State vs. Action Verbs

Verbs of State versus Action Verbs

Verbs of state are usually used in the present simple, and they refer to states and conditions that are facts/opinions that do not change.  State verbs are not used in the continuous tense, but instead they are used in the simple tense.  An example of a state verb would be describing a person as “friendly.  This characteristic is usually a permanent personality trait, and it is not something that changes from day to day.

The opposite of a state verb is an activity verb.  The activity can be either mental or physical.  Activity verbs describe an action that is taking place, but it is not a permanent action.  An example of this would be paying a store clerk for a purchase; this activity is temporary and will be finished shortly.

State verbs usually fall into one of four categories, and this is easily remembered from the word PEST:  Possession, emotion, sense, or thought.  It is not important that you understand which of these categories a verb fits into.  You only need to remember that state verbs usually talk about possession, emotion, sense, or thought.

Some examples of state verbs are in the table below.

Some State Verbs
doubt	dislike	understand	suspect
loathe	own	belong	know
like	need	want	seem
mean	believe	forget	remember
prefer	hate	love	see

Some verbs can be either a state or an activity verb, depending on how they are used in sentences.  For example,

“I think you are nice”  

uses “think” as a state verb.  It describes a characteristic the speaker believes to be generally true all the time.  On the other hand,

“I’m thinking about your question”

 uses “think” as an action verb:  The speaker clearly is thinking about something, so it is an activity.

Additional information can be found at this URL:

http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/what-are-state-verbs

Quick Summary: Conditionals and One Tense Back

Conditionals and One Tense Back Summaries

Conditionals

·      0: No Condition. 

o   If I get a headache, I take aspirin.

·      1: Possible (or First). 

o   If I see Amil, I will tell him.

·      2: Improbable (or Second). 

o   If I had the money, I would buy a new car.

·      3: Impossible (or Third). 

o   If you had told me, I would have helped.

One Tense Back

·      Present --> Past

·      Present Perfect --> Past Perfect

·      Past --> Past Perfect

·      Will --> Would

·      Can --> Could

·      May --> Might

·      Should, Could, Would and Might do not change between the present and past

·      Must either stays as Must or changes to Had To

IELTS and Vocabulary

Word Lists

For you to do well on the IELTS test, it is critical that you know vocabulary.  While Headway taught you many words, it did not teach you words based on a rigorous analysis of which words are most important.  The two lists below solve that problem by teaching you words that are the most critical to know, in order of importance.

The first list, the New General Service List (NGSL), teaches you words that are used in ordinary English, starting with “the.”  The list is a little less than 3000 words in total, and you already know many of the words.  Also, the Quizlet site will let you study the words in a fun way, using flashcards, quizzes, etc.  You can study on a computer, a laptop, a tablet, or even your phone.

Similarly, the New Academic Word List (NAWL) teaches about 1000 important words, in order, as used in academic situations such as college.  Just like the NGSL, the Quizlet site has this list, so you can study it that way if you find it more efficient and enjoyable.

The two lists are a little less than 4000 words total, but remember that you already know many of them, so you don’t have that many new words to learn.  Study and practice these two word lists as they are crucial in getting a good IELTS score, especially in reading!

NGSL:

http://www.newgeneralservicelist.org/s/NGSL-101-by-band-qq9o.xlsx

https://quizlet.com/elearnguy/folders/ngsl-50-word-blocks

NAWL:

http://www.newacademicwordlist.org/s/E-J-Definitions-from-NAWL-Builder.xlsx

https://quizlet.com/elearnguy/folders/nawl-50-word-blocks

IELTS Writing Tips

IELTS Writing Tips

General

Word Choice and Meaning: 

·      Use simpler words you are sure of rather than more elaborate words you are less certain about.

·      Don’t invent words.  For example, “unemployees” is not a word.  Use real words.  If you are not sure about a word, use a simpler synonym.

Spelling:

·      If in doubt on spelling, use a synonym you can spell.

Verb Tense: 

·      Determine and use the appropriate tense before you begin writing the essay.

·      Be consistent in verb tense use.

·      Get the basics down first!  You must not overlook things such as the third person singular present conjugation ending (i.e., -s for he, she, and it).

·      Study Verb Tense handout (all 20 cases) from Day One

Sentences:

·      Do not write overly long sentences:  You should not use more than 15 words.

·      Do not write fragments:  Every sentence must have a subject and a verb.

·      Make capital letters at the start of a sentence and end punctuation marks very clear and unmistakable.

Conjunctions:

·      Subordinating conjunctions, both beginning and middle of sentence use

·      Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS). Don’t start sentences with “and” or “but”

·      Study Conjunctions handout from Day One

Gerunds and Infinitives:

·      Know the difference between gerunds (“swimming”) and infinitives (“to swim”)

·      Know which verbs are followed by an infinitive, which are followed by a gerund, and which can be followed by either.

