Category: PTE

Agreement of the verb with the subject is a basic understanding while making any sentence. Students generally know this basic rule of grammar, but in this chapter, I am going to discuss one exception, which is worthwhile to learn it.

a)  If two subjects combined denotes one idea, we use the verb which may be the Singular; as,

• Thrill and safety goes hand in hand with this car.
• The long and the short of the matter is this proposal may not have any positive fruition.
• Slow and steady wins the race. That’s what we were taught by the moral story of the hare and the tortoise.
• Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
• The horse and carriage is at the door now.
• Bread and butter is wholesome. Bread and butter is all she takes for breakfast.
• Subhas Chandra Bose, the great nationalist and leader, is no more with us.
• Love and hate is a part of human behavior.
• Rice and curry is my favorite dish for sure.
• The law and order in town is under control now.
• Stay away from this parliamentarian. His power and influence is on the rise.

b)  In some cases, two nouns are joined by words/phrases, such as with, besides, as well as, together with, no less than. It also expresses one idea; as,

• Gold, as well as silver, is a precious metal.
• The rich as well as the poor takes part in this exercise.
• No one, besides him, knows how to deal with such situations.
• Mark my words; your father, not you, has created this gigantic empire of wealth.
• Sheila, together with other friends of mine, is working on this project at the moment.

The sentence formation of Simple Present Tense follows:

	Active and Passive	Active and Passive
1st Person	I give = I am given	We give = We are given
2nd Person	You give = You are given	You give = You are given
	He gives = He is given
3rd Person	She gives = She is given	They give = They are given
	It gives = It is given

The sentence formation of Simple Past Tense Follows

	Active and Passive	Active and Passive
1st Person	I gave = I was given	We gave = We were given
2nd Person	You gave = You were given	You gave = You were given
	He gave = He was given
3rd Person	She gave = She was given	They gave = They were given
	It gave = It was given

The sentence formation of Simple Future Tense Follows

	Active and Passive	Active and Passive
1st Person	I shall give = I shall be given	We shall give = We shall be given
2nd Person	You will give = You will be given	You will give = You will be given
	He will give = He will be given
3rd Person	She will give = She will be given	They will give = They will be given
	It will give = It will be given

The postman brings letters. (Active Voice)

Letters are brought by the postman. (Passive Voice)

Uses of Passive Voice:

Passive voice is not much used in our native languages, such as Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi or any other as it looks awkward when it is translated literally. However, it is a usual practice in the English language to use passive voice.

In the IELTS Academic test, passive voice plays an essential role in Task 1 because of its peculiarity in the usage. It is widely used in it because the doer (agent) becomes inconsequential in the sentence construction. In another way, in most sentences in task one and also in our life, we are not inclined to use the doer (agent) over and over again. For example, my car has been moved!

Now, it does not matter who moved it, or I have no idea who did it.

1. It is used in colloquial speech. ‘Get’ is sometimes used instead of ‘Be’:

The bottle got (= was) broken.

You will get (= be) demoralized if you keep on watching sad news on TV.

There was a brawl at the party last night, but fortunately, nobody got (= was) hurt.

Some exceptions: get married, get divorced, get dressed, get changed (these expressions are not in the passive voice)

• Some verbs have two objects. For example, give:

Somebody gave her a rottweiler. (Active Voice)

She was given a rottweiler. A rottweiler was given to her. (Passive Voice)

Somebody gave the cops a tip-off about the raid. (Active Voice)

The cops were given a tip-off about the raid. A tip-off about the raid was given to the cops (Passive Voice)

• In some sentences, the doer is unimportant, so it is not necessary to mention them:

The rubbish has not been collected from the last two days.

The streets are washed every night, wasting away precious drinking water.

You will be ten printed when you apply for the US visa.

• In some sentences, the doer is unknown, or you do not know exactly or have forgotten who did this particular action:

The prime minister was assassinated (= by someone, but we have no idea who exactly did this).

The report on my table was taken (= by some team member)

• Sentences using ‘People’ as a doer in active verbs:

She was suspected of having a hand in glove in this corruption case. (People suspected her of…).

The Gandhi family was believed to be a family of saints, but the reports show otherwise. (People believed the Gandhi family…)

• When we use the indefinite pronoun ‘one’ in the active sentence:

One believes (that) this sort of counseling is as unacceptable. (Active Voice)

This sort of counseling is believed as unacceptable. (Passive Voice)

You can see the advert of Coco-Cola everywhere. (Active Voice)

The advert of Coco-Cola is seen everywhere. (Passive Voice)

• In some cases, we tend to be more interested in the action than the person who does it:

The office next door has been bought (by a Mr. Patel).

