IELTS READING

1. PREPOSITION - CONJUNCTION
A. PREPOSITION:
I. Prepositions of time
In/ on/at
In Used with years, seasons, months, In 2002, in summer, in September, in the
parts of day morning
On Used with date, days, specific days On April 13, on Friday, on New year’s Eve
At Used with specific times, times of At 11 o’clock, at midnight, at midnight
day (night, midnight, midday)

II. Preposition of Place/ Position

In/ on/ at
In (indicating a point within/ inside a place, or The fax machine is in the office
an area)
On (showing a position in relation to or The company is on Pine Street
supported by a surface)
At (indicating a specific position or place) We saw Mr. Shaw at the station

Other prepositions of place: between, among, into, behind, for, over, under, along, across,
through

III. Other prepositions

Preposition of means and purpose

By (means of transportation) I go to work by bus
With (means, tools) He opened the door with his key
For (purpose) He bought the New York Times for his
supervisor

Prepositions of reason
For We are sorry for the late delivery
At He was shocked at the news
From Many people in Africa are suffering from
poverty

Prepositions of topic, subject area, and capacity

About (topic) Please tell me about your plan
On (subject area) The study on stress will begin in March
Of (topic) After the news of the snowstorm, oil prices
went up
As (capacity) As the manager, he will make the decision
VOCABULARY:
1. Verb + preposition

Verb Preposition
Car, complain, hear, know, learn, say something, talk, think, warn, about
wonder, worry, write
Aim, fire, laugh, look, point, shout, yell at
 Choose, decide, differentiate, distinguish between
Aim, apologise, apply, forgive, hope, long, prepare, search, wait, for
watch, wish
Learn, prevent, stop from
Assure, convince of
Concentrate, count, depend, insist, rely on
Apologise, explain, present, speak, talk, write to
Be, deal, go out, play, stay with
2. Adjective + preposition

Adjective prepositio
n
Anxious, annoyed, concerned, depressed, excited, upset, worried about
Amazed, annoyed, astonished, awful, bad, clever, excited, good, skilled, at
surprised, terrible, useless
Amazed, annoyed, astonished, concerned, disturbed, excited, by
impressed, inspired, shocked, surprised
Bad, concerned, good, responsible for
Disappointed, interested in
Frightened, scared, terrified of
Aware, clever, cruel, generous, good, kind, mean, nasty, nice, polite, of
rude, selfish, true, typical, unkind
Cruel, good, kind, mean, nasty, nice, polite, rude, unkind to
Annoyed, bored, concerned, disappointed, fed up, impressed, obsessed, wish
pleased, satisfied, wrong
3. Noun + preposition

Noun preposition
Anything, information, nothing, something about
Excuse, explanation, ideas, in return, need, reasons, reputation, for
responsibility
Change, decrease, drop, experience, fall, increase, rise in
Experience, knowledge, understanding of
Effect, impact, influence on
In association, experience with

PRACTICE:
EXERCISE 1: Choose the right options:
1. We live (at/in/on) London.

2. Would you like to go (at/in/to) the cinema tonight?

3. No, thanks. I was (at/into/to) the cinema yesterday.

4. We are going (in/on/to) holiday next week.

5. There is a bridge (across/ through/ outside) the river.

6. The flight from Leipzig to London was (about/along/via) Frankfurt.

7. (at/on/onto) my wall, there are many picture postcards.

8. Who is the person (at/in/on) this picture?

9. Come (at/in/into) the sitting room, we want to watch TV.

10. Munich lies 530 meters (above/across/past) sea level.

B. CONJUNTION:
1. Coordinating conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are used to join together two or more items which are equally
important, e.g. two or more words, phrases, clauses, etc. Typical coordinating conjunctions are:
and, but, or, for, so, yet, etc.
Ex: The new building is very modern and innovative
The meeting started thirty minutes ago, yet some of the seats are still vacant.

2. Correlative conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together to coordinate two
balanced words, phrases and clauses.
Both A and B Plural verbs
Not A and B
Either A or B
Neither A nor B Verbs agree with B
Not only A but also B
A as well as B Verbs agree with A
Ex:
Both the color and the style match our product’s concept.
Not the computers but the Internet connection was malfunctioning.

