Cohesive devices: when too much is just too much

I know I have just finished with suggestions on improving lexical resources with collocations but I would like to point out in this post the virtues of a little restraint, especially in the speaking portion of all ESL exams.  By the time you take your Cambridge CPE, Michigan ECPE or IELTS exam, you know furthermore, additionally, what is more and moreover like the back of your hand. 

I am going to share a little secret with you:  native speakers never use those words.  Really.   Well, maybe I am exaggerating a little.  Furthermore and additionally certainly have their place in academic writing but I can assure you that unless you are a member of Parliament or the Queen, the word moreover has no place in your arsenal of spoken language.  It's just too much.  And it certainly doesn't sound natural.  For some reason however, this is the word that has come to haunt me over the years. 

My advice:  just try to replace it with something more authentic sounding.  "Also,"  works wonders. "Besides" and "on top of that"  would also do nicely. 

when a little extra work is..... colossal

In my last post I mentioned lexical resources and I used synonyms for big as an example of how to use a wider range of vocabulary.  After I wrote the post, I kept thinking about the word, "colossal."  Yeah, that would have been a good one to suggest.  Then I started thinking about collocations with colossal because it is one thing to know a good word but it is quite another to know how to use it correctly.  So, I basically did something I think every ESL student should do, if he or she doesn't do it already:  I googled colossal definition.  One thing that dictionaries are good for apart from definitions, is telling you how the word is used.  So Merriam Webster gives us "colossal failure," Oxford tells us about "colossal mistakes,"  and The Free Dictionary gives us "a colossal increase in price."

www.yourdictionary.com is another great site to see how words are used in sentences.  So, for all the words you learn, or all the "good words" you know, work with them,  see how they are used and jot them down somewhere.  Experiment a little.   If you are not sure if something you've written is a collocation, google that, too.  Who knows, it might just make the difference between a 6 and a 7.  And I think we all know that that is colossal.  :)

IELTS Writing: What does it all mean?

Lots of people approach me saying they need a 7 in IELTS.  My advice is always the same:   know what that means.  It's easy to see what a 7 translates to in Reading and Listening but sometimes people don't know what a 7 means for speaking and writing.  Google this:  IELTS speaking band descriptors  as well as IELTS writing band descriptors.   The descriptors are available on PDF all over the Internet.  Familiarize yourself with them and what they mean. 

A 7 in writing means you will need to do lots of things. In terms of task response, first, you'll need to address all parts of the task. So, if there are two questions, you will answer those two questions.  Advantages/ Disadvantages?   Talk about them both.  Your position will need to be clear throughout, so yes, say what your position is in your introduction.   Lastly, back up your main ideas with support, support, support. An 8 tells us that you have to develop your response with EXTENDED support, so after every sentence you write ask yourself, "how, why, what, who?"  If you can give an answer, then perhaps that answer should go in your essay. 

Coherence and cohesion tell us that your essay needs to have a logical order & progression.  Cohesive devices are necessary but they are more than just Firstly, Secondly, thirdly.   Even pronouns and words like this and that can link your ideas together.  So, use a variety.   Another warning would be not to OVERUSE cohesive devices.  So, sentences should be linked together but more seamlessly. 

As for lexical resource, why use "big" when you can say enormous, monumental, substantial or vast???  You want to be as precise as possible.  You could say, "air pollution is a big problem in our society," or you could say, "air pollution is a problem of monumental proportions in our society."    And I know that spelling in English is no easy task but it counts, so do be careful. 

Grammatical range means use more grammar than just Subject + Verb + Object.  Use subordinate clauses.  Use advanced grammar like inversion,  subjunctive, participle clauses, conditionals, relative clauses.  If you are not sure what these things are, open an advanced grammar book or Google them.
In an 8 essay, the majority of sentences are error-free.  That is your goal.  

If you keep in mind what an 8 is and have that as a goal, then you are more likely to get the 7 you actually need. 

For mini-posts, links I like, etc....

.... you may want to check out my page on Facebook.  I try to post things that I find from sites I like that I think ESL students, especially those studying for IELTS, ECPE and Cambridge ESOL, might find helpful.  I also occasionally post something original that doesn't really warrant a whole blog post.  If interested, check it out:  www.facebook.com/helensesl  

IELTS writing task 2 - let's stick to the topic

One of the things that always causes stress for my IELTS students is the time limit.  Many people feel overwhelmed with the idea of writing a full essay in 40 minutes.  So what do many IELTS candidates do?  They rush.  They rush to start writing & that of course can be disastrous.  I know that I have mentioned in previous posts how important it is to take some time to brainstorm but before you get to that, you must be very certain that you have understood the task!