·      Study Gerunds handout from Day One

Troublesome Words and Word Pairs:

·      Specially/Especially

·      Other/Another

·      Everyday/ Every day

·      Interesting/interested, boring/bored, excited/exciting, etc.

·      Teach versus learn

·      a lot

·      RAVEN  (Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun)

Word Lists: 

·      Develop your own method for learning the words in these two important lists:

·      NGSL (New General Service List)

·      NAWL (New Academic Word List)

Br or Am English:

·      Use either Br or Am English, but be consistent and use only one type or the other in spelling, prepositions, and punctuation.

·      Spelling

o   Br:  Centre

o   Am:  Center

·      Prepositions

o   Br:  At the weekend

o   AM:  On the weekend

·      Punctuation:

o   Br:  …invention of “black powder”.

o   Am: …invention of “black powder.”

Web Sites:
Purdue OWL:  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ 
Cambridge Dictionary:  http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ 
Thesaurus:  http://www.thesaurus.com/

Task 1

1.     Look at any graphs or charts first and find patterns or trends.

2.    Write the intro paragraph, without specific data.  Do not just copy what the directions say, but state it in your own words.  Make sure you explain what the graph, chart, or drawing is about, but do NOT give details in the introductory paragraph.

3.    Think about your data pattern or trend again and make sure it agrees with your introduction above.  Once that is done, you can start writing.

4.    If you can’t see a pattern after two or three minutes, start writing what you think the major points are.

5.     No opinions.  This is a factual essay, not what you believe or think it means.

6.    No “I” or “we”

7.     Don’t draw conclusions.  If it is not stated, do not infer or assume it to be true (e.g., don’t assume there is “camping” on the island or say that the island is much nicer now than before). 

8.    Useful Words and Phrases from IELTS Writing Handout:

a.     Direction (rose, climbed, fell, dropped, remained stable, etc.)

b.    Degree of change (dramatic, sharply, huge, steeply, slight, minimally, etc.)

c.     Speed of change (rapidly, quick, swiftly, steady, gradually, etc.)

d.    Comparatives (slightly larger/smaller, much larger/smaller, etc.)

9.    Very short conclusion:  Just repeat main trends.  No opinion!

Task 2

1.     Read the question carefully and understand what the key words are.  What are the main points they want you to describe or talk about?  Make sure you understand this clearly.  For example, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both parents working is NOT the same as writing about the advantages and disadvantages of working abroad. 

2.    Write on the side your main points, such as lists of advantages and disadvantages, before you begin writing.  Know your main points before you start writing the actual essay.

3.    You will almost certainly be asked for your opinion.  Make sure you state it clearly so there is no doubt.

4.    Unlike Task 1, this essay requires a strong conclusion.

Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds are verbs that end in –ing, but are used as nouns.  

Infinitives are verbs in the base form with the word “to” in front.  (Sometimes infinitives are also be used without "to" in front, such as when following a modal verb.  For this discussion, we are talking about the case where the verb takes "to" in front.)

Gerunds and Infinitive Verb Formation
Verb + to + infinitive	·       I agree to study more. ·       He decided to fly home. ·       He hoped to talk with the manager. ·       He waited to ask his question until class was over. ·       I want to make a million dollars.
Verb + -ing (Gerund)	·       The teacher advised studying harder. ·       I am used to getting up early. ·       I am considering joining a club. ·       I enjoy swimming. ·       I have trouble sleeping.
Verb + -ing Or Verb + to + infinitive with same meaning	·       He began studying.  He began to study ·       I continue trying.  I continue to try. ·       I hate jogging.  I hate to jog. ·       I like swimming.  I like to swim. ·       I love eating McDonalds!  I love to eat McDonalds. ·       I prefer walking.  I prefer to walk. ·       I started learning English last year.  I started to learn English last May.
Verb + preposition + ing	·       I’m thinking of studying in Germany. ·       I’m looking forward to graduating from college.

Students often are confused by gerunds and infinitives.  In particular, they may not know when to use a gerund or when to use an infinitive.  The table below will help with that question.

Infinitive Verbs and Gerund Verbs
An infinitive follows these verbs	afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, care, decide, demand, expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, mean, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, volunteer, wait, want, wish
A gerund follows these verbs	admit, advise, avoid, be used to, can’t help, can’t stand, consider, deny, discuss, dislike, end up, enjoy, feel like, finish, get used to, give up, go on, have difficulty, have problems, have trouble, imagine, it’s no use, it’s worthwhile, keep, look forward to, mention, mind, miss, recommend, quit, spend time, suggest, understand, waste time, work at
Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs, and there is no change in meaning	begin, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, start
Either a gerund or an infinitive can follow these verbs, but the meaning may change	forget, remember, stop ·       He forgot to pay the bill. ·       He forgot paying the bill. ·       He remembered to call his mother. ·       He remembered calling his mother. ·       He stopped smoking cigarettes. ·       He stopped to smoke a cigarette.