If we happen to know Mr. Patel, we will use the active form:

Mr. Patel has bought the office next door.

• It is used to avoid an ungrammatical or awkward sentence. We generally do not change the subject:

Before I reached home, my neighbor took Jericho (dog) to a vet.

would be better expressed:

Before I reached home, Jericho was taken to a vet by my neighbor.

• It is used to disclaim responsibility for disagreeable announcements. It is preferred for psychological reasons:

The bonus on top of your remuneration is being cancelled/will have to be cancelled this year as the company did not meet the revenue target.

airy-fairy (adjective, informal, disapproving): not clear or practical

I like that place because people out there talk about deals, done-deals, projects, achievements, airy-fairy stories among others.

argy-bargy (noun, uncountable, countable, informal): noisy disagreement 

She had a bit of argy-bargy with her boss over the assignments she was overseeing.

artsy-fartsy also arty-farty (adjective, disapproving, informal): connected with, or having an interest in, the arts

She got annoyed at her consistent response to what she called arty-farty or airy-fairy explanations of how things worked.

chit-chat (noun, uncountable, informal): conversation about things that are not important 

Could you please share a minute for a quick chit-chat?

criss-cross (verb): to make a pattern on something with many straight lines that cross each other

The world was crisscrossed by telegraph lines in the last century, including countless cables under the Atlantic Ocean.

dilly-dally (verb, informal): to take too long to do something, go somewhere or make a decision)

Frankly speaking, I am not a morning guy; dilly-dally during my morning rituals.

harum-scarum (adjective): behaving in a wild and sometimes careless way

Jenny was all set out to start running under the new coach, but her jumping was quite harum-scarum.

helter-skelter (adjective, only before noun): done in a hurry and in a way that lacks organization

In this hectic and helter-skelter world, this was an obvious reminder of the kindness and the Smiths have done it again.

higgledy-piggledy (adjective, informal): untidy and lacking any order

I can see a higgledy-piggledy mess of badly-designed streets in my town.

hocus-pocus (noun, uncountable): language or behaviour that is nonsense and is intended to hide the truth from people

I disagree with the belief that psychology is a lot of hocus-pocus. However, my peers see it otherwise.

hoity-toity (adjective, informal): behaving in a way that suggests that you think you are most important than other people; haughty

My first impression for Islanders was the moneyed and hoity-toity, but soon it was proven wrong the moment I started integrating into society.

hotchpotch (noun, singular, informal [North American: hodgepodge]): a number of things mixed together without any particular order or reason 

Being a coach, it becomes hard for me to explain to students who produce an incoherent hotchpotch in writing.

hurly-burly (noun, uncountable): a very noisy and busy activity or situation

She recounts her hurly-burly of school life on the graduation day.

itty-bitty also itsy-bitsy (adjective, informal): very small

Next to that small area, you can see an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bathroom.

mumbo jumbo (noun, uncountable, informal, disapproving): language or ceremony that seems complicated and important but is actually without real sense or meaning; nonsense

To her naivety, Rebecca could not comprehend a maze of dense and mumbo jumbo legal terms and ended up losing plenty of money.

mishmash (noun, singular, informal, disapproving): a confused mixture of different kinds of things, styles, etc.

The professor made a total mishmash of points to come to the conclusion, and I think the classroom is yet confused and in bewilderment over this topic.

(the) nitty-gritty (noun, informal, singular): the basic or most important details of an issue or a situation

She missed the nitty-gritty of her assignment which dragged her overall score.

ping-pong (noun, uncountable): table tennis

If your daughter is not good at lawn tennis, put her to ping-pong and she might succeed.

pitter-patter also pit-a-pat (adverb): with quick light steps or beats 

When I heard of you, my heart went pitter-patter across the floor.

shilly-shally (verb, informal, disapproving): to take a long time to do something, especially to make a decision

The Fire Safety department started shilly-shallying about the fire mishap in Surat. Their inertia and incompetence engulfed in over a score of students.

teeny-weeny also teensy-weensy (adjective, informal): very small

Next to that small area, you can see an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bathroom.

tittle-tattle (noun, uncountable, informal, disapproving): unimportant talk, usually not true, about other people and their lives; gossip

I reckon the gossip surrounding her love affair with Jason is just that – idle tittle-tattle.

touchy-feely (adjective, informal, disapproving):  expressing emotion too openly

It is unwise for you to get all touchy-feely with your own emotions at the workplace because your co-workers may give you a verbal hug for a while, but they may take advantage of it later on.

wishy-washy (adjective, informal, disapproving): not having clear or firm ideas or beliefs

The right wingers have run over those wishy-washy neoliberals in all parts of the world.