 

One of my students was recently given a task 2 question about the environment. The question was something like, "Preserving the environment is an important issue today.  How can individuals protect the environment? Why don't people play a more active role in environmental protection?

What I see some students do is, in their mad rush to start writing, they see that the topic has something to do with the environment, so they start writing what some of the threats to the environment are.   Or maybe they spend their essays discussing what can be done in general to protect the environment.  Both approaches, of course, are wrong.  The first sentence of the prompt is just an introduction to the topic.   What you are supposed to write on is very clearly laid out for you in two questions:  How can individuals protect the environment?  Why don't people play a more active role in environmental protection?  If you spend a paragraph answering each question, you are well on you way to getting a good band score for Task Response.  Remember, how appropriately and completely you answer the question accounts for 25% of your Task 2 mark. 

 

So what do I suggest?  Spend a couple of minutes looking at the question.  Pinpoint key words or phrases.  Sometimes it helps to rephrase the prompt, although this might be a little risky.  Take a look at this task 2 question:  It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talent, for instance for sport or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views.  Hmm,  a lot to take in.  So, let's see what they want us to do: Discuss both these views.  Which views? some people are born with certain talent and any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician.

All your brainstorming & subsequent writing will be centered on these two main ideas.  Anything off-topic runs the risk of falling into the "answer is tangential,"  territory of Band 4 for Task Response. 

IELTS - let's clear any misunderstandings

A lot of people approach me for IELTS lessons saying, "Helen, I need to pass IELTS, can you help me?"  The answer to this is a little tricky.  First of all, there is no such thing as a "pass" in IELTS.  IELTS is not a certificate in the way that Cambridge Proficiency or Michigan ECCE is.  That is, you don't learn a particular level of English in order to get a certificate.  Instead, what IELTS does is it certifies your current level of English.  So if you if your level of English is, for example, intermediate, this will most likely be reflected in your IELTS score.  No teacher can teach you to "pass" IELTS if your English is not at a level that it needs to be. 

For postgraduate studies in English-speaking universities, the IELTS scores required vary.  Typically, most universities want at least a 6.5.   Some will require an overall score of 7 with at least 6 in each area or some will specify 7 in all areas.  Check with the universities you are interested in to be sure. 

So what is a 6.5 or 7?  the IELTS website provides this guideline .  For those of you who are familiar with Cambridge ESOL exams, a B2 is a First Certificate and a C1 is an Advanced.  Could you pass these tests with at least a 60%?  If so, you are well on your way to getting a 6.5 or 7.  If not, then what you and your teacher need to do is improve your English to get it to this level.  This will take some time and effort and is also one of the reasons I advise most people not to self-prepare. 

If you are unsure of your English level, there are some English placement tests available on the Internet.   Or, contact me for some. 

The fruits of my brainstorming - you can say it, but can you support it?

In my last post, I talked about brainstorming. The topic I looked at was: Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions. Some people think this is fully justified while others think it is unfair.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

 Here are some of the ideas I came up with :

fair & justified:
-sports figures who earn $$$$ are the minority of all professional athletes
-there is a lot of money in sports - huge industry
-entertainment

unfair:
-many professionals dedicate years, money and their lives to studying and pursuing a career just to earn a small percentage of what sports stars make
-different professionals make a great impact on our lives and make much less money

So, these are my main ideas.  I may use all of them or only some of them.  What happens next is supporting your main ideas.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to support your ideas.  You simply cannot assume that your reader knows what you mean unless you say it clearly.  Take a look at this main idea:  different professionals make a great impact on our lives and make much less
money.  If I read that in an essay and it was not supported by examples or an explanation, I may think
anything from street cleaners to government officials, but that is not the point.  What I want to know is what the writer is thinking, so tell me who you have in mind:  Doctors, teachers and scientists.
You need to do this for ALL of your main ideas.  Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds.  Your essay should have about four main ideas so you need to think of supporting ideas for each of them.  So, why don't you think about how we can support these main ideas.  You can even post some in the comments  I'll do the same & we'll meet back here in my next post.  :)