Stayfit QB (

The Stayfit Health Club offers a wide range of fitness (1) progre

suit your (2) lifestyle/tfestyle Choose from a package of cone of our (3) fully-trained/full-trained instructors or joi

(4) twenty-five/twenty five different exercise classes we run e

you can brush up on your serves or (5) practice/practise your t

(6) fullsize/full size indoor tennis courts

Apply now for a 20% discount*

(7) 12 months/12-month membership j

“hvala (6) dependent dependanton demand `

Rowrlte vhem with appropriate spaces between words and any neck punctuation

1 'goodlookingeasygoing

.30yearoldmanseekswel!

educatedyoungwoman

attractivewellequippedtwobedrao mholidaycottagesetinbreathiakings

‘ountrysidenonsmokersonlyplease

‘tweatyourselftoaonetoone

bint

hosing prepositions: after verbs

(1 Tiek the correct sentence in each pair

‘music and store it on your computer

every night on the TV news

ing: No one explained the reason for the delay

ig something: There are many reasons for choosing a small car was forced to leave early for family reasons | used to introduce a reason for something Due to already contains the | sowe do not use due to + a reason:

isavailable on the university website |

‘below (in the same order) to create sentences Add any necessary

‘articles, and put the verbs in an appropriate form

ƒ copy | role models / they / see / television performance / personal / reasons / public

/ safety concerns

1 Compares inthe US spend nore money on research and development 'b Gomponies in the US spend nove noney forcesearch and development

2 a Wiehave fo provide doctors with the resoarces thay need fo do the obs ` 1b Wehave to provide doctors the resources they need to do than jobs

‘There are a number of common verb + object + preposition combi You can check the patterns used with a particular verb in a good!

+ spend + timelmoney + on something The average person spends £100 a month on transport

Also: Expenditure on/Spending on education has risen

invest + money + in something

It up to local government to invest money in improved leisure facilities

Also: The protesters want more state investment in agriculture 5 provide + something + for someone ` The project will provide employment for young artists and performers

‘Also: There has been progress in the provision of facilities for the disabled

provide + someone + with something 3

We aim to provide the children with an opportunity fo experience a help + someone + (out) + with something

She visits rwice a week to help her grandmother out with the housework

‘Also: Some students need extra help with reading and writing,

On average, how much

‘There is one incorrect or missing preposition in each sentence

‘changes or additions necessary to correct the sentences

Some companies spend huge sums in advertising,

‘The new labels provide customers better information about ing have a problem I think you can help me

‘The party promised to increase investment for education

‘There are no facilities provided to passengers with young Spending for photographic film has dropped dramatically

‘There's a porter in reception to help guests their bags

21

41 Complete the news stories below with one preposition in each:

‘The number of births in Scotland has risen to its highest level since 1999, according to the Registrar General Figures suggest that more than $4,000 babies were born in 2005, a rise () 420 births on the previous Year ~ that’s an increase (2) noun 1658 than 1% The increase (3) births

‘cuts in the level of spending ‘improvements m in health care, ‘ation, et in something on the elderly | _ almost 396 between 2003 and 2004 The | | ts tower chi Perea ct Registrar

General for Scotland said: “The

|

| |

‘changes in people’ lifestyles ——.: „ Vi dũng recent upturn (S) the birth ratejs

encouraging but it may be easing off”

nga change or the result of a change + of + a number s

the numbe ductiontrse, etc of + number the numb :

\areduction 0ƒ20% in energy costs as a result ofthe measures eh TH experienced listeners to a total audience of2.1 million, | and heart disease, two of Scotlan

Mime - : | three causes J fall @) soon the number of death There was also a of both

marriages and divorces,

2 There are 10 mistakes with prepositions in the paragraph below or missing prepositions Find the mistakes and correct them — either

In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase of the number of bi airlines which offer cheap flights throughout Europe Ifyou look in the in

will nd some amazing deals at their websites These ‘no fils airlines few facilities their passengers, but when they're only spending a few euros

