One of the biggest hits from Australia in 2011, and which is now on Prague radio, is called Somebody that I used to know. Have you heard it? Spending 8 weeks on the top of the Australian chart, this song by Gotye and New Zealand singer Kimbra expresses the intense feelings which come about when a couple breaks up (= separates), and how the same event can be interpreted completely differently by each person.

The song has topped the charts in other countries, and with over 53 millions views on You Tube, it has been a pleasing contrast to all the party hits and ‘I’m in love’ feel good songs which have been incredibly successful this past year. So just for the next five minutes, let’s put Pitbull and Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to one side

Somebody that I used to know
Here’s the chorus which Gotye sings:

But you didn’t have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don’t even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No you didn’t have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don’t need that though
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

The song is quite rich in vocabulary, and you can see they still have this tension between them in the video.

Word Bank
to cut someone off = to stop contacting them.
make out = pretend; act like.
eg “He made out that he was really rich, but it was just to impress the girls.”
to treat = ‘to treat’ here refers to how someone behaves towards someone else.
eg “He treats her well | badly | like a princess | like dirt.”
to stoop so low = the general meaning of ‘stoop’ is to bend the top part of your body downwards.
When we use it in a collocation like this, we are saying you did something in a ‘downward’ direction, that was bad or morally wrong.

Eg A search for ‘stoop’ on Twitter gives these these examples:

@_itsjuslexx
I promised myself to live up to a certain standard …I will not stoop to low levels to get my way…but will simply tell the truth..
@JohnLindahl
There will be people who try to drag you down. Ignore it. You may be compelled to stoop to their level but that’s exactly what they want.

rough = in this context ‘rough’ can mean ‘tough’ or ‘unfair’

Used to

I’m sure many of you have seen ‘used to‘ in your English coursebook. Here in the song it comes to life.

In short, we use used to + (bare) infinitive to talk about things we did regularly in the past, but which we then stopped. As in the song, it can also be used to describe something that was true in the past but no longer is.

‘Used to’ can be used for describing both actions and states.

Examples:

“We used to live in Sydney together” (we did this for a long time, but not anymore)
“We used to walk along the beach. It was so beautiful.” (we did this often in the past)

“He was the love of my life. Then we split up, and he moved to London. He was my lover and my boyfriend, but now I don’t see him – he’s someone who I used to know.”

Some couples after a break up stay in contact and even become good friends. In other relationships, they go in different directions and never meet again.

Is there somebody that you used to know?

If the answer’s ‘yes’ and you’re feeling a bit down, ok, NOW you can play Pitbull

Photo: D. Sweetnam

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What do you do when you bump into someone you know but who you are not so close to? Perhaps someone you went to university with or an old colleague. Do you try to leave as soon as possible or do you stay and have a chat?

- “Sam, fancy meeting you here! It’s been ages since I saw you – how are things?!
- “Pretty good. Got a new job in Prague and my wife’s expecting.”
- “Congratulations!”

Small talk is something which some of my Czech students find difficult, as it’s not as common here. Compared with Americans or Brits, Czechs chat less with people who they don’t know as well. However when you meet up with English speakers, being able to carry a friendly everyday conversation will help give a more positive impression of yourself and improve the rapport between you.

Below are some typical small talk phrases you can use next time you bump into someone you know, where perhaps you haven’t seen each other for a while. And if you feel uncomfortable with small talk, next time try to stay longer in the interaction. Stay one minute longer than you would normally. Do it regularly and you’ll more relaxed in these situations.

Opening the conversation

Hi, fancy seeing you here – how are you?!
Hi.. it’s great to see you again!
Hi..how are you doing?!
I haven’t seen you for/in ages – how are things?
I haven’t seen you since (Christmas). How are you going?

Phrases like ‘how are you going?’ are often shortened in spoken English to ‘How you going?’ or phonetically you’ll even hear something like ‘how-ya going?!’

