AusIn Ielts/Pte/Oet Coaching

16/04/2015

One of the common mistakes with True, False and Not Given is that candidates often 'assume' instead of finding the 'sense'. For example spot the difference between the two sentences:

He goes to the school regularly.
Or
He is a regular student.

Often people say that there is no difference in the two. Well, the difference is 2nd sentence specifies that 'he' is a 'student' whereas 1st sentence does not specify. In this case 'He' could be a student, a teacher, a worker etc.

Hence, from T, F and N.G. point of view the two sentences are different. Don't assume that 'He' in both cases is a 'Student'.

01/04/2015

25/09/2014

Basic difference between 'amount of' and 'quantity of'.

'Amount of' is used for things that cannot be measured and it is predominantly used before a singular.
e.g. The amount of hard work that you put in is enormous. (hard work cannot be measured and is a singular word).

'Quantity of' is used for the things that can be measured and it can be used before a singular or plural.
e.g. The quality of hours put in the work is more important than the quantity of hours. (hours is countable).

Using both the words in one sentence:
The amount of hard work that you do is determined by the quantity of hours you put in.

22/09/2014

Although English is a widely spoken language but throughout history it has borrowed heavily from other languages. Here are the 10 words borrowed from Hindi language:
Bungalow
Cheetah
Dacoit
Jungle
Guru
Khaki
Loot
Pundit
Pyjama
Thug

Of course! they are all hindi words widely used in english language.
P.S. English is the third most spoken language n the world. (Mandarin being no. 1 followed by Spanish).

19/09/2014

Inquiry and Enquiry:

As per the US english, both the words can be used interchangeably.

As per the UK english, inquiry and enquiry are interchangeable as well. However, it is becoming preferable to use inquiry to denote an investigation, and enquiry to denote a question.

E.g. The FBI will conduct an intensive inquiry to solve the case.

I am happy to answer your enquiries, if any.

Have a Great Weekend!

18/09/2014

Between and Among:

There is a common misconception that between is used for two things/persons and among is used for more than two things/persons. In fact, between can be used even when we talk about more than two things/persons as far as they are separate and distinct. Among is used when we talk about being the part of a group or in midst of a group.
E.g. for between:
What is the difference between affect and effect.
Share the notes between Paul, Harry, Dan and Tom.

E.g. for among:
I like to live among the like-minded people.
Share the notes among yourself.

I live between Block A and Block B AND I live among the blocks.

17/09/2014

The Difference between:
Can you help me?
May you help me?
Will you help me?

Can is used for ability, power. "Can you help me?" implies if the other person is physically/mentally able to help me. e.g. Can you help me with the Microsoft office.

May is used for asking permission. "May you help me?" implies if the other person is permitted to help me. e.g. I need help only if you may help me with my homework.

Will is used to know whether the person is going to help. "Will you help me?" implies if the other person is going to help me. e.g. Will you be helping me with my driving lesson or shall I ask the instructor?

Have a Lovely Day!

10/09/2014

FOREIGN WORDS OFTEN USED IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE:

Listed are 15 words from latin language but so often used by us. HURRAY! everyone of us know a bit of latin.

Ad hoc means for the special purpose, end presently under consideration. e.g. Employed on ad hoc basis.

Alias means of another name or pseudo name

Alma mater means nourishing mother usually used to denote one's
college/uni

Ante meridian (A.M.) means time before noon

Post meridian (P.M.) means after noon

Audio means I hear

et cetera also used as 'etc' and everyone knows the usage.

Facsimile means make a look alike used for fax

Post mortem means after death

Post scriptum or P.S. means thing having been written afterward

Versus also used as 'vs' means against.

Vice versa means other way round

Anno Domini commonly used as A.D. means after death of christ.

Status quo means the state in which the things are

Sic means thus, such usually used to denote that a phrase, word, sentence that appears strange or incorrect have been used intentionally. e.g. He said, " its (sic) coming my way."

09/09/2014

FUN SENTENCES:
How to make your speech more expressive and meaningful:

Emphasising certain word in a language will completely change the meaning of the sentence, be it any language. The word to be emphasised is within the brackets. Just test it yourself.

[I] never said he stole my wallet. – means, Someone else said it.
I [never] said he stole my wallet. – means, I didn’t say it.
I never [said] he stole my wallet. – means, I only implied it.
I never said [he] stole my wallet. – means, I said someone did, not necessarily him.
I never said he [stole] my wallet. – I considered it borrowed.
I never said he stole [my] wallet. – means, he stole wallet— not necessarily my wallet.
I never said he stole my [wallet]. – means, he stole something of mine, not my wallet.

Always while speaking try emphasising the word that makes your sentence more meaningful.

05/09/2014

04/09/2014

IDEAL, IDLE, IDOL are a very commonly used words and often people get confused with the right usage of these similar looking and sounding words.

IDEAL means perfect or which is most suitable. e.g. This is an ideal weather for a beach holiday.

IDLE means not active, lazy. e.g. a famous saying, an idle mind is a devil's workshop.

IDOL means image of god worshipped by people; it also means a person or thing admired and loved by people. e.g. This is an idol of lord Rama. She is an idol person.