‘most people are happy with a basic service This reduction of the cost of E {travel has, inevitably, led to an explosion of the number of people who can take foreign holidays The growth to air travel and changes to patterns:

been a slight rise inlofto the number of men employed etthere tobe a fall by/offin approximately 30% over the next decade | | investment for many regional airports and boosted local economies Within Europe have had both positive and negative impacts Ithas eee a

fPYDs has led toa decline otto video sales bylofin only 0.5% during the past year environmental impact of those extra air miles?

ofitolin educational levels

from five people who have chosen to give up their cars, but sare in the incorrect order Rewrite them to form correct sentences

ribing statistics: using p

4 Tick the correct sentence in each patt,

1 a The chont shows that only 18% men work ess than 151 1b The chart shows that ony 18% of nen work ess than 15

2 a TF welook at the Figores for people between 20 and 30 yee J we look at the figures for people between 20 to 30

‘There are several key prepositions which are used when + X% of something (Only 28% of customers said that they were satisfied with + between Xand¥

The rate rose dramatically between july 2005 and February

the figure/percentageltota, etc for a group or category Looking at the figures for winter and sumer

‘we compare the percentages for skilled and unskilled workers

‘The average income for government employees is

ata levelirate Inflation has remained at roughly the same level over a umber of years

They can obtain loans at cheaper rates

bbe highest | come top / rank second, etc with X Footbal scored highest with 68% of the vote

aris is second in the table with 76 million passengers per year

ot the mistake below

80% dogs Sald they preferred

3 Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct those with

1 France has the greatest number at 12 million, followed by!

‘The percentage fluctuated between 3.5 to 4%

‘The total value is approximately 18,000 yen from the eu Data is only available of the UK 1 The drop-out rate reached a peak of 18% in 2001

‘The table shows the annual usage for

“Africa was the least popular destination 12% interviewees had consulted a docto

lescribing statistics: verbs

‘Tick the correct sentence in each palr n

1 a Thebith rate has reduced over the post fen years

b The beth rate has chopped over the past fen years

2 a The graph shows a risen the ranber of accidents

b The graph represents a rise inthe ranber of accidents Common verbs used to describe graphs, charts and diagrams

‘The chartlgraph shows levels of post-school education in four:

ral noun to describe part ofa total, expressed as parts of 100:

‘af households with more than one car ‘The chartigraph compares average working hours in the UKand

d to describe part ofa total: We can see from the chartigraph that the number of visitors peaks in

Mr n orhow fast something happens, and some other measures: | Ty varirics/igures suggest that people in rural areas are healthier co Sằ Common verbs used to describe figures and statisties include:

sa cốoếễêố ` The figure will increase further, reaching 6 million in 2020 (not:

vate, the birthideath rate, the exchangelinterestrate | Demand rose by 48% in just 2 years (not eieed by-48) (the vertical axis and the horizontal axis) ‘Time spent with the family dropped from 21% to just 6% (not andalineorcurveshowinga trend „ sz Verbs such as rise, drop, decline and fall describe a change which!

tics in visual form, often as coloured lines ›; ‘A person or organisation can raise or reduce something:

‘chart) or as sections ofa circle (a pie chart) ‘The Bank of England has raised interest rates

something, usually numbers, organised within a

{going across ++) and columns (going down |)

is a general word for something represented in a

‘achat

The pie chart shows proportion af an average

a day a student spends on different activites ‘The number of visitor

student spends on different activities 3 Complete the sentences using an appropriate verb

From the chart, we can The inflation rate has _ its lowest point in 10 years

‘The chart the amount of water consumed pet Diagram 2.4 sown the life cycle of a butterfly

