| Introduction |
|
1 | (1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 | (2) |
|
explanation of grammar terms |
|
|
|
|
|
|
verb: tense / auxiliary / modal / participle / infinitive / gerund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
linking words and phrases |
|
|
|
|
|
4 | (2) |
|
rules for forming sentences |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 Singular/plural subjects and verbs |
|
|
6 | (2) |
|
singular verbs with singular subjects (One member of the panel was opposed to the proposal.) |
|
|
|
plural verbs with plural subjects (Most members of the panel were opposed to the proposal.) |
|
|
|
group nouns (police, government, etc.) + singular/plural verbs |
|
|
|
the number of / a number of / half of / 50 per cent of / the majority of / the average + singular / plural verbs |
|
|
|
4 Correct tense formation |
|
|
8 | (2) |
|
present continuous (it is happening) and present simple (it happens) |
|
|
|
past simple (it happened) and present perfect (it has happened) |
|
|
|
past continuous (it was happening) and present perfect continuous (it has been happening) |
|
|
|
past perfect simple (it had happened) and past perfect continuous (it had been happening) |
|
|
|
5 Using more than one verb tense |
|
|
10 | (2) |
|
using the correct combination of verb tenses (The groups went into separate rooms so that they couldn't hear each other.) |
|
|
|
reporting information (They reported that the results would have important effects.) |
|
|
|
|
|
12 | (2) |
|
should have done (not should of done) |
|
|
|
could do and managed to do/was able to do/succeeded in doing |
|
|
|
did not need to and need not have |
|
|
|
must not have done and cannot have done |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 | (2) |
|
active and passive verbs (The voters of Merthyr Tydfil elected Keir Hardie / Keir Hardie was elected by the voters of Merthyr Tydfil.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
passives with reporting verbs (Winston Churchill was known to suffer from short periods of depression.) |
|
|
|
8 Direct & indirect questions |
|
|
16 | (2) |
|
direct questions (Why did it happen?) |
|
|
|
indirect questions (Nobody is sure why it happened.) |
|
|
|
|
|
18 | (2) |
|
If... sentences for the past (If Wiretech plc had invested in new technology they might have survived the recession.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Had... (Had the company spent more on research, it might have remained competitive.) |
|
|
|
If it had not been for / Had it not been for / But for / Without (If it had not been for / But for the oil leak BP would have made record profits.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
conditionals for speculating (If developing countries controlled commodity prices, they could plan their economies better.) |
|
|
|
If... were to / If it were not for (If the company were to relocate..../ If it were not for its increased export sales...) |
|
|
|
10 Time words and phrases |
|
|
20 | (2) |
|
yet / still (The full repercussions of the economic crisis have/are yet to be felt. / These fundamental economic problems had still to be addressed.) |
|
|
|
only / soon (The government took drastic action, only to discover... / Banks were soon to discover that the position was even worse...) |
|
|
|
was/were to... (Inflation was to become a major problem...) |
|
|
|
prove (Strict economic policies proved to be the only solution.) |
|
|
|
on the verge of -ing/on the point of -ing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
during the course of.. / in the process of... |
|
|
|
any more / any longer / no longer |
|
|
|
|
|
22 | (2) |
|
Only by... (Only by encouraging drivers to scale down the size of their cars will America succeed in reducing its dependence on oil.) |
|
|
|
What... (What the UK needs is a Minister of Transport with real vision.) |
|
|
|
It was... that / who (It was the tour operator who had to take responsibility.) |
|
|
|
reflexive pronouns (The hotel can only improve if the management itself recognises the problem.) |
|
|
|
emphatic adverbs (undoubtedly, entirely, indeed, quite, whatsoever) |
|
|
|
12 Negative expressions and structures |
|
|
24 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
no, no one, nothing + positive verb (The policy pleased no one.) |
|
|
|
any, anyone, anything + negative verb (The policy did not please anyone.) |
|
|
|
no sooner... than / hardly when (No sooner had one crisis passed than another arose.) |
|
|
|
on no account / under no circumstances / at no time / in no way (At no time did anyone consider the repercussions of this action.) |
|
|
|
not since/not until /only when (Not until / Only when the economy improved did their popularity begin to rise.) |
|
|
|
no matter how/what/who, etc. (No matter how hard they tried, they could not improve the economy.) |
|
|
|
|
|
26 | (2) |
|
verb + -ing (avoid spending, suggest changing, etc.) |
|
|
|
verbs + infinitive (refuse to accept, fail to improve, etc.) |
|
|
|
verb + object + infinitive (Militant union officials warned / advised their colleagues not to accept the terms.) |
|
|
|
gerund as subject (Persuading the workforce proved very difficult.) |
|
|
|
infinitive for purpose (They made various concessions to persuade the workforce to agree.) |
|
|
|
to + -ing (Managers were not accustomed to listening.) |
|
|
|
|
|
28 | (2) |
|
using a/an (He gave an opinion) |
|
|
|
using and not using the (The opinion he gave was controversial. / Opinions on this issue vary.) |