‘Fancy meeting you here!’ is used especially in the UK and Australia to show you’re surprised to meet them at this place.

Catching up and gossiping

(The) last time I saw you, you were looking for a new job. How’d that go?
I think it’s been a year now. Did you end up getting that job | promotion?  nb we use ‘that’ to refer to things we both already know about, in this case ‘that job’ refers to ‘that job I remember you applied for’
I remember you were planning to head off to Japan. How’d it go?
Did you hear about Susan and Jim? They’re getting a divorce!
You won’t believe this – Kelly’s pregnant!
Last time I heard you were moving to Londonia. What happened?

Asking about their work or studies

Are you still working for (company)?
Are you still with (company)?
How’s it going at (company/university)?
How’s business?
So how are your studies going?
So how’s work going?

Responding to good news

That’s great!
That’s wonderful!
Congratulations! nb congratulations in English is plural. Congratulations + ON + noun phrase
eg Congratulations on | getting the job | the promotion!
Awesome | fantastic | cool! nb ‘awesome’ is being used a lot these days, and some people especially Brits don’t like to hear it too much. Say it more with an American

Responding to bad or disappointing news

I’m really sorry to hear that.
Well I hope everything will be alright.
Will you manage ok?
That’s terrible!
That’s awful!
I just can’t believe it.

Asking after someone else

How are the kids?
How’s Mike going?
Please say ‘hi’ to him for me.
Please give my regards to (person) for me. [more formal]

Commenting on someone’s new look

Hey I really like your new hairstyle.
I really love those shoes – where’d you get them? [nb a grown man may not want to say this]
You look like you’ve been working out [to a man who might be going to the gym]
You look in great shape!
You look great!
Those glasses really suit you! [my own students can practise this one for our first lesson of the year ]

Closing the conversation

It’s been great to see you again but I’d better be off..
Sorry, I’ve got to go – I’ve got a meeting at 11am.
Listen, we should do this again sometime [and then swap numbers if you don't have their details]
Look, let’s catch up again – what about next week? [if you're confident you both want to catch up]
It was great talking with you, but I’ve got to go. Good luck with the new job!
I’d better let you go This is a polite way to show you are respecting their time, but you want to go too

If you don’t want to see this person again soon, I wouldn’t recommend suggesting a time to meet just to be ‘polite.’ Instead, you can simply say how good it was to see them and wish them a good day or wish them well with something you just talked about.

Further reading from Get Into English

So how was the flight? – includes worksheet to download

Photo credits

Image: John Haslam
Licence (CC by 2.0)

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What can you do to improve your English when it’s pouring rain outside and you don’t feel like leaving the house? How about something different? Grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Like many other teachers and writers out there, I agree it’s really important to get out of the house and speak and interact in English. However, it’s also worthwhile to look at the other skills such as reading and writing.

Writing, for example, is no longer an academic task which your high school teacher gives you (if it ever was). Today people are reading and writing Facebook updates and messages, sending Tweets, writing their CV in English and updating their professional status on LinkedIn. They’re writing emails, sending texts, and drafting application letters for courses and jobs across the globe!

In short, doing some writing in English will help you improve your overall communication skills, help you achieve your needs, and have knock-on effects on your speaking and other skills.

Task

For my own students and clients, choose one of the follow writing missions before our first lesson of the year. If you’re at another school, feel free to try one of these tasks each week this term, and ask your teacher or a friend for feedback

1. The secret diary of Mr Bean

Write a diary entry, either for one day or even better, the whole week. Choose a character or celebrity who you like and write your diary. Mr Bean is one example:

“Today I went with Teddy to the market. I saw someone stealing a banana from a shop keeper, but I managed to throw a melon at him and he stopped right there…”

Not everyone likes to write about their own private life so writing this kind of diary is one way to practise describing your day and talking about an interesting experience you had, as well as activating your vocabulary. Other celebrities you can choose from include:

• Daniel Craig
• George Bush
• Kelly Brook
• Vaclav Klaus

Other diary topics include:

• your first day at work [How did it go? Who did you meet?]
• a date that went well – or badly [Who was he/she? Where did you go?]
• the last day of the planet [How did you spend your last 24 hours? Who did you spend it with?]
• write the diary of someone you know, from their perspective [eg write the diary of an afternoon you had with someone, but from their perspective on how you got on together!]

