July 7, 2012

Weekly Finds: July 7, 2012

A Man With Magnifying Glass by digitalart
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every week, we’ll be sharing a list of posts, stories, news, or opinions that we've run across the Internet during the past week or two. We won't be discussing them in detail here, but we do encourage you to check them out as they could contain valuable ideas and insights for your IELTS exam.

If you're ready, here we go...

Death by Idioms

Although idioms are some of the recommended things to be learned whenever we prepare or review for the IELTS exam, the author here expresses good points on their misuse or overuse.

Forgo vs. Forego

Avoid using these two words interchangeably.

10 Reminders Worth Reviewing Daily

You'll see tips that would encourage you to be your best.

50 redundant phrases to avoid in writing

Most likely we've used a number of them in one way or another. Avoid them in your IELTS writing exam.

How to make your high school English teacher proud of you

5 useful reminders. Very handy when you're proofreading your writing tasks.

How to improve your grammar without hardly trying

Read these 7 practical tips for improving your grammar.

Two axes of word relationships

Here's one article to read if you're curious about how words in a language relate to each other.

The secret of nym

Does the word "synonym" have a synonym? Discover how the author found out the answer.

Words to describe people

In the IELTS speaking exam, you might be asked to describe a person. This article provides us with some useful things to consider.

Be Ruthless About Protecting Writing Days

Read how the famous author J.K. Rowling treats the time which she allots to writing. A similar mindset could perhaps help us in our IELTS preparation.

Words That Make You Sound Pretentious

Even though we should use a variety of words in order to comply with the Lexical Resource criterion in IELTS writing and speaking, it's still important to choose the appropriate words for your tasks.

Common Grammar Mistakes in Translation

30+ words/phrases for your vocabulary skills.

The A to Z of top English misspelled words

Yes, spelling is important in the IELTS exam. Get spelling tips from this article.

A grammar cheat sheet

Here are more words for your Lexical Resource.

Just Write It

"Write it. Fix it. Repeat..." - This is what we recommend to our students for their IELTS writing practice sessions.

Grammar Gremlins: Upon review, 'on' oft preferred

Can we use "on" and "upon" interchangeably?

Scenery vocabulary

There are questions in IELTS speaking where you'll be required to describe a place. This post has words that could enrich your vocabulary.

Omnivoracious: Prose's Unsung Heroes: Punctuating with Personality

Incorrect use of punctuation marks can cost you marks in the IELTS exam. Get some tips on using them well.

How to Write in English – Mary’s Top 10 List of Common Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation Mistakes

Their - They're; Your - You're; Its - It's; etc. Avoid mixing them up in your IELTS exam.

52 Tips for Writing Success - 14: The first page is only one page - Time to Write

Read interesting tips on how to counter writer's block.

Better Business English: 16 Confusing Words and Phrases Clarified

Here's another set of confusing words and phrases.

Seconds, please

In this article, the author discusses the various contexts that could be used for the word "second."

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

Discover the author's observations on the different uses for the word "get."

Can a Word Mean its Own Opposite?

Find out how the word "unpacked" was used here.

Contemporary Slang Words That Might Be Older Than You Think

This is a good post on the origins of some familiar slang expressions.