3. Subordinating conjunctions
A. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of time
As after as soon as while
Before until when
Ex:
The session will begin as soon as everyone is seated
Mr. Martino will take charge of this project while the manager is away.

B. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of reason

As because now that since
Ex:
Items 1 through 10 can’t be ordered because the products are out of stock

C. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of condition

If providing/ provided that in case Only if
Unless so long as assuming that
Ex:
We will move on to the next stage unless anyone has an objection to the decision.

D. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of purpose

So that In order that
Ex:
The travel agent changed my reservation in order that I could take a later flight.

E. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of result

So + adj + that= Such + noun + that
Ex:
The package was so heavy that the deliveryman couldn’t pick it up.
= The package was such a heavy one that the deliveryman couldn’t pick it up.

F. Conjunctions introducing adverbial clauses of concession

Although Though Even though While Even if

Ex:
Although some applications were submitted late, we decided to accept them all.

4. Conjunctive adverbs
Therefore However Otherwise
Ex:
The economy is in a deep recession; therefore, the competition for jobs will increase
dramatically.
 2. MULTIPLE CHOICE

STRATEGY
* Underline the key idea in the question.
* Find the part of the passage which deals with the key idea and read it carefully.
* Choose the option which matches the information in the passage.
SAMPLE 1:
Dolphins are marine mammals that are related to whales and porpoises. A marine mammal is
one that lives in the water. Dolphins are found all over the world’s oceans as well as in rivers and
marshes. Dolphins are carnivores (meat-eaters) and feed on fish, squid and other marine life
They often swim together in groups called “pods.” They are thought to have powerful eyesight
and hearing, but do not have a sense of smell.
Dolphins come in different sizes. Some are smaller than the average person, but others, such as
the Orca, can be 30 feet long, or more than five times as long as the average person. Dolphins are
thought to be very intelligent and communicate with each other using clicks and whistles. All
dolphins are powerful swimmers. Have you ever seen a dolphin? Groups of dolphins can often be
seen bobbing in and out of waves close to the shoreline.
Question 1: Marine mammals live ___________.
A. in the forest
B. on land
C. in the desert
D. in the water
Step 1: Decide what type of information is needed -> Place
Step 2: Read the question, underline the key words
Question 1: Marine mammals live ………………..
Step 3: Use key words to find information in the passage
“A marine mammal is one that lives in the water” -> D
Now you do it!
Question 2: Which of the following would a dolphin probably not eat?
A. plants C. marine life
B. squid D. fish
Question 3: Dolphins can not..........
A. see very well C. have a sense of smell
B. communicate D. have good hearing
Question 4: An Orca is :
A. much larger than an average person.
B. smaller than an average person.
C. a little bit larger than an average person.
D. about the same size as an average person.
EXERCISE 1:
Hummingbirds are amazing little birds. They are the smallest of all birds and weigh less than
even a penny. The Bee Hummingbird, at barely more than two inches long, is the smallest bird in
the world!
Unlike most birds, hummingbirds have iridescent feathers. Iridescent feathers glitter and shine
in the sun. Hummingbirds are often dazzling combinations of greens and reds or greens and
blues. Others are violet, orange, golden, silver or other combinations only Mother Nature could
dream up. All hummingbirds have long bills to insert into flowers. Some hummingbirds have
special bills to fit in specific flowers. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Hummingbirds are also unique among bird species in that they drink nectar from flowers. You
can attract hummingbirds to your yard with special feeders that are filled with sugar water.
These feeders are usually bright red in color because hummingbirds are attracted to red.
Question 1: Compared to other birds, hummingbirds are _________.
A. heavier C. about the same size
B. larger D. lighter
Question 2:Hummingbirds are the only birds that ____________.
A. will come to bird feeders C. can fly backwards
B. are green D. are small
Question 3: What color are most hummingbird feeders?
A. golden
B. white
C. red
D. green
Question 4: To attract hummingbirds to your yard, put up feeders with
_____________________ in them.
A. sugar water
B. nectar
C. seeds
D. berrie