How to Improve your English Grammar

Good grammar is a key component in being able to speak English; in this section we will give you some tips on how to improve your English grammar.

It’s normal for non-native English speakers to make grammatical errors on occasion. The key to improve your grammar is like the key to improve everything else, practice!

Before you begin with exercises, quizzes and lectures it’s important to understand the foundation.

For example you should learn the difference between adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, nouns, pronouns, interjections and prepositions.

When doing practice exercises it’s crucial that you pay attention on how correct sentences are constructed. By paying attention every time you read an article you will be able to memorize the different grammatical rules.

The fastest way to improve your grammar is to actually speak and write in English. A great tool that some students at ePrepz take advantage of is creating your own blog. Write about topics that you are interested in; as long as it is in English it will help your English grammar tremendously.

After taking different grammar exercises you will learn what different areas you need to work on, by staying consistent you can improve your English grammar within months.

To learn more about how to improve your English grammar, check out ePrepz Online English course.

TOEFL iBT Test Score Statistics Infographic

One of our students at ePrepz (Luiz from Brazil) have compiled some interesting TOEFL test score statistics with an Infographic visualization. The data from 2012 gives us the average TOEFL scores for different countries and gender. The top TOEFL scoring country might be a surprise for you, it certainly surprised me.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:
TOEFL iBT Test Score Statistics Infographic

My TOEIC Experience: How I Prepared for the TOEIC Test

Hi everyone, my name is Alejandra Sanchez and I’m from Spain. I thought I would share some of my experiences of taking the TOEIC with the rest of the community here at ePrepz.

Below is a summary of my experience with the TOEIC and how I prepared for the TOEIC.

Background

I live in Madrid and work for a clothing company; my company is expanding and starting to sell products abroad. This opened up opportunities for the staff since we needed support/sales personal to be able to communicate in English with our new international customers.

This is where the TOEIC test comes in. My employees recommended me to take the TOEIC so I can get promoted to the new jobs created for the expansion. By taking the TOEIC I was able to move up in my company and be a supervisor for my group. I had 2 months to prepare for the test.

Preparing

So the first thing I did was to buy a book to prepare for the TOEIC exam, I was taking the both the listening & reading as well as the speaking & writing test. So I had a lot of studying to do in a short amount of time. I studied abroad in London for a year so I think that was a huge advantage for me.

The listening part was pretty easy for me, I watch a lot of movies and TV shows in English and I think that helped a lot when it comes to this part. The reading part was a little harder since I’m not used to reading in English. That’s something I really tried to do before taking the test, reading the news every day in English at bbc.com.

The book I bought didn’t give me any actual practice so I signed up with ePrepz TOEIC prep as well. By taking the TOEIC simulation tests I improved my reading comprehension and learned what to expect when taking the test.

The speaking part was the most difficult part for me; I had some trouble with my pronunciation. My advice for someone struggling with the speaking is to try to find people with who you can speak English repeatedly.

My boyfriend plays a video game and the people he plays with online often speak English, so I started talking with them in English. It does not matter where or with whom you speak English as long as you practice it.

The writing part is the same as speaking, you have to practice it and just not read the theory.

My top advice after my experience with the TOEIC would be:

  1. Have a clear strategy before taking the test
  2. Answer all the questions, even if you don’t know the answer
  3. Make sure you take plenty of practice tests before taking the TOEIC

Test day

When taking the test I was really nervous in the beginning, but after a while I noticed that all the questions and format was very similar to what I have practiced with ePrepz. So I just started relaxing and following the strategy I had set up before the test.

I’m very happy that I took the TOEIC exam and the ePrepz practice material really helped me get ready for the TOEIC!

I love my new job, and after receiving this promotion I hope I can continue to advance in my company.

Good luck on your TOEIC!

Sincerely,

Alejandra

TOEFL Time Management Strategy

No matter what section of the TOEFL (reading, listening, speaking and writing) you are on, you must keep an eye out for the time restriction. It’s important to be aware of the time limitations when you are practicing for the TOEFL. That’s when time management comes in.

To make sure you have plenty of time, finish all the questions while frequently watching the clock on your screen.

For example, on the reading section you will have 20 minutes to answer around 12 questions. So you should make sure that you don’t get stuck on one question for too long. Do not stress and panic if you cannot answer the question immediately, take your time. Review the text if you feel like the question will get you stuck, and move on and go back to the question when you have answered all the other questions.

Just keep an eye on the clock to make sure you will have time to go back to the questions that are more difficult. Also make sure to save some time to review the “easy questions” to make sure you didn’t miss any answers.

By taking on the TOEFL with clear strategy you will save some valuable time rather than just improvising on the spot. The Test requires around 4 and half hours.

TOEFL Test Time Overview

Section

Time Limit

 Questions
Reading* 60–80 minutes 36–56 questions
Listening 60–90 minutes 34–51 questions
Break 10 minutes —
Speaking 20 minutes 6 tasks
Writing 50 minutes 2 tasks

TOEFL Time Management Process 

I recommend the following time management strategy for the TOEFL.

  1. Go over all the questions, give yourself 1 to 1.5 minutes to answer each question, skip the ones that take up too much time.
  2. Go back and try to answer the ones that were time consuming
  3. For the rest of the time, review all the questions to make sure you didn’t make any easy errors.

By following this strategy you make sure you are using the time you have been given efficiently.

Sign up with ePrepz TOEFL preparation to become familiar with the format of the TOEFL test and to practice answering questions that are time constraints.

IELTS Test Overview: Frequent Questions About the IELTS Exam

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System, and is, together with TOEFL, the primary test used as admission requirements at universities in English speaking countries.
The IELTS tests your English skills in four different areas: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Here are some frequent questions we receive about the IELTS exam.

What is the IELTS qualification for?
If you are going to study or work in an English speaking country, taking the IELTS might be useful. Most universities in UK, U.S, AUSTRALIA, New Zealand and Canada accept IELTS. Many agencies and employers in these countries also recognize it as a proof of English knowledge.

Is there any difference in the difficulty Level between the two different versions of the IELTS?
There is no difficulty differences between the two different versions of the IELTS exam (click here to learn the difference between the academic and general training version)
The score required for admission to a university varies, but it usually is around 6.5.

What different sections does the IELTS exam include?
IELTS consists of four modules
• Speaking (11-14 minutes)
• Listening (30 minutes - 4 parts)
• Reading (60 minutes - 3 parts)
• Writing (60 minutes - 2 data)

The entire test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes.

How does the scoring work on the IELTS?
For each module, you get a score between 1 to 9 , where 9 is the highest. The average score of the individual modules are then aggregated and provides a comprehensive score.
Different IELTS Scores
9: Expert User
8 : Very Good User
7 : Good User
6 : Competent User
5 : Modest User
4: Limited User
3 : Extremely Limited User
2: Intermittent User
1 : Non User
0: Did not attempt the test

There is a clear advantage to taking a preparatory IELTS course before taking the exam, mainly to get used to the format of the exam. Start preparing for the IELTS exam today and maximize your IELTS score.

Hope this information cleared up some questions you have regarding the IELTS.