Grammar mistakes that

lower​ your IELTS Speaking Score

The Zero Article

before plural &
The ​Zero Article​ is used​ ​

uncountable nouns​ and is ​not defined​.

*Examples of ​plural​ n
​ ouns​: ​gloves, socks, boots, shoes, foxes,
cats, people.

>​Let’s make some sentences..

“It’s cold outside, I better take ​gloves​. Oh.. I also need thick ​socks​! ..
And maybe I’ll put on ​boots​ instead of ​shoes​. I wonder if there are
foxes​ in the field next to Steve’s house. ​Cats​ are always loitering
there.. I think they just use ​people​!”

*Examples of ​uncountable nouns​: ​cheese, bread, butter,

mayo, water, juice, milk, power, information, knowledge.

>​Ok, same for the uncountable nouns..

“I’d absolutely love some ​cheese​! ​Bread​ is just so damn dry without
butter​ or ​mayo​! If I have it without ​butter​, I usually need ​water​, ​milk​ or
juice​ to wash it down! People just don’t give you ​information​ about
this! I guess it’s true what they say- ​knowledge​ really is ​power​!”
The Zero article is also commonly used with
Abstract Nouns​. This is the one that catches
many students out! Have a look at some examples below! ​(​Remember
that abstract nouns can also have a countable form e.g. ​‘He has great ability’
(abstract noun)​ and ​‘He is a student with many abilities.’ ​(countable noun)​

● Ability  ● Dedication  ● Intelligence  ● Service 

● Adoration  ● Defeat  ● Irritation  ● Shock 
● Advantage  ● Delay  ● Joy  ● Silliness 
● Adventure  ● Delight  ● Justice  ● Skill 
● Amazement  ● Despair  ● Kindness  ● Sleep 
● Anger  ● Determination  ● Laughter  ● Sorrow 
● Annoyance  ● Dexterity  ● Law  ● Speed 
● Anxiety  ● Dictatorship  ● Liberty  ● Strength 
● Appetite  ● Disappointment  ● Lie  ● Strictness 
● Apprehension  ● Disbelief  ● Life  ● Success 
● Artistry  ● Dishonesty  ● Loneliness  ● Surprise 
● Awareness  ● Disquiet  ● Loss  ● Talent 
● Awe  ● Disregard  ● Love  ● Thrill 
● Beauty  ● Disturbance  ● Luck  ● Timing 
● Belief  ● Divorce  ● Luxury  ● Tiredness 
● Bravery  ● Dream  ● Maturity  ● Tolerance 
● Brilliance  ● Education  ● Mercy  ● Trend 
● Brutality  ● Ego  ● Movement  ● Trust 
● Calm  ● Elegance  ● Music  ● Uncertainty 
● Care  ● Envy  ● Nap  ● Unemployment 
● Chaos  ● Evil  ● Need  ● Union 
● Charity  ● Failure  ● Opinion  ● Unreality 
● Childhood  ● Faith  ● Opportunity  ● Victory 
● Clarity  ● Fascination  ● Pain  ● Wariness 
● Cleverness  ● Fear  ● Patience  ● Warmth 
● Coldness  ● Fiction  ● Peace  ● Weakness 
● Comfort  ● Fragility  ● Peculiarity  ● Wealth 
● Communication  ● Freedom  ● Perseverance  ● Weariness 
● Compassion  ● Friendship  ● Pleasure  ● Wisdom 
● Confidence  ● Gain  ● Poverty  ● Wit 
● Confusion  ● Generation  ● Power  ● Worry 
● Contentment  ● Generosity  ● Pride  ● Hatred 
● Courage  ● Goal  ● Principle  ● Hope 
● Crime  ● Goodness  ● Reality  ● Horror 
● Curiosity  ● Gossip  ● Relaxation  ● Hurt 
● Customer service  ● Growth  ● Relief  ● Idea 
● Death  ● Happiness  ● Religion  ● Inflation 
● Deceit  ● Hate  ● Restoration  ● Sensitivity 
 
>>Practice making some examples using
these abstract nouns. The IELTS exam
covers topics which go into abstract topics, so it’s only
natural that you will have to use abstract nouns.

Here are some examples for you:

● Employers should hire based on a ​ bility​.  

