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Arabic speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Arabic, from any Arabic-speaking country.
Free resources
Free IELTS lessons, worksheets and lesson plans
Short lessons with a worksheet and a teacher lesson plan in one download. Pronunciation with moving mouth diagrams, grammar with exercises and answers, the most common English words, and guides for speakers of eight first languages.
Your language
Chinese speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Mandarin or Cantonese.
Your language
Italian speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Italian.
Your language
Japanese speaker difficulties in English
This page is for Japanese speakers preparing for IELTS Academic.
Your language
Korean speaker difficulties in English
This page is for Korean-speaking IELTS candidates, about band 5 to 6.5.
Your language
Portuguese speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Portuguese, and it is written mainly for Brazilian speakers; European Portuguese differences are mentioned only.
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Spanish speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Spanish.
Your language
Turkish speaker difficulties in English
This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Turkish.
Pronunciation
Minimal pairs
Minimal pairs are two words that differ by only one sound, such as ship and sheep, or light and right.
Pronunciation
Short vowel sounds
British English has six short vowel sounds: /ɪ/ as in sit, /e/ as in set, /æ/ as in sat, /ʌ/ as in cup, /ɒ/ as in hot and /ʊ/ as in put.
Pronunciation
Connected speech
Connected speech is the way English speakers join words together in natural talk, so that sounds link, change, shrink or disappear at word edges.
Pronunciation
The shadowing technique
The shadowing technique means listening to a recording and repeating it aloud a moment after the speaker, copying the sounds, rhythm and melody.
Pronunciation
Dark L and clear L
English has two kinds of l.
Pronunciation
The ng sound /ŋ/
The ng sound /ŋ/ is a single nasal consonant, as at the end of sing, long and thing.
Pronunciation
IELTS pronunciation
In IELTS Speaking, pronunciation is one of four criteria that count equally.
Pronunciation
Long vowel sounds
British English has five long vowel sounds: /iː/ as in see, /ɑː/ as in car, /ɔː/ as in saw, /uː/ as in too and /ɜː/ as in her.
Pronunciation
Silent letters
Silent letters are letters that appear in the spelling of a word but are not pronounced, such as the k in knife, the b in comb and the w in write.
Pronunciation
The th sound: how to pronounce th
English has two th sounds.
Pronunciation
Voiced and voiceless sounds
Voiced sounds use your vocal cords, so your throat vibrates, as in /b/, /d/, /z/ and /v/.
Pronunciation
Long and short vowels
Short vowels are quick sounds, like /ɪ/ in ship, and long vowels are held longer, like /iː/ in sheep.
Pronunciation
The r sound
In British English, the r sound is made with the tongue pulled back and the tip touching nothing, and it is said only before a vowel.
Pronunciation
Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and usually different spellings, such as write and right, or their, there and they're.
Pronunciation
Diphthongs
A diphthong is one vowel sound that glides from one position to another within a single syllable, as in say, go and price.
Pronunciation
Homographs
Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.
Pronunciation
Consonant clusters
A consonant cluster is a group of two or more consonant sounds said together with no vowel between them, like /str/ in street or /sts/ at the end of tests.
Pronunciation
ED pronunciation
The -ed ending has three sounds.
Pronunciation
Commonly mispronounced words
Learners most often mispronounce words because the spelling misleads them.
Pronunciation
The schwa sound /ə/
The schwa /ə/ is a short, weak, relaxed vowel, like the first sound in about or the last sound in teacher.
Pronunciation
The glottal stop
The glottal stop /ʔ/ is a very short closing of the vocal cords, the break you make in the middle of uh-oh.
Pronunciation
English vowel sounds
British English has 20 vowel sounds, although it has only five vowel letters.
Pronunciation
The British accent
There is no single British accent: Britain has many.
Pronunciation
How to improve pronunciation
You improve pronunciation with short, regular practice that changes how your mouth moves, not with long sessions once a week.
Pronunciation
Weak forms
Weak forms are the short, quiet pronunciations of small grammar words such as to /tə/, of /əv/, and /ən/, can /kən/ and was /wəz/.
Pronunciation
Word stress
Word stress is the syllable of a word that you say with more force: it is longer, louder, higher in pitch and has a clearer vowel.
Pronunciation
The phonemic chart
The phonemic chart is a table of the 44 sounds of British English, each shown with its own symbol: 20 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds.
Pronunciation
Intonation
Intonation is the way your voice rises and falls in pitch across a phrase.
Pronunciation
Tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are short phrases that repeat similar sounds, so they make your mouth practise one difficult contrast again and again.
Pronunciation
The phonetic alphabet
The phonetic alphabet most learners need is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): a set of symbols where each one stands for one sound, not one letter.
Grammar
Prepositions of place
Prepositions of place show where a person or thing is.
Grammar
Zero conditional
The zero conditional is used for facts, rules and results that are always true.
Grammar
Present perfect vs past simple
Use the past simple for an action that finished at a stated time in the past: I visited Rome in 2019.
Grammar
Will vs going to
Use going to for plans you made before speaking and for predictions based on what you can see now.
Grammar
IELTS grammar
In IELTS Writing and Speaking, grammar is judged on range and accuracy.