2.  Write one Facebook status update in English each day this week

I have friends from Prague and Finland, for example, who write status updates in their native language and English. When it’s in English, suddenly more people can reply and interact. Have you tried this?

If you’re not on Facebook, try LinkedIn. Write a short note about an article you found useful and share it with your network.

Still not online? Twitter is great for learning to write concisely – send out two Tweets a day this week to your followers!

Tip: see if you can keep the chain of interaction going once people reply.

3. How to get fit, quit your job and find a new lover in 7.5 days

Drafting a magazine article is one great way to practise a fun, chatty style of English, which also means adding some phrasal verbs and idiomatic language to your writing. This genre is also tested in some Cambridge exams (ahem, with different topics) so this will also help you with some English exams.

Other possible topics include:

• how to get a job
• how to learn English
• how to set up a business
• top weekend destinations in your country

You can also choose to satirise this genre by making fun of an article you have read.

4. Newt Gingrich says SORRY!

You’re a celebrity again! To practise your formal writing, compose an email or letter of apology to say sorry for your recent poor behaviour. You can write the email as a famous footballer, a politician (eg Newt Gingrich, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Silvio Berlusconi), or a rock star.

To get you started, write down 3 things which a celebrity you know did wrong last year. Maybe they had an affair, sexted other women, or stole money from the state. Got your 3? Now write your email.

Writing a formal email or letter using formal phrases you’ve done in class can help you with the FCE, BEC or CAE, among other exams.

5. Write a letter to the editor

Choose an issue in your local newspaper which is being debated right now. It could be building a new shopping centre, banning alcohol from your local beach, or penalties for young people who have committed crimes.

What is your opinion of this issue? This genre is also tested in some English exams (FCE, CAE, CPE), and gives you a great opportunity to present your opinion on an important topic or issue, while arguing your case in a well-organised manner.

6. Go to a new cafe and review it!

Another genre which is tested in international English exams is the review. Usually students are asked to review a film or a book, but we can extend it to other places which you have been to:

• a cafe or restaurant
• a fun park
• a beach or mountain resort

You can also review your local transport authority on how good their trains, trams and buses are.

If you’re unsure of how to write a review, your coursebook usually has examples of different genres of writing at the reference section at the back of the book.

If you’re feeling daring, you can also review:

• your boyfriend or girlfriend (one of my exes actually did this!)
• your family’s Christmas party or get-together
• a hotel you went to recently
• a new club which opened up in town
• a theatre performance you have seen (in the case of 2 of my students who are performers on stage, how would you write this review?)

Get started now

It’s snowing outside and it’s probably too early to go to a club anyhow. So take out a piece of paper and start writing!

Feel free to post your feedback and any suggestions on what other ‘writing missions’ you’d like to do this term by leaving a message below.

Photo credits

Image: Oleg Klementiev
Licence: CC by 2.0

It seems so strange on the surface. Of course you want to get better at English, especially after you’ve paid for your lessons this term. Yet a few people avoid or delay coming to class – and may not even be aware of how they’re ‘avoiding’ English.

“I’m really sorry, I haven’t had much time to prepare for today’s lesson,” Jitka says apologetically as she walks in the door. I’ve never been quite sure if Czech students really mean to use the word ‘prepare’ when referring to their English lessons, or whether it’s a mistranslation. In any case, whenever a student hasn’t done the homework, they’ve said this.

Jitka* has been learning English for quite a few years now. She really wants to learn and speak much better, but there are a few things which are stopping her from achieving her potential. The first thing is that at school she was told that mistakes were bad, and as she didn’t really get much practice at developing her communication skills, she was quite shy and not as confident as she could be at speaking English.

