So far, I’ve learned: 1) A number of internet users were in Paris. 2) The number of internet users was in Paris. 1) and 2) are grammatically correct, and have a little different meanings. But I’m not sure about: <Number> + of + plural noun/nouns . . . <Unit> + of + plural noun/nouns . … Read more
Let’s say, if there were 4 cities, A, B, C and D 1,000 people live in city A. 2,000 people live in city B. 3,000 people live in city C. 4,000 people live in city D. – The second largest number of people lives in city C. The sentence above would be considered fine. What … Read more
Let’s say, there was a bar chart giving 2 different pieces of data for 3 groups. – Monkeys was the ______________ statistic. If you needed to complete the sentence above with a superlative adjective, what would you fill in the blank? Answer One could easily (and best) use “least/most/more” along with another descriptor that defines … Read more
I’m preparing for Ielts test. Its writing part is the most difficult for me. So far, I’m learning about comparative between numbers, and I stuck. Let’s say, there was a given bar chart giving 3 bars, red, blue, and orange. The length of the blue was the longest and the orange’s was the shortest. This … Read more
Recently I saw “it is hightime + subj. + past verb + …” idiom. Like “It’s high time we made some changes around here.”. I want to know if it is a good phrase to start a formal writing (i.e. ielts or toefl writing section) with it or not? (P.s I would appriciate if you … Read more
What does “junk-food-scoffing masses” mean? And what does “scoffing masses” mean here? Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, expanding by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. So what is the attraction of organic food for some people? The really important thing is that organic sounds more … Read more
Is it necessary to use comma in a big number? For example, if anyone writes one million four hundred thousand and two as 1400002 instead of 1,400,002 on answer sheet of listening section of IELTS test, will it be considered incorrect? Thanks in advance. Answer I can’t say for certain if this is an authoritative … Read more
I’m going to do the IELTS academic test in a few weeks and have trouble describing charts. Basically I have no major problems regarding the English language, but I have difficulty expressing the numbers and figures without repeating some phrases over and over again. For example I have tried to describe this chart where the … Read more
I wonder if someone could help with a grammar debate a couple of ESL teacher friends and I are having. This is a multiple choice question from an IELTS test. He ________ gone to work yesterday. John was there all day and nobody saw him. mustn’t have wasn’t have can’t have Source: PDF file p2, … Read more
The following excerpt is taken from a best-selling vocabulary workbook: Check your English Vocabulary for IELTS page 52, Q7. The Cornucopian government made this sudden decision to dissuade / rescind / sever diplomatic relations with their neighbouring countries. The answer is sever. I admit I had to look up the adjective, Cornucopian. Although I knew … Read more
