Beyond the Basics: 10 Advanced Grammar Drills for IELTS Writing

by Naman A. Well-Motivated Digital Marketer

Are­ you prepared to ele­vate your writing abilities and achieve­ top-notch outcomes in the IELTS test? In this pie­ce, we pull the curtain back on advance­d grammar exercises de­signed exclusively for IELTS Writing to se­t you on a path to victory. 

Basic grammar is crucial, but to impress your examiner, you need to learn some advanced writing skills. So, brace­ yourself to dig into the world of IELTS coaching in Dubai.

1. Subjunctive Mood Mastery:

The subjunctive mood is a grammatical mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or demands. Effective incorporation of the subjunctive mood displays sophistication in language use. So, practice constructing sentences like these to express unreal or imagined situations.

Example: "I wish I were more confident in my writing abilities."

The phrase "I wish I were" is a classic example of the subjunctive mood. In simple words, the speaker desires something contrary to reality. 

2. Relative Clauses Refinement:

Mastering relative clauses is crucial for conveying complex relationships between ideas. But you need to focus on reducing relative clauses to enhance conciseness without sacrificing clarity. Instead, practice using non-defining relative clauses to provide additional information about a noun without altering the sentence's core meaning.

Example: "The textbook, which was published last year, has become a bestseller."

In this specific instance­, a relative clause ("which was launche­d last year") lends more de­tails about the noun "book". Here, the­ relative clause is non-de­fining, indicating it incorporates extra details that are not essential.

3. Advanced Conditional Structures:

Beyond the basic conditional forms (zero, first, second, and third), explore advanced conditional structures such as mixed conditionals and conditional perfects. These constructions allow for nuanced expressions of hypothetical situations and are particularly useful for discussing hypothetical scenarios in academic essays.

Example: "If I had trained harder, I’d have scored higher on the test."

The illustration uses a mixed conditional structure, blending elements of the second and third conditional. It expresses a hypothetical situation in the past ("If I had trained harder") and its potential outcome ("I would have scored higher on the test").

4. Parallelism Precision:

Parallelism involves maintaining consistent grammatical structures within sentences or across sentence elements. Refine your writing by practising parallel structure in lists, comparisons, and correlative conjunctions. Consistent parallelism enhances readability and lends a polished look to your compositions.

Example: "She enjoys hiking, swimming, and biking in her free time."

Here, parallelism is demonstrated by maintaining consistent grammatical structures in the list "hiking, swimming, and biking." 

5. Modal Verbs Mastery:

Modal verbs add depth and nuance to writing by expressing possibility, necessity, obligation, or ability. Practice using modal verbs with precision, paying attention to subtle differences in meaning and usage. Experiment with modal perfect constructions to convey past possibilities or unrealised past events.

Example: "Students must complete their assignments by the deadline."

The modal verb "must" is used to indicate necessity or obligation, emphasising the importance of completing assignments by the deadline. Modal verbs convey various degrees of certainty, obligation, or possibility.

6. Gerunds and Infinitives Sophistication:

Explore the subtle nuances between using gerunds (verbs ending in -ing) and infinitives (to + base verb) as subjects, objects, or complements in sentences. Focus on mastering verbs that are followed by specific gerunds or infinitives, as well as verbs with different meanings when used with either form.

Example: "She prefers swimming to running."

This example showcases the use of a gerund ("swimming") as the object of the verb "prefers."

7. Passive Voice Proficiency:

While active voice is generally preferred for clarity and directness, mastering the passive voice adds versatility to your writing. So, practice transforming active sentences into passive constructions. But pay attention to when passive voice is appropriate, such as when emphasising the receiver of the action or maintaining objectivity.

Example: "The report was written by the research team."

The passive voice here shifts the focus from the doer of the action (the research team) to the receiver of the action (the report). 

8. Sentence Variety Enhancement:

Diversify your sentence structures by incorporating complex and compound-complex sentences alongside simple ones. Also, experiment with different sentence beginnings, lengths, and structures to maintain reader engagement and convey complex ideas effectively.

Example: "Despite the rain, he chose to walk in the garden."

This demonstrates sentence variety by combining a subordinate clause ("Despite the rain") with the main clause ("he chose to walk in the garden"). Varying sentence structures like this enhance readability and maintain reader interest.

9. Conjunctions and Connectors Complexity:

Enhance coherence and cohesion in your writing by mastering a wide range of conjunctions and connectors. Practice using coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions to establish logical relationships between ideas and paragraphs. Additionally, explore transitional devices to smoothly guide readers through your arguments.

Example: "Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of regular exercise."

The conjunction "Furthermore" here introduces additional information that supports the preceding statement. 

10. Idiomatic Expressions Integration:

Incorporating idiomatic expressions adds fluency and authenticity to your writing, showing a deep understanding of the English language. So, familiarise yourself with common idioms and phrasal verbs related to academic topics and use them appropriately to enrich your vocabulary and convey nuanced meanings.

Example: "The professor hit the nail on the head with his explanation."

The idiom—hit the nail on the head—describes someone who has precisely identified or articulated a particular issue or solution.

Final Message:

Adequate understanding, consistent practice and reliable coaching are invaluable in achieving your goal. If you are keen to learn more, reach out to English Wise’s PTE Exam in Dubai.

Besides IELTS, English Wise also offers training for more competitive exams, OET and PTE, in Dubai. So, feel free to get in touch with its experts. 

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Created on Mar 7th 2024 23:49. Viewed 93 times.

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