Added to this, she is a perfectionist. Her schooling probably didn’t help her in this matter – making mistakes are a natural and positive part of the learning process, but her teachers didn’t tell her this. On the contrary her marks for English at school and university were sometimes given out on the basis of how many mistakes she made. Last year she got a ‘C’ on an English exam because she made 3 mistakes, even though her essay was very well organised and she answered the question well. Her best friend, who didn’t write as well, still got a ‘B’ as she only made 2 mistakes.

Fast-forward to today. Sometimes Jitka gets nervous before class because she doesn’t want to make ‘simple mistakes’ in front of the others or the teacher, especially if everyone else has done the homework and she feels like she’s falling behind the others.

It’s a bit like top athletes before a major championship or when you have an important meeting at work. Some people are anxious about performing and being vulnerable in front of others.

When it comes to Jitka, if the anxiety is too much, on occasion she may come later in the lesson (hopefully after the homework has been corrected) or she may even cancel the lesson if it’s a one-to-one class or simply not attend if it’s a group lesson.

“I’ll come next week after I’ve done all the homework. I’ll feel better then,” she reassures herself.

But avoiding things is not the answer, and deep down she knows it.

Some learners who miss class are simply busy and have too much to do. Sometimes I wonder if English really is a priority for them. In Jitka’s case, it’s more complicated because the same action of ‘avoiding’ English is due to a completely different reason.

What to do next

Do you relate a little to Jitka’s story? Here’s some questions to ask yourself:

• Do you get nervous before your English class? If so, why do you think this is?
• Do you sometimes come late to class or miss a lesson because you are feeling nervous?
• Is English a priority for you?
• If you answered ‘yes’, what can you do to tackle this problem?

The first step is simply to be aware of this issue, and to accept that you’re not alone, that there are many others who feel the same as you. The second step is to make sure you come to class, especially when you’re feeling nervous or anxious. When you do come to class on a ‘bad day’, you’ll feel so much better about yourself!

Beyond this, if you are motivated to improve your English but occasionally avoid coming to class, you’re likely to be doing the same thing in other areas of your life. What can you do here?

Finally, become a doer, and take full responsibility of your own learning. It’s related to confidence, and the best way to deal with not feeling as comfortable or as confident at doing something is not to avoid it, but to embrace it – to do it again and again until you feel you CAN do it. As they say, confidence is competence.

*Jitka is a mix of a few students I’ve met

Credits

image: Courtney Camody [courtneycamody.com] Licence: CC by 2.0

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Prague is now full of people coming to the city centre to see the Christmas markets and the spendidly lit up tree in Old Town Square. The cafes, pubs and shops are abuzz with activity and the year is coming to a close. If you’re in a country which celebrates Christmas, then your city may be similar. But what’s this got to do with learning English?

For those who want to get better at English, this is a tricky time of year. This is the busiest and most stressful time for many of you. At work you have deadlines to meet, end of year accounts to manage, and company events to keep you going. At university you may have essays to write or research to do for an exam. You’ve got family and friends to catch up with. So December is often a time when people have very little contact with English. Here in Prague language schools begin to shut down around the 15th and some don’t re-open till mid-January. For you though does it really need to be a lost month?

It’s kinda funny that people make all these New Year resolutions like “I’m going to study English much more in 2012″ and yet the month they make this resolution is often the month when they neglect it. If you are seriously going to get better at English and improve your communication skills, why do you have to wait until January the 1st? Why not get into English now?

Learning English isn’t necessarily the goal. That’s like collecting a trophy and putting it on your shelf. Perhaps your real goal, at least in practical terms, is to get a better job in 2012. To get fitter. To give up smoking and spend more time on the things you really love.

