1 | Advanced Grammar and Academic Writing

Advanced Grammar and Academic

Writing Course

Note:

• Please feel free to ask queries, Mrs. Asmaa and her

team are always there to SUPPORT you.

• Coordinator’s WhatsApp No: 01017743133

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Punctuation Marks:

IELTS Writing

Full stops

Full stops are very important. Put a clear full stop at the end of each sentence, and then
begin the next sentence with a capital letter. If you don't do this, you will get a low score.

Apostrophes

Avoid contractions in IELTS writing (Writing tasks 1 and 2 Academic, Formal letters
GTA). For example, Use "do not" instead of "don't".
Can’t- cannot

You may sometimes need to show possession e.g. the

government's decision.
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Hyphens
Compound modifiers should be hyphenated when they precede the nouns they are
modifying: a well-known sportsperson / a high-profile investigation / a 45-minute
meeting

Fractions should always be hyphenated:

three-quarters / two-thirds

But: a fifth or one fifth (not one-fifth), a quarter or one quarter etc.

Question marks and exclamation marks

We don’t accept rhetorical questions or exclamation marks in Task 2 or Task 1 Academic, but
question marks and exclamation marks are possible, where appropriate, in Task 1 General
Training.

Brackets & Colon

We don’t accept the use of brackets & colon.

How to Use Commas Correctly in

IELTS Exam
One of the common mistakes in IELTS writing is the wrong use of punctuations, especially
the comma (,). In writing, commas help the writer to make the information clear, but using
commas incorrectly may confuse readers. Therefore, learning how to use commas correctly
in the IELTS is important for you to get a good score in the writing section. Let’s take a look
at several basic rules for using comma properly.
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1-In lists
Commas are used to separate words and phrases when there are three or more of
them.

Examples:

Music, art and drama are tremendously useful subjects. CORRECT(without comma)
OR
Music, art, and drama are tremendously useful subjects. CORRECT (with comma)

Taking music, art or drama at primary school is a waste of time. CORRECT (without comma)
OR
Taking music, art, or drama at primary school is a waste of time. CORRECT (with comma)

I will have a sandwich, an apple, an egg, and a bottle of milk for lunch.

The growing number of cars causes air pollution, noise pollution and traffic
problems.

Note: no comma should be put before and or or when they feature in two-item lists:

Music, and drama are tremendously useful subjects. INCORRECT

Music and drama are tremendously useful subjects. CORRECT

2-Separate multiple adjectives modifying the same noun

We use commas to separate a series of adjectives which modify the same noun.

Example: The tall, elegant, kind lady is my boss.

The lady is tall, elegant and kind.

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Thanks for letting us stay at your cozy, convenient house.

3-Before coordinating conjunctions

Use commas before coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or, so, for, yet , nor
(FANBOYS) in compound sentences.
Examples:

Laila did her best, yet she failed the exam.

Many young adults cannot afford the living expenses by their own, so they live
with their parents to save money.

Note: Do not use a comma to combine two complete sentences.

Incorrect example: She did her best, she failed the exam.

Correct example: She did her best, yet she failed the exam.
She did her best; she failed the exam.

4-After introductory adverbs, phrases, or

clauses
Other introductory phrases (adverbs, adverbial phrases, prepositional
phrases etc.) used at the start of a sentence before the main sentence begins should be
followed by a comma:

After introductory adverbs

Example: Surprisingly, most people believe that he is wrong.

These days, Nowadays,

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After introductory Cohesive devices

There should always be commas after common cohesive devices/discourse markers when they
are at the start of a sentence:

Example: Therefore, government should encourage those businesses to move to

rural areas.

In other words,
However,
On the other hand,
Moreover,
In addition,
Therefore,

After prepositional phrases

Example: In the past, it took much more time for people to travel outside the
country.

In many countries, second-hand clothing is becoming increasingly popular.

In my opinion,
According to many experts, In
the majority of cases,

At the start of the period, etc.

• After participial phrases ( verb + ing)

Example: Walking on the beach, she found a beautiful seashell.

This results in increased unemployment among older people, leading to increased

poverty.
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There was an increase in the number of cheap flights available, causing people to travel
abroad more often.

• After dependent clauses (if they come before the independent clauses)
Example: If it rains tomorrow, I will stay at home.

• After words, such as “say” and before a quotation

Example: The famous scientist said,” It is strange that only extraordinary men
make the discoveries, which later appear so easy and simple.”

5-Around parenthetical phrases or clauses

Nonessential elements (including single words or two-word phrases) that come in the
middle of a sentence should be surrounded by commas. A nonessential element is one
that could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Example: The canopy, the upper level of the trees in the rain forest, holds a
plethora of climbing mammals of moderately large size, which may include
monkeys, cats, civets, and porcupines.

The view of many people, including the majority of the inhabitants of

India, is that vegetarianism is a boon to health.

such as / like

A comma should be used before clauses starting with such as and like when they are
used to give examples:
Income inequality has increased in many European countries, such as the UK and Germany.
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Some kinds of used clothes, like sweaters and jeans, are preferred by South Americans over
others.

➢ No comma is used before (or after) clauses starting with such as and like if they are
essential elements of the sentence (that is, removing them would change the meaning of
the sentence or produce a nonsensical sentence):

Countries such as Japan and Korea have been experiencing economic hardship.

Taking subjects like art, music and drama improves students’ creativity.

6. Dates
A comma should not be used between a month and a date:

July, 2020 is when the wedding will take place. INCORRECT

July2020 is when the wedding will take place. CORRECT

A comma should be inserted before the year in full dates:

6th July 2020 is when the wedding will take place. INCORRECT

6th July, 2020 is when the wedding will take place. CORRECT

7. Places
A comma should be inserted between a city or other geographical area and a country or
state:

The number of sports centers in Tokyo, Japan has been going up in recent years.
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