● I was full of a ​ nger​ and ​jealousy​ when he beat me 
at the game. 
● I asked him what he would do.. You know.. out of 
curiosity​. 
● I admire his d ​ edication​ to his students. 
● You have to have ​belief​ and ​confidence​ in yourself. 
● I felt total r​ elief​ and ​relaxation​ when I found out my 
result. 
● Relationships, p ​ articularly ​friendships are tricky to 
maintain. 
● Everyone seems to be searching for​ happiness​. I 
on the other hand look for p ​ urpose​ and inner 
peace​. 
● My brother relies on h ​ ope​, I rely on hard work. 
● Love​ is the most important thing in life. 
● Wisdom and knowledge​ are hard to come by these 
days!   
  
Is that it? We’re finished 
right?! Please?! 
 
..I wish we were.. :( 
..Come on, keep it going, you’ve got this! These last few 
rules are quite short & straightforward :) 
 
We also use the zero article for the following: 
People​: ​Jorge, Alex, Sasha, Kim, Vinh, Barrack  

Places​: ​Mars, Scotland, New York, JFK Airport, Oxford University, Chester Station 

Streets​: ​Regent Street, 31st Street 

Languages​: S
​ panish, Chinese, Korean 

Academic Subjects​: ​Geography, Math, Biology, Art 

Days, months​: ​Tuesday, December 

Games and Sports: ​Basketball, Monopoly 

Meals: ​breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert 

Noun + Number: ​stand 3, room #7, page 20 

Routine Places: ​in bed, at home, to school, to work, to church 

Movement or Transport: ​on foot, by car, by bus, by plane 

Newspaper Headlines: C
​ ar Crashes into Hospital 

   
 Spot the Zero Article E
​ xercise​. 
Underline​ or ​highlight​ where the zero article is 
used. The first one has been done for you. 

Cars​ can be dangerous, however, we hardly ever need 

courage to drive them. I always take some Coca-Cola with 
me when I go for a drive. I also grabbed one for my friend, 
Maria. She got into Manchester yesterday. Piles of people 
are taken aback that she speaks English so damn well! 
And she’s also remarkable at tennis. I’m completely 
useless at sports.. Maybe I’ll take up some other hobbies 
when Elon Musk brings us to Mars. Maria is staying in 
room 4 in the Hilton Hotel. I hope I don’t forget. She gave 
me a newspaper when we met up for lunch. She told me 
to take a look at page 3. She didn’t tell me anything else.. 
I wondered what’s on page 3! I opened it up and there 
was just a picture of some random lady in bed. It just 
looked like she was chilling at home. But then I realized 
she was in hospital! Oh! Maria wanted to show me the 
fancy new state-of-the-art hospital in Madrid! It looks like 
someone’s house! Maria is leaving town tomorrow by 
car.. At least I don’t have to go through the stress of 
dropping her off at the airport! It’s such a pain in the neck! 
I usually just head to work by bus. It’s way handier! Man.. 
I’m dreading work on Monday. November is going to be 
such a drag.. We have to work on the budget report for 
this quarter.. Fun times ahead.. Not! 
(Answers on the next page) 

Answers 

Cars​ can be dangerous, however, we hardly ever need 

courage​ to drive them. I always take some ​Coca-Cola 
with me when I go for a drive. I also grabbed one for 
my friend, M ​ aria​. She got into ​Manchester​ yesterday. 
Piles of people are taken aback that she speaks 
English​ so damn well! And she’s also remarkable at 
tennis​. I’m completely useless at s ​ ports​.. Maybe I’ll 
take up some other hobbies when Elon Musk brings 
us to M
​ ars​. Maria is staying in ​room 4​ in the Hilton 
Hotel. I hope I don’t forget. She gave me a newspaper 
when we met up for lunch. She told me to take a look 
at p
​ age 3​. She didn’t tell me anything else.. I 
wondered what’s on ​page 3​! I opened it up and there 
was just a picture of some random lady in b ​ ed​. It just 
looked like she was chilling at h ​ ome​. But then I 
realized she was in h ​ ospital​! Oh! Maria wanted to 
show me the fancy new state-of-the-art hospital in 
Madrid! It looks like someone’s house! Maria is 
leaving ​town​ tomorrow by ​car.​. At least I don’t have 
to go through the stress of dropping her off at the 
airport! It’s such a pain in the neck! I usually just head 
to ​work ​by b​ us​. It’s way handier! Man.. I’m dreading 
 work on M​ onday​. ​November​ is going to be such a 
drag.. We have to work on the budget report for this 
quarter.. Fun times ahead.. not!