Understanding ‘Following’: A Key Word for IELTS Success
Learn about the versatile word ‘following’ and its usage as an adjective, noun, and preposition. This video covers the word’s meaning, history, antonyms, synonyms, and common usage errors to help improve your English vocabulary and IELTS performance.
Imagine you’re walking down a busy street, and suddenly you realize someone is following you. Don’t worry, it’s probably just a coincidence, but this scenario introduces us to our word of the day: following.
Word type: Following can function as an adjective, noun, or preposition in English. This versatility makes it an important word to understand for your IELTS exam.
Meaning: As an adjective, following means coming next in time or order. As a noun, it refers to a group of supporters or fans.
When used as a preposition, it means coming after or as a result of something.
Word history: The word following comes from the Old English word folgian, which meant to go after or accompany.
It has been part of the English language for over a thousand years.
Antonyms: Some opposites of following include preceding, previous, and leading.
Synonyms: Words with similar meanings to following include subsequent, ensuing, and succeeding.
Examples use in sentences:
Let’s look at how to use following in different contexts. As an adjective: The following day was sunny and warm.
As a noun: The politician had a large following on social media. As a preposition: Following the concert, there was a meet-and-greet with the band.
Common errors in use: One common mistake is confusing following with the verb to follow. Remember, following is not the continuous form of follow.
For example, it’s incorrect to say I am following you on Twitter right now. Instead, say I follow you on Twitter.
Now that we’ve explored the word following, try using it in your own sentences. Practice with its different forms to improve your vocabulary and boost your IELTS score.
Remember, understanding versatile words like following can help you express yourself more clearly and accurately in English.