• Peace talks between the USA and Iran have collapsed, and it seems that things are getting messier.

Peace talks between the USA and Iran have broken down, and it seems that things are getting messier.

• I am trying to calculate which products fetch us good gains and which are dead weights. 

I am trying to work out which products fetch us good gains and which are dead weights.

• The doctor said, “Initially you will feel intoxicated for some time, but after a few hours the effects of the drug will disappear.”

The doctor said, “Initially you will feel intoxicated for some time, but after a few hours the effects of the drug will wear off.”

• It is a common sight that people exhaust themselves through overwork. They are unable to enjoy quality time with family.

It is a common sight that people wear themselves out through overwork. They are unable to enjoy quality time with family.

• Sonali Bendre is a classic example of resilience in adversity. Despite the severity of the disease, she recovered with the help of appropriate drugs.

Sonali Bendre is a classic example of resilience in adversity. Despite the severity of the disease, she pulled through with the help of appropriate drugs.

• I think we can resolve this issue only by having talks. Or this episode will lead to an acrimonious divorce.

I think we can sort this issue out only by having talks. Or this episode will lead to an acrimonious divorce.

• When parents start to live apart, it impacts heavily on young children. Because of their troubled childhood, it may lead to juvenile crime in some cases, too.

When parents split up, it impacts heavily on young children. Because of their troubled childhood, it may lead to juvenile crime in some cases, too.

• Last time, test takers who were not to take the test at our exam center came and we had to turn them away.

Last time, test takers who were not to take the test at our exam center showed up and we had to refuse them to enter.

• The Chinese government wrongly assumed that India would join the one belt initiative road project, but India stopped being a part of the deal.

The Chinese government wrongly assumed that India would join the one belt initiative road project, but India pulled out of the deal.

• Indians celebrate Diwali by exploding fireworks.

Indians celebrate Diwali by letting off fireworks.

• Expecting from those people who do not fulfill their promises will disappoint you in the end.

Expecting from those people who do not fulfill their promises will let you down in the end.

• She continued working hard after her assignment though she was well aware that she would not do well.

She kept on working hard after her assignment though she was well aware that she would not do well.

• The journey towards Ontario was delayed because of harsh weather, and no flight took off from the island.

The journey towards Ontario was held up because of harsh weather, and no flight took off from the island.

• We were expecting a handsome incentive after completion of our project, but the promised incentive did not take place, hurting the sentiments of the whole team.

We were expecting a handsome incentive after completion of our project, but the promised incentive fell through, hurting the sentiments of the whole team.

• The last cycle of recession wreaked havoc and many employees became jobless.

The last cycle of recession wreaked havoc and many employees ended up jobless.

• Scientists did some tests on rodents and found medicine had no effect whatsoever.

Scientists carried out some tests on rodents and found that medicine had no effect whatsoever.

• Large corporations during the winter season in North America spend less on staff costs.

Large corporations during the winter season in North America cut back on staff costs.

• After a marathon analysis and investigation, the team was successful in removing technical glitches of new software.

After a marathon analysis and investigation, the team was successful in doing away with technical glitches of new software.

• I was talking to my boss while driving and accidentally the talk was disconnected.

I was talking to my boss while driving and accidentally the talk was cut off.

• The project manager estimates $10 million to renovate the entire recreational areas and the testing laboratory at university.

The project manager estimates $10 million to do up the entire recreational areas and the testing laboratory at university.

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I shall have eaten = I’ll have eaten	We shall have eaten = We’ll have eaten
2nd Person	You will have eaten = You’ll have eaten	You will have eaten = You’ll have eaten
3rd Person	He will have eaten = He’ll have eaten
	She will have eaten = She’ll have eaten	They will have eaten = They’ll have eaten
	It will have eaten = It’ll have eaten

Uses of The Future Perfect Tense:

1. It is generally used to show the completion of an action by a certain time in the future. We use a time expression beginning with by in most cases: by that time, by the next month, by then, etc.
   • By the end of next month, I think I will have completed this project.
   • By the time you realize your mistake, you will have paid a heavy price for your wrong actions.
   • Before she comes to my place, I shall have left for school.
   • By 2025, the city’s population will have doubled.