The results of the survey vue that most people are:

public transport

‘The percentage of households without a phoRê

‘To combat global warming, we all need to š consume,

the rate/percentage of fights delayed by more than 60 minutes

the unemploymentiunemployed rates in six European countries, artillustrates the planned layout of the buildings

a Seventy percentagelpercent success rate

t proportion/rate of people aged 65 and over films increase the criminallerime rate

a _ | ‘The population ofthe city

|

water slide = least popular ride ~ only 2% ‘The wer slide was te eas poplar re who chart shows % employees work late approx

figures show average no, days holiday skilled &

rate tooth decay dropped 10% 1960-1990

we can see § children watch more than 4hrsTV/day Zurich = 2" in table most expensive European cities:

1st graph compares % single-parent families diferent

‘Vocabulary extension, There are many different words used to English, Use a dictionary if necessary to put the words in the bx i

column below

dramatically jump downturn trough

Er TLthen (10) 3 th levels towards the end of the year gradually arp

boost gain

“TEMAMTTASONE

i |Words to describe a | Words to describe a

cconmpimperpcton —_/movementor rend | movements end

of our water usage Re e3 pwards ZX downwards \

and cleaning Then showering ‘next, accounting for around sven ening |(nouns and verbs) | (nouns and verbs) a

~- of our daily consumption Couey as

{Incorrect prepositions or add prepositions where necessary in the below

'dropped dramatically between 2000 to 2008

shortages of language teachers in al levels, ishows the average rates of pay in workers in four key industries, pecupy only 5% senior posts in the banking sector seame top in the survey at a 75% approval rating

‘overall budget is spent on training?

Ho be rising in a rate of 1.8mm per year,

bl fo a growing anount of people ocessbl fo a growing ranber of people the nanber of people who vied the galery each doy niser of people who vated the galery each cou

-ofbefore a plural countable noun:

the number of hoursipassengers/peoplelschoolsitimes, et oftbefore an uncountable noun:

he amount ofenergyfeod!information/moneyitimelwast, etc number oflamount ofto talk generally about a quantity fpassengers carried each year has risen gradually the amount of water we waste

before an adjective + number oflamount oft

are used to describe the actual quantities Percentage, proportion, rate, etc are used measurements as part of a total:

ge of students with blue eyes is 25%

‘of students with blue eyes is 6

inthe amount of butterflies this year,

country has lowest people living in poverty?

‘were asked about time they spend doing different activities, ‘customers who were attracted into the shop by special offers Ieisure time spent with friends and with family members

generate large money for the tourism industry, total overseas students at UK universities has risen,

somparisons

‘correct sentence in each pair,

‘rate of union nenbership rose to 26.2%,

b The figure is now theee fies higher than in 1968, are a number of common words and phrases that we use 10

«compare something (to/with something)

© The graph compares the crime rates in Japan and the US

“itsimpossible 1o compare modern films with those made maybe 20

“Many have compared her voice to Aretha Franklins ( they have said

‘compared tolwith something ‘Women’s income rose by 31% compared to only 13% for men (not

‘incomparison (to(with something)

US workers get very little holiday in comparison with their European

“After 1wo weeks in a tent, the simple tittle hotel seemed luxurious i {(draw!make) a comparison between two things

There is no comparison between my life here and the way of life in my

"Its impossible to draw a direct comparison between the two conflicts

+ something is bigger/higher/lower/more important, ete than somethingelse

Prague has more churches than any other European city

-mething is double/half, etc that of something else fritain’s population density is double that of China (noteeraperad s9)

ẤT uc: the mistake below

“Fifi really quite big

4 Are the sentences right or wrong? Correct those which are wrong

1 66.6 million people travelled abroad in 2007, comparing to 64.6 million in:

Non-smokers’ risk of heart attacks is roughly half that of people who

In comparative with other writers, she uses very simple, everyday!

‘There is no comparison to watching a band on DVD and seeing’

‘The pass rate was over 70% in 2005, compare to 62% in 1990

‘Many more crimes were committed by males compared tof

‘The article draws a comparison between his writing and that Population growth is quite high in Madagascar at 3.31%

Mauritius at 0.89%