When writing a discussion essay for Task 2 of the IELTS writing test, it is important to use effective vocabulary for expressing other people’s opinions. If you want to get a HIGH SCORE in this kind of essay, get your language ready BEFORE the EXAM. Here is a typical IELTS question: A growing number of people …

What do we mean by stress? Stressed syllables are louder, longer, and pronounced at a slightly higher pitch. English has three main levels of stress: strong stress (primary stress); light stress (secondary stress); unstressed.  The difference between stressed syllables and unstressed syllables is greater in English than in most other languages.  Why Is Word Stress Important? …

The /w/ sound is particularly difficult for Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, and Malayalam speakers. Indian speakers tend to substitute a sound similar to /v/ for /w/.  This happens because the upper front teeth touch the lower lip. In the accent modification course, students practice pushing their lips forward into a tight circle, as if they are kissing …

An idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that has a special meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own. We cannot change the order of the words.  When learning idioms, it’s best to learn them as complete units rather than as individual words.   Idioms are most common …

Many native speakers pronounce the word Toronto as tərɑnoʊ (Torono), dropping the second “t” sound.  Other native speakers will pronounce the word as tərɑntoʊ, keeping the second “t” sound. Notice that in both pronunciations, the first “o” is reduced to the schwa sound /ə/.   When the word Toronto is followed by another word, as in the …