|
|
|
15 Relative clauses: who, which, that, etc. |
|
|
30 | (2) |
|
defining relative clauses (A patent is a legal document which grants a monopoly.) |
|
|
|
non-defining relative clauses (Grace Hopper, who was born in 1906 in New York, developed machine-independent programming languages.) |
|
|
|
whom and who (Stephen Hawking is the physicist with whom the general public is most familiar.) |
|
|
|
whose (The Anti-Vivisection League is an organisation whose opposition to experiments on animals is well known.) |
|
|
|
of which, to which, in which (A European conference on embryo research, whose details/the details of which have not yet been announced, is likely to be held in Milan next year.) |
|
|
|
where (The treatment of anexoria nervosa and bulimia is an area in which/where there is a great deal of disagreement.) |
|
|
|
16 Comparing and contrasting |
|
|
32 | (2) |
|
comparative adjectives (better) and superlative adjectives (best) |
|
|
|
comparative adverbs (more efficiently) and superlative adverbs (most efficiently) |
|
|
|
...than (better than/more efficiently than) |
|
|
|
(not) as...as (not as quickly as) |
|
|
|
17 Describing similarities & differences |
|
|
34 | (2) |
|
modifying adjectives and adverbs (much greater, slightly less powerful, just as effective as) |
|
|
|
numerical comparisons (twice as many as, six times greater than) |
|
|
|
alike/like / similar / resemble |
|
|
|
in the same way/similarly / similarity / in common |
|
|
|
dissimilar / different / unlike / differ |
|
|
|
in contrast to / contrary to |
|
|
|
|
|
36 | (2) |
|
nouns instead of verbs, adjectives or phrases (coverage, sustainability, implementation) |
|
|
|
nouns using -ing forms (the cleaning of...) |
|
|
|
nouns with compound adjectives (state-run organisations) |
|
|
|
nouns with `that...' (discuss the view that plan was not feasible) |
|
|
|
nouns describing feelings (To his astonishment,...) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
19 Commas 1 - correct uses |
|
|
38 | (2) |
|
commas between parts of a sentence |
|
|
|
other correct uses of commas (He was born in Turku, the third largest city in Finland.) |
|
|
|
20 Commas 2 - incorrect uses |
|
|
40 | (2) |
|
when not to use a comma in a sentence (The Department of Education announced, that there would be reforms.) |
|
|
|
`comma splicing' - incorrectly using a comma between two complete sentences (Graphic design can be seen in many places in modern life, it extends well beyond the world of advertising.) |
|
|
|
|
|
42 | (2) |
|
colons before lists, quotations and explanations |
|
|
|
the only uses of semi-colons |
|
|
|
colons and semi-colons for lists |
|
|
|
22 Hyphens, dashes & brackets |
|
|
44 | (2) |
|
hyphens for words that have more than one part (semi-detached, state-of-the-art) |
|
|
|
using dashes in sentences and lists |
|
|
|
using brackets for extra information |
|
|
|
when dashes and brackets are both appropriate |
|
|
|
|
|
46 | (2) |
|
correct and incorrect uses with nouns, numbers, capital letters, verbs, etc. |
|
|
|
common mistakes with apostrophes |
|
|
|
|
|
48 | (2) |
|
use and position of inverted commas for quotations |
|
|
|
other uses, e.g. for terms and titles |
|
|
|
|
|
50 | (2) |
|
for people, places, job titles, places of study, courses, events, organisations, etc. |
|
|
|
as abbreviations of organisations, documents, qualifications, etc. (CNN, CV, BA) |
|
|
|
Connections within sentences |
|
|
|
|
|
52 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
even though /whilst / nevertheless |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
54 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
in addition to/as well as/besides |
|
|
|
moreover/furthermore/in addition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
with (The company had a very successful year, with profits of £3.2m.) |
|
|
|
|
|
56 | (2) |
|
cause/bring about/trigger |
|
|
|
because/because of/as/since/due to/owing to/on account of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
58 | (2) |
|
result from/stem from/lead to/result in/produce |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60 | (2) |
|
referring to other parts of an essay |
|
|
|
the former/the latter/respectively |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31 Using pronouns correctly |
|
|
62 | (2) |
|
making sure that it is clear what they, them, it, she, him, etc. refer to |
|
|
|
uses of this, these, that and those |
|
|
|
using such to refer to something already mentioned (Green business methods can be expensive, but such expenditure can be worthwhile in terms of a company's image.) |
|
|
|
32 Avoiding repetition of words |
|
|
64 | (2) |
|
using one(s), the one, the ones instead of repeating nouns |
|
|
|
using do so instead of repeating verbs |
|
|
|
leaving out words rather than repeating them |
|
|
|
using synonyms to avoid repetition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
66 | (2) |
|
correctly repeating the same grammatical structure within a sentence (Television was originally designed to educate, (to) amuse and (to) entertain the masses.) |
|
|
|
|
|
68 | (2) |
|
using present participles in sentences (Facing the effects of a recession in the early 1990s, the country's car industry was obliged to restructure.) |
|
|
|
using past participles in sentences (The product, launched in 2008, was an instant success. I Having lost the support of his party, he resigned as leader) |
|
|
|
|
|
70 | (2) |