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I had eaten = I’d eaten	We had eaten = We’d eaten
2nd Person	You had eaten = You’d eaten	You had eaten = You’d eaten
3rd Person	He had eaten = He’d eaten
	She had eaten = She’d eaten	They had eaten = They’d eaten
	It had eaten = It’d eaten

Uses of The Past Perfect Tense:

1. The past perfect tense is used for actions completed before a certain moment in the past:

Present: My brother has just left for airport. If you hurry you will catch him.

Past: When he arrived, my brother had just left for airport.

I met her father in Canada last year. I had seen him the last ten years before.

• When two actions happen in the past, it may be necessary to describe which action happened earlier than the other.

When he arrived, my brother had just left for airport.

The child had begun crying before her mother reached the nursery school.

• The past perfect tense can be used with since/for/always etc. for an action which began the time of speaking in the past, and
  • was still in progression at that time or
  • ended at that time or just before it.
• He had been a police officer for ten years, and decided to stay in the police department till he reached the retirement.

We had lived in this small village for five years before moving to a big city.

• The old banyan tree, which had stood in the middle of the garden for 40 years/since before the garden was developed, suddenly crashed to the ground.

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I have eaten = I’ve eaten	We have eaten = We’ve eaten
2nd Person	You have eaten = You’ve eaten	You have eaten = You’ve eaten
3rd Person	He has eaten = He’s eaten
	She has eaten = She’s eaten	They have eaten = They’ve eaten
	It has eaten = It’s eaten

Uses of The Present Perfect Tense:

1. It indicates completed actions in the immediate past: She has just gone out = She went out a few minutes ago.   We have just had supper = We had supper a few minutes ago.
2. It is also used for an action which happened in the past, and its connection with the present is still maintained and possibly they could repeat in the present time, too: I have seen coyotes in that jungle. This implies that we could also see them in the present time. Daler Mehandi has sung many popular songs. This implies that Daler Mehandi is alive and can sing more.

In some case, the impact of action/result could stretch to the future: You have lost this golden opportunity. It implies that you may never get the same opportunity in the future.

3. Some actions that take place in the present perfect often results in the present: She has had a nightmare. (She is probably still in that trauma).

My car has broken down. (I have to call a taxi for my commuting).

I have completed my report for you. (It means my job is done, and you could now start yours by analyzing it).

4. It is used for an action beginning at some point of time in the past and continuing up to the present moment: We have not met for ages.   I have not received the repeat order for my produce since last month.   She has been sick since last two days.

5. The following adverb or adverb phrases can be used with the Present Perfect Tense:

Just

Often

Never

Ever (in question only)

So far

Till now

Yet (in question and negatives)

Already

Since

For

Today

This week

This month

Lately

Recently

All day

All my life

All the time

Always, etc.

It is a common sight that students (in some cases, teachers, too) worry about the ‘complex structures’ aspect of grammar score in their writing tests. It is nothing but a waste of time.

It makes no sense when students have several complex structures (joining clauses in one sentence using linkers) with full of errors. In the IELTS test, error-free sentences are of great importance if someone wants to achieve an 8-band score. Let us look at the marking parameters here:

Band 8: most sentences are error-free
Band 7: frequent error-free sentences

I explain this fact to students, and yet, they fall in the trap. I can see that most students can write sentences with more than one clause using linkers, such as while, where, when, because, yet and as among others. They are perfectly be categorized as complex structures and do connect ideas. So, why do we need to press the need for more complex structures? I guess we do not need more than that.

Test takers must concentrate on error-free sentences, and should focus on this aspect carefully rather than being experimental on something on which they may mess up their write-up. And, if someone is not able to produce such error-free sentences, they should rely on simple sentences. In the end, your grammar mistakes count!

Future Progressive Tense

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I will/shall be eating	We will/shall be eating
2nd Person	You will be eating	You will be eating
3rd Person	He will be eating
	She will be eating	They will be eating
	It will be eating

Uses of The Future Progressive (Continuous) Tense:

1. It is used as an ordinary progressive tense. Generally, it has a time reference:
   1. There is no IELTS class on Sunday. So, on Sunday students will not be sitting in the classroom.
   1. By this time, I will be traveling to Mumbai
2. It expresses the future with or without intention.
   1. I will be seeing my professor tomorrow.
   1. I guess he will not be coming with us tomorrow.
   1. I will be writing an email to my boss and tell him about this update.