Link English with your overall life goals

Can’t improving your English help you here? For example, I know quite a few people looking for work. Putting up a profile in English on LinkedIn can help you achieve your goal. Link up with others in your industry. Read articles on your favourite blog related to your area of expertise (if you don’t know one, then LinkedIn features business and work-related articles every day). Want to lose weight and get fit? Check out some free tips on health and fitness while you’re at a wi-fi cafe in between shopping trips.

Sure, take a break from that dull textbook your school told you to buy (hopefully it wasn’t me ). Forget about those small mistakes you were making in last week’s lesson. Instead look back to how far you’ve travelled this year, and what your wider goals are.

Don’t throw out English for a whole month – even integrating the language into your life for just 15 minutes a day will be well worth it!

Credits

Image: Jeremiah John McBride
Licence: CC by 2.0

Do you think this story is true? For the Cambridge First Certificate in English [FCE] writing exam, you need to write a story in 120-180 words. Here’s an example.

The question for an FCE story can be worded in a few different ways. For example, you may have to answer something like this:

FCE Writing: part 2 – example

LearnEnglishMagazine.com is asking readers to write a story beginning or ending with the words: “she smiled and walked away.”

The winning entry will be published in our Christmas issue.

Although I wasn’t feeling well, somehow I managed to get onto the tram to work. Rather foolishly, I’d cooked some food the previous night with an old sauce which had gone off. Now I was paying the price. I’d seen there was a little mold on top of the carrots I was eating yet this Australian attitude came across me:

“She’ll be right.”

So I kept on eating. I should have known that something was up when I felt a little dizzy. On the tram I felt faint. Things got worse when the tram was re-routed about 5 minutes’ walk from the school. Damn.

As I was getting off, a girl came up to me.

“Do you remember me?”

I thought it was Pavla joking about her absence the week before.

“Sorry, not feeling well. I may have to cancel today’s lesson.”

“But..you taught me 5 or so years ago. Don’t you remember?” Now I was delirious. But I did remember, slowly. It wasn’t Pavla.

Looking a little perplexed, Aneta pointed in the direction of the school. Then she smiled and walked away.

———–
Words: 185 + 5 for the title “She smiled and walked away”

What did you think? You definitely won’t get a topic like “the day I got food poisoning.” However, you will get asked to write a story based on a general theme or common experience. The exam question may give you the opening or closing sentence or ask you to write about a true event. Likewise, the question may ask you to be creative.

In any case the most important thing is to answer the question!

Top DOs for writing your story

• PLAN your answer. Spend a few minutes and write down what you’re going to say in each paragraph.

• Write the story ONCE in the exam. Please DON’T do what many Czech students do and write a rough copy before writing ‘the nice copy.’ First, there have been a few horror stories of the examiner taking a student’s exam booklet before they’ve finished! Second, if you plan it you won’t need to worry about ‘the nice version.’

• Check the question and make sure you know what the question is asking you to do. In the example of a story, is it giving you the first sentence or the last? Should it be a true story from your childhood or fiction?

• As part of making sure you understand the question, underline the key words.

• Go over your story and check for any common mistakes you might be aware of (eg missing articles, spelling, missing prepositions, punctuation).

• Use paragraphs. Planning will help you decide what should be in each paragraph. AVOID writing a messy story with arrows all over the place – I’ve seen some students do this and it makes the story harder to follow!

• Use some direct speech. Eg “Do you remember me?”

• Write a story which sounds INTERESTING. It can be something funny or where you learnt an important lesson. It should have some kind of point to it.

• You’ll be marked on your range of grammatical and vocabulary/lexical structures, so be sure to practise these in any FCE preparation course you are doing.

• Use some linking words and time phrases to ‘signpost’ where your story is going. ie to show you are writing an organised story use expressions such as: as soon as; after that; that’s when I…; not long afterwards; some time later.
• Stay within the word limit or as close as you can. Please note that Cambridge ESOL say “don’t worry if you run slightly over the word limit.” I understand that it’s after 200 words that you may be penalised.
• Include a title for your story.