Grammar
Third conditional
The third conditional is used to talk about an imaginary past: something that did not happen, and what would have happened if it had.
Grammar
Complex sentences
A complex sentence has one main clause that can stand alone and at least one dependent clause that cannot.
Grammar
Comparatives and superlatives
A comparative compares two things: taller, more expensive.
Grammar
Second conditional
The second conditional is used for unreal or unlikely situations in the present or future, and for giving advice.
Grammar
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns can be counted one by one, so they have a plural: one car, two cars.
Grammar
Subject-verb agreement
Subject-verb agreement means the verb must match its subject in number.
Grammar
Prepositions of time
Prepositions of time show when something happens or how long it lasts.
Grammar
Conditionals
Conditional sentences state a condition and its result, usually with if.
Grammar
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases or clauses.
Grammar
Linking words
Linking words show how one idea connects to another: addition, contrast, reason, result, example or sequence.
Grammar
Gerunds and infinitives
A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used like a noun (enjoy swimming).
Grammar
Future tenses
English has no single future tense.
Grammar
Past simple vs past continuous
Use the past simple for finished events, states and habits in the past (I had a car; I walked to school).
Grammar
Modal verbs
Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, should, will, would) are helping verbs that add meaning such as ability, possibility, permission, advice and obligation.
Grammar
Relative clauses
A relative clause is a part of a sentence that gives more information about a noun, starting with who, which, that, whose, where or when.
Grammar
Present perfect continuous
The present perfect continuous (have or has been + -ing) describes an action that began in the past and is still happening, or that has just stopped and has a visible.
Grammar
First conditional
The first conditional talks about a real or likely future situation and its result.
Grammar
Used to
Used to + base verb describes past habits and states that are no longer true: I used to live in a village.
Grammar
Reported speech
Reported speech tells what someone said without using their exact words.
Grammar
Passive voice
The passive voice puts the action or the receiver of the action first: The bridge was built in 1890.
Grammar
Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (up, out, off, on, in) that together have a new meaning, such as give up or look after.
Grammar
Articles: a, an, the
Use a or an before a singular countable noun when the listener does not know which one: a laptop, an idea.
Grammar
Irregular verbs list
Irregular verbs do not add -ed in the past simple or past participle: go, went, gone; buy, bought, bought.
Grammar
Present simple vs present continuous
Use the present simple for habits, routines, facts and timetables: I study every evening.
Grammar
There is, there are
Use there is before a singular or uncountable noun and there are before a plural noun to say that something exists: There is a park near my house.
Exercises
Prepositions of place exercises
10 prepositions of place exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Zero conditional exercises
10 zero conditional exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Present perfect vs past simple exercises
10 present perfect vs past simple exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Will vs going to exercises
10 will vs going to exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
IELTS grammar exercises
10 ielts grammar exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Third conditional exercises
10 third conditional exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Complex sentences exercises
10 complex sentences exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Comparatives and superlatives exercises
10 comparatives and superlatives exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Second conditional exercises
10 second conditional exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Countable and uncountable nouns exercises
10 countable and uncountable nouns exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Subject-verb agreement exercises
10 subject-verb agreement exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Prepositions of time exercises
10 prepositions of time exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Conditionals exercises
10 conditionals exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Conjunctions exercises
10 conjunctions exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Linking words exercises
10 linking words exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Gerunds and infinitives exercises
10 gerunds and infinitives exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Future tenses exercises
10 future tenses exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Past simple vs past continuous exercises
10 past simple vs past continuous exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Modal verbs exercises
10 modal verbs exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Relative clauses exercises
10 relative clauses exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Present perfect continuous exercises
10 present perfect continuous exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
First conditional exercises
10 first conditional exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Used to exercises
10 used to exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Reported speech exercises
10 reported speech exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Passive voice exercises
10 passive voice exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Phrasal verbs exercises
10 phrasal verbs exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Articles: a, an, the exercises
10 articles: a, an, the exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Irregular verbs list exercises
10 irregular verbs list exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
Present simple vs present continuous exercises
10 present simple vs present continuous exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Exercises
There is, there are exercises
10 there is, there are exercises with instant answers and short explanations, plus a free downloadable worksheet and teacher lesson plan.
Words
Common English words 1 to 25
Words 1 to 25 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 26 to 50
Words 26 to 50 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 51 to 75
Words 51 to 75 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 76 to 100
Words 76 to 100 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 101 to 125
Words 101 to 125 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 126 to 150
Words 126 to 150 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 151 to 175
Words 151 to 175 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 176 to 200
Words 176 to 200 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 201 to 225
Words 201 to 225 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 226 to 250
Words 226 to 250 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 251 to 275
Words 251 to 275 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
Common English words 276 to 300
Words 276 to 300 of the 300 most common words in English.
Words
New Academic Word List
The New Academic Word List in 16 groups of 25 words: hear each word and example, record yourself, check the meaning and try a gap quiz.
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Made by a teacher, for teachers and learners
Every lesson is written and reviewed by Will Salisbury. Use them in class, set them as homework, or study on your own.
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