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Grammar A - Coggle Diagram
Grammar A
Articles
Why a problem?
In
nearly every E. sentence
So
many
different
rules
Many
languages don't use
them at all
Not essential
for communication
Strategy
Use
them
relatively innately
while
writing
the
real test
Apply
logic
and the
checklist
while
checking
Rules
Common Rules
Specific / general
specific - the
general - a/an
Familiar / unfamiliar
unfamiliar - a/an
familiar - the
Common ground / no common ground
both you know - definite article
Generalities
general / routine - no article
Less Common Rules
Occupation - definite article
The ... of ...
Only one of sth - definite article
the same & superlatives
Proper nouns + the
Part of an institution - no article
Home, work, bed - no article
Think about the most common rules first and then the less common rules
Logic
Do I
need
an
article
before this
noun
?
YES
Definite
Article -
The
Indefinite
articles
A
An
NO
Zero article
Solution
Underline all article
when reading
Think
about
why
they're
correct
and
reference
the
rules
Try to
use them as innately as possible
when writing or speaking
Proofread
your writing and try to
correct
your use of articles with
reference to the rules
Checklist
Is this something
specific
or
general
?
Is this something I'm
familiar
with or have
common ground
with?
Is this
generality
?
Is this something that one of the
other rules applies to
?
Occupation
Only one of sth
The ... of ...
Comparative with the same
Superlatives
Certain proper nouns
Part of an institution
Home, work, bed
How to Improve
Establish
mistake
Refer
to rules
What
do
rules
say?
What does rule look like in a
different context
Practice
Produce
Punctuation
Why important?
Every single sentence
contains it
The
examiners
will be looking for your
ability
to
use it effectively
Technical area with
lots of rules
. ? !
Must end sentences
with a
terminal point
Apostrophes
Possession
Contraction
Commas
Discourse marker
at the
start
of a sentence =
after
Discourse marker
in the
middle
of a sentence =
before and after
Lists
Main
and
subordinate clauses
Rules
- If the
subordinate
(
dependent
)
clause comes first
, put a
comma after it
Conditional
sentences -
begins
with
if
, use the
comma
Coordinating Conjunctions
(
and, but, yet, so
), put a
comma before
these words
Adverbs
showing your
position
(Fortunately, actually, surprisingly) -
Indicate how you feel
about sth
Capital letters
Must always
do this at the
start
of
every sentence
Dates
(Days, Months, Holidays)
Places
(Countries, Continents, Cities, Towns, Rivers, Seas, Oceans, Deserts, Mountains, Landmarks.
Groups
(the French, Chinese people, Christians, Hindus, Asians)
except the earth
Companies
Products
(Apple Watch, Facebook)
Institutions
(the Supreme Court, the Department of Education)
Tenses
Past
Past Simple
Completed
events, states or actions
Past Perfect
Talk about sth that
took place
and
finished
before sth else
in the
past
It
had stopped raining
, so they decided to go out for a walk
Use
it to help
clarify
the
order
of
events
Past Continuous
Describe sth
began before a particular point
in the
past
and is
still in progress
at that
point
When
actions stopped
at the
key point
in the
past
Past Perfect Continuous
When we're
concerned
with an
extended/repeated event
or
activity
which
took place before
a particular
point
in the
past
Typical problems
Irregular form
of verbs
Choosing
between the different past tenses (not a big problem)
Relying on
past simple only
IELTS Context
Past Continuous
Speaking
- when talking about what you
were doing
at a particular
moment
in the
past
e.g. I
was studying
geophysics in Vietnam before I moved to Canada.
Writing
- when talking about sth that
was happening before
a
particular time
in the
past
e.g. Apple were selling a huge range of products before Steve Jobs returned and cut the product line.
Future
Going to
Planned events
Predictions
based on
evidence
Will
When talking
spontaneously
Predictions
are
guesses
or
hope
Typical problems
Using only one
Mixing up difference between going to and will
IELTS Context
More likely
to use
going to
than will
Present
Typical problems
Using continuous with
verbs
that
can't be used
in a
continuous
form
Using the simple form when the
continuous
is
more appropriate
Not recognizing
that sth is
temporary or not
Present Continuous
Something is
completable
and is
in the process of being completed
Changing
and
developing states
(decline, develop, expand)
Something
temporary
which
has begun
and
has not finished
Present
Simple
General actions, events
and
states
General facts
Repeated Events
(habitual behavior)
IELTS Context
Present simple
Stating
facts / general truths
Stating
opinion
Adverbs of frequency
Present Continuous
Changing or developing
states
Temporary
situations
Present Perfect
Refer to the
present tense
when talking about
uncompleted action/events
Refer to the
past tense
when talking about
completed action/events
What
is the present perfect?
Key features
-
link
the
past
and the
present
Focus
on the
effect / result
at the
time of speaking
Have to
think
about the
distinction
between
uncompleted
and
completed
actions and events
IELTS Context
Introduce infor
about a
past experience
, often followed by the past simple to give details about the experience
Introduce topics
that deal with the
past
e.g.
I've attended
three different universities. I
did
my bachelor's degree at Harvard and
completed
my master's and doctoral thesis at Stanford.
Marking criteria
Accuracy
most important
aspect
seriousness
of errors
Simple
preposition, article, punctuation
do not stop the reader from understanding the MEANING
they add up (> 50% error-free for aiming 7)
Serious
stop reader understanding what you mean
frequent
of errors
Structure Range
Complex sentences
Relative Clauses
What?
Add extra infor
to a sentence
Do this by
defining a noun
Help to
clarify
who/what
we're talking about or to give
more infor
about what we're talking about
Two types
Defining
relative clauses
Identify
which
person/thing
we're
refering to
Do
not require
a
comma
Non-defining
relative clauses
Give
extra information
Do
require a comma
Action Plan
Look
at your writing
Any mistakes
, especially with
punctuation
?
Could you
link bits of a sentence
together using
relative pronouns
?
Could you use
non-defining clauses
to
add extra infor
?
Proofreading
Common Errors
Conditionals
Passive vs. Active