Finally don’t be afraid to show some of your personality! I’ve met many Czechs who don’t wish to write much about themselves or who don’t wish to give any ‘personal information.’ First, you can make things up! Second, try to show a little of who you are – isn’t that why you’re learning a language?

What next? Now it’s your turn!

There’s definitely a lot to mention about writing a story so I’ll follow this up soon with more! In the meantime especially for my own students and clients, here is a topic you can write at home. Feel free to post it in the comments below:

Get Into English webzine is asking students to write a story about a time they travelled to another country. It must begin with this sentence:

“Although it was so beautiful, I knew I couldn’t stay much longer.”

Thanks for your comments and feedback following my last post on typical learner mistakes. Today we look at a few of your questions that came up during the week – with more to come next week!

What’s the difference between ‘a few’ and ‘few’?

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.” – Michael Nolan

“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” – Tony Robbins

Few

Few is used to express the idea that the number you are saying is smaller than what you would like or expect, that it is ‘not enough.’ In using few, we mean that the number is ‘not many.’ In addition, we are emphasising or highlighting that the number being spoken about is small.

Few is followed by a plural noun.

Examples:

He has few friends.
Few people came to his party.
Few teachers were satisfied, and left the school.

Quite often there is a negative meaning:

He’s had few lovers.
The school had very few competent managers.
The school employed few female teachers.

To express the idea that the quantity is small or smaller than you would want, use few with plural nouns, and use little with uncountable nouns:

Few people were aware of the project.
Little work was done until they recruited a new manager.

‘Few people’ v. ‘little people’

Compare the difference in meaning in these two sentences when little is used with countable nouns:

There are few people in Antarctica.
There are little people in Smalltown.

Where are the people 120 cm tall, Antarctica or Smalltown?

In which place are there not many or not enough people?

-> Antarctica has a small population – there are few people there.
Smalltown has people who are small in size.

A few

In contrast, when we hear a few, we imagine 2 or 3 or so people or things being talked about. The dictionary doesn’t give a precise number – certainly it means ‘a small number.’

The MacMillan Dictionary says a few means ‘some but not many.’ I think you can define it as ‘a low number.’

Examples:

There’s a few good places to go clubbing around here.
She had a few good friends who helped her during her illness.

We use a few with countable plural nouns.

How a few compares to few

A few of my friends came to the party
- we imagine 2 or 3, or a low number came, but there is no negative meaning attached to this.

Few of my friends came to the party
- and we now know that you believe ‘not enough’ came or that the number was lower than what you had wanted – there is a negative connotation.

Compare these sentences:
Few came to the party because they all had an exam to study for the next day.
or
As she wasn’t very popular at college, few people came to her 21st birthday party.

A few students came to the party even though they found out about it at the last minute.

Quick quiz to check your understanding

Look at these 2 sentences:

Luke: I’m really sad because a few of my friends died.
Natasha: I’m really down because few of my friends died.

Which one is sadistic, Luke or Natasha?

Well, Natasha is – she is sad because the number of friends who died is lower than what she wanted!

Few ideas v. a few ideas

And what’s better to tell your boss in a meeting:

“I have few ideas” or “I have a few ideas”?

Well, if you have few ideas he might get annoyed with you for wasting his time! (or he’s a cool American who guesses you missed out on ‘a’ – until now )

I’m sure I’ll add more on this later, such as phrases and collocations with a few or few, but to sum up today:

Few and a few can act as a determiner:

Few students attended the lecture.
A few people had problems hearing the speaker.

As a pronoun:
There were a few having problems.
Many have tried but few have succeeded.

As an adjective:
His few good friends desserted him after his affair with a married woman.

Further reading:
I used my iPad edition of the MacMillan Dictionary to check a few things while writing this.

Few bloggers were hurt in the making of this post.

