Master ‘Since’ for IELTS: Boost Your Band Score
Learn how to use ‘since’ correctly in your IELTS exam. This video covers its function as a preposition and conjunction, meanings, usage examples, and common mistakes to avoid. Improve your English skills and aim for a higher band score with this essential word.
Are you preparing for the IELTS exam and aiming for a band score of five point five or higher? Then you need to master essential words like since.
This small word can make a big difference in your speaking and writing tasks.
Word type: Since functions as both a preposition and a conjunction in English.
This dual role makes it a versatile and important word to understand.
Meaning: As a preposition, since means from a specific time in the past until now.
As a conjunction, it introduces a reason or cause for something. It can also mean continuously from a point in the past until the present.
Word history: The word since comes from Old English. It originally meant afterwards or later, and over time its meaning evolved to include the idea of a starting point in the past.
Antonyms: While since does not have direct antonyms, words with contrasting meanings include until and before.
Synonyms: Some synonyms for since include because, as, and from.
Examples use in sentences: Here are some examples of how to use since in your IELTS speaking and writing tasks.
I have been studying English since I was ten years old. Since it was raining, we decided to stay indoors.
He has not eaten anything since breakfast. The city has changed a lot since I last visited. Common errors in use:
Be careful not to confuse since with for when talking about duration. We use since for a specific starting point and for with a period of time.
For example, I have lived here since two thousand ten is correct, but I have lived here for two thousand ten is incorrect.
Another common mistake is using since with present or future tenses. Since always refers to the past, so use it with perfect tenses or past tense.
Understanding and correctly using since can significantly improve your IELTS performance. Remember, it refers to a starting point in the past or introduces a reason.
Practice using it in your own sentences to become more comfortable with this important word.
