Problem: test-day grammar collapses on three points: choosing between similar tenses, forming “used to” under pressure, and breaking out of subject-verb-object monotony. Answer in brief: master three tense forms as a contrast set, automatise “used to” in affirmative, negative and questions, and own five sentence patterns beyond SVO. This guide teaches all three with pattern drills, and IELTS Grammar — Course 3 trains them with a sentence-pattern test.
Three tense forms as a contrast set
Past simple (finished: “I lived in Leeds”), present perfect (experience/result: “I have lived here since 2020”), past continuous (background: “I was living alone when…”). The test always probes boundaries: finished vs connected, event vs background. Contrast sentences drilled as triples — same content, three forms, meanings stated — until the choice is instant.
Used to: affirmative, negative, questions
Affirmative: “I used to walk to school” (past habit, no longer). Negative: “I didn’t use to like coffee” (note: use, not used, after did — the classic test trap). Questions: “Did you use to play sports?” Form drills in all three types, because tests probe the negative and question forms disproportionately. Meaning check: discontinued habit or state — never single events.
Master all three supervised? The full IELTS Grammar — Course 3 teaches tense contrasts with “used to” in all forms and sentence-pattern testing. Explore the course →
Five sentence patterns beyond SVO
SVOO (“She gave me advice”), SVOC (“They elected her captain” — rare, know it), SVA (“He lives in Leeds”), SVC (“She became a nurse”), existential (“There has been…”). IELTS writing rewards pattern variety: paragraphs chaining identical SVO structures read as elementary regardless of vocabulary. One pattern per sentence planned deliberately transforms range scores.
Pattern drills
Take any paragraph and rewrite it using five different patterns, labelling each. Then the sentence-pattern test: 20 sentences, identify and transform — SVO to passive, active to existential, simple to cleft (“It was…that…”). Clefts deserve special attention: “It was my teacher who inspired me” fronts focus elegantly for Task 2 emphasis.
FAQs
Used to vs usually — which?
Used to for discontinued past (“I used to smoke”); usually for present habit (“I usually walk”). Mixing them is a test favourite — keep the timeline straight.
Are cleft sentences risky?
One per essay is elegance; five is mannerism. Use clefts for genuine emphasis points only.
What is in the course?
Three tense forms with “used to” in all sentence types and sentence-pattern testing.
The matching course
IELTS Grammar — Course 3 fixes the three test-day collapse points: tense contrasts, “used to” in all forms, five sentence patterns — with testing. For grammar that holds under pressure, train here.
Sources and note
- IELTS format per the official IELTS site: ielts.org — test types. Check current guidance before the test.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only).
- Examples are newly written; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
