Author Archives: ieltsonly_pvk5rn

Cut to the chase This is to leave out all unnecessary details and get to the point. You are getting directly to the point. We were running out of time so I cut to the chase and told him he was fired.

A blessing in disguise This is something good that isn’t recognized as good at first. Losing my job was a blessing in disguise because I have now found a much better job.

A Piece of Cake A task or job that is accomplished very easily. I found the writing paper hard in the IELTS practice exam but the reading paper seemed like a piece of cake. Try to use this idiomatic expression in conversation over the next few days.

When we quote someone, we might use something to that effect to show that our quote might not be exact. What we say is intended to have the same meaning. He told her that he was going to resign or something to that effect. We can use words to that effect in the same way. […]

In effect means for all practical purposes that something is true. It means that something is virtually true. Her poor exam results showed in effect that she hadn’t really studied very hard for the exam. There have been some dramatic tax increases. In effect, we are now all a little poorer.

Many students confuse affect and effect. Do you know the difference? Which on is a verb and which one is a noun? Affect is a regular verb. It usually means to influence or change something. The cold weather really affects my concentration. His injury affected the result of the football match. Effect is a noun. […]

Using wish in your IELTS exam Ricardo came to me after his IELTS exam and explained that he suddenly understood the value of actually using new language before the exam. He told me that he had sometimes been “bored” during my classes when I made the students focus on a point of grammar and use […]

Here’s a link to a great vocabulary learning resource from the BBC. It also provides an opportunity for listening practice. The best thing is it’s free!! BBC Learning English

Make sure that you know the difference between analyse and analysis. Analyse is a regular verb. It means to study something in great detail. We analysed his results and found that they contained errors. Analysis is a noun. It is the results of the verb to analyse. Our analyisof the results showed that they contained […]

It is important to sum up at the end of some IELTS writing tasks. Having made your points and stated your arguments, it is necessary to conclude. This can be done using in conclusion. In conclusion, the modern world is clearly being made smaller by modern technology. We can also use the phrase to sum […]