This can be a difficult area for some students so please ask below if you have any questions

Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david [at] GetIntoEnglish [dot] com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
Now on Facebook

Sadly some students are taught at school that “mistakes are bad.” But mistakes are good: looking at them in class and seeing why you make them can help improve your understanding of English, as well as help improve your accuracy in speaking and writing. Here are some classic ones a few of my students made last week – can you spot the mistakes below?

Spot the mistakes

Level: Upper Intermediate (B2+)

1. I see my friends quite often because of they are fun to be with.

2. I like when he cooks for me.

3. I visit a gym 3 times a week.

4. I listen BBC news every morning.

5. I can’t come now, I’m taking care about the children.

6. He made so big mistake that I’m surprised he still has a job.

7. According an article I read in the ‘Prague Times’, there are now 7 billion people on Earth.

8. I spoke to him few days ago.

9. I have a lot of respect to Steve Jobs and what he did.

10. I think the economy will worsen in the close future.

11. If you look to the situation in Washington, you’ll see that…

12. His car has gone – he must went home.

13. She spent a lot of money for clothing.

14. Most of people at the event were quite bored.

15. When I eat some chocolate, I then have a good mood.

Spend a minute or two on each sentence, then check your answers here:

Or here:

Classic learner mistakes

If you’re not sure about any of these, please ask below by leaving a comment

Here is a reference sheet to act as a little reminder to students taking the IELTS writing exam about the importance of collocations in academic English.

You may have noticed lately that I’ve posted some worksheets directly relating to a class or student I’ve been teaching. This is mostly so that students can access these wherever they are, and also for me to generate a bank of different materials which I can download and use anywhere.

Today here is a reference sheet of adjectives which go with some key nouns to use when describing graphs and trends.

Don’t forget that you are marked on your ability to use a variety of vocabulary – using your dictionary, check the ones you aren’t sure of, and you may find that these collocations are useful for widening your active ‘lexical resource.’

Get it here:

Or here:
99 top IELTS collocations

How I chose the words

I typed in the keywords on some online newspaper sites, as well as checking an online corpus.

Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david [at] GetIntoEnglish [dot] com
Skype: getintoenglish
Twitter @GetIntoEnglish
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Are you looking for help with IELTS preparation in Prague? In the IELTS writing exam you need to be able to describe a graph (or a chart, a diagram or other visual information) and be able to interpret the information presented to you. As part of this, today we look at the keyword ‘trend’.

IELTS Writing Task 1: an introduction

I’ll write a more lengthy post later about this IELTS writing task but just for now please note the following:

• you should spend a few minutes looking at the chart or graph and work out what information and trends you can see
• you have only 20 minutes to complete this task – don’t spend longer than this, as you have to complete task 2 in 40 minutes!
• Don’t try to write unnecessarily long sentences in order to fill up the word limit. Instead write concise, informative sentences.
• You can make sentences longer by using linking words (eg although, despite) to join these concise sentences together

A possible model plan

Divide your answer into 3 paragraphs. In the first one you describe what information the graph(s) shows. In the body (paragraph 2) your answer will incorporate how you respond to these questions:

• What general trends can you see? Are there any exceptions?
• What are the highest or lowest figures?
• What does the information suggest?

In paragraph 3 you can include a note summarising the general trends which you see.

Lexical Resource

You are given marks for the variety and range of vocabulary you use, which often includes your ability to use collocations appropriate to the task.

Because one of my own students is studying for the IELTS right now, while another one needs vocabulary to describe graphs, I prepared a reference worksheet on the keyword ‘trend’, with examples of how to use this word.

Rather than use a dictionary, I’ve used my own knowledge with some examples taken from the Financial Times .

We’ll go through this in class. For now, print it off and underline any collocations you think are useful for the exam.

I’m preparing a more detailed reference sheet on this topic, which I’ll post when it’s complete.

Collocations with ‘trend’

Get it here:

Or here:
Keyword trend

Further reading

Euro dips 5% – graphs and trends

Specialising in FCE | CAE | CPE | IELTS Preparation

david [at] GetIntoEnglish [dot] com
Skype: getintoenglish
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