|
incorrectly writing sentences that are not complete (Unlike most of the research that has been done into this issue.) |
|
|
|
what a complete sentence requires |
|
|
|
36 Avoiding long and disorganised sentences |
|
|
72 | (2) |
|
including too much in a single sentence |
|
|
|
sentences that are rambling and confusing |
|
|
|
presenting points in separate sentences rather than one long sentence |
|
|
|
37 When to use short sentences |
|
|
74 | (2) |
|
using short sentences to highlight key points |
|
|
|
using short sentences to enable the reader to follow the thread of what you are saying |
|
|
|
38 Avoiding too many short sentences |
|
|
76 | (2) |
|
linking points and information in a longer sentence rather than producing a series of short sentences |
|
|
|
39 Building successful long sentences |
|
|
78 | (2) |
|
a step-by-step guide to linking points and information in order to create clear and effective long sentences |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
80 | (2) |
|
generally/in general/on the whole/by and large, etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
41 Qualifying a statement |
|
|
82 | (2) |
|
to some extent/to a degree |
|
|
|
in the sense that/in that/to the extent that/insofar as |
|
|
|
with regard to/in terms of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
probability language e.g. likelihood, possibility |
|
|
|
tentative phrases (it may be that...) |
|
|
|
|
|
84 | (2) |
|
defining a term used (An optical fibre is a telecommunications cable which is made of glass.) |
|
|
|
nouns used for categorising (process, device, etc.) |
|
|
|
verbs used for giving definitions (refers to, describes, etc.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
43 Introducing an example |
|
|
86 | (2) |
|
an example of... /for example/for instance/such as |
|
|
|
other phrases for giving examples |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
88 | (2) |
|
referring to sources of information |
|
|
|
ways of referring to authors, scientists, researchers, etc. |
|
|
|
appropriate verb tenses for referring to sources |
|
|
|
|
|
90 | (2) |
|
appropriate words and phrases for |
|
|
|
describing how research was carried out |
|
|
|
presenting the results of research |
|
|
|
|
|
|
giving conclusions drawn from data |
|
|
|
|
|
92 | (2) |
|
presenting information in your own words |
|
|
|
using synonyms of the original words |
|
|
|
by changing the form of the original words |
|
|
|
by changing the grammar of the original words |
|
|
|
|
|
94 | (2) |
|
avoiding inappropriately colloquial/informal language |
|
|
|
correctly using it and there for objective/impersonal language (It could be argued that... I There are several reasons for...) |
|
|
|
when to use I/we appropriately |
|
|
|
|
|
96 | (2) |
|
writing in an academic style using |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
49 The language of argument |
|
|
98 | (2) |
|
describing what your essay will contain |
|
|
|
summarising your point of view |
|
|
|
supporting your views and claims |
|
|
|
commenting on opposing views |
|
|
|
drawing conclusions and making recommendations |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100 | (2) |
|
using an adjective or an adverb (rapid change/change rapidly/change extremely rapidly) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
adverbs for commenting (Clearly, this situation could not continue.) |
|
|
|
|
|
102 | (2) |
|
with verbs, adjectives and nouns (believe in, characteristic of, contribution to) |
|
|
|
with relative pronouns (on which, for whom) |
|
|
|
|
|
104 | (2) |
|
how to avoid common mistakes with prepositions |
|
|
|
prepositional phrases with similar meanings but different prepositions (in view of/with a view to) |
|
|
|
|
|
106 | (2) |
|
forming longer words using prefixes (irrelevant) and suffixes (relevance) |
|
|
|
using longer words instead of simple ones |
|
|
|
54 Using single words for impact |
|
|
108 | (2) |
|
using an effective single word |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
110 | (2) |
|
definition and examples (bring about, put up with) |
|
|
|
inappropriate use because of being too informal |
|
|
|
appropriate phrasal verbs for academic writing |
|
|
|
56 Commonly misused words |
|
|
112 | (2) |
|
mistakes cause by confusing nouns and verbs (effect/affect) |
|
|
|
words that are similar in form but different in meaning (insure/ensure/assure) |
|
|
|
other words often incorrectly used (infer/imply) |
|
|
|
57 Commonly confused words - homonyms |
|
|
114 | (2) |
|
words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings (bear/bare) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
its/it's, there/they're/their, your/you're, who's/whose |
|
|
|
|
|
116 | (2) |
|
changing the ends of words to form other words (reliable → reliably, opportunity → opportunities, deter → deterrent) |
|
|
|
spelling when a prefix is used (unnecessary) |
|
|
|
59 Common spelling mistakes |
|
|
118 | (2) |
|
avoiding spelling mistakes involving |
|
|
|
|
|
|
words that are not spelt as they sound |
|
|
|
double and single letters in one word examples of differences between British and American spelling |
|
|
|
60 Writing an email to your tutor |
|
|
120 | (3) |
|
including a clear and useful subject line |
|
|
|
|
|
|
using appropriate words and correct spelling |
|
|
|
using correct punctuation |
|
|
|
writing clear sentences with clear connections in them |
|
|
|
|
|
| Key |
|
123 | (22) |
| Index |
|
145 | |
