A complex sentence contains one main clause + one dependent clause.
The dependent clause expresses reason, contrast, condition, time, purpose, etc.
They help show relationships and add depth to arguments.
Basic: Many students prefer online education. It is flexible.
Complex: Because online education is flexible, many students prefer it.
Basic: Air pollution is serious in cities. People use cars every day.
Complex: As people use cars every day, air pollution is serious in cities.
Basic: Tourism increases profits. Local communities sometimes suffer.
Complex: Although tourism increases profits, local communities sometimes suffer.
Basic: People work longer hours. They have less time for families.
Complex: When people work longer hours, they have less time for their families.
Basic: Renewable energy is expensive. Governments hesitate to invest in it.
Complex: Since renewable energy is expensive, governments hesitate to invest in it.
Basic: Public transport becomes efficient. Traffic congestion decreases.
Complex: If public transport becomes efficient, traffic congestion decreases.
Basic: Smartphones are useful tools. They can also distract students.
Complex: While smartphones are useful tools, they can also distract students.
Basic: The city wants more tourism. It built a new airport.
Complex: The city built a new airport so that it could attract more tourism.
Basic: Children use social media. They are exposed to cyberbullying.
Complex: When children use social media unsupervised, they are exposed to cyberbullying.
Basic: Many people move to big cities. They hope to find better jobs.
Complex: Because people hope to find better jobs, many move to big cities.
Relative clauses modify nouns and help you clarify ideas.
They start with who, whom, whose, which, that, where.
They can be:
Defining (essential to the meaning)
Non-defining (extra info, commas required)
Basic: The university offers scholarships. It attracts foreign students.
Relative: The university that offers scholarships attracts many foreign students.
Basic: The law banned plastic bags. It reduced waste.
Relative: The law, which banned plastic bags, reduced waste.
Basic: The lecturer explained the topic. Students admired her clarity.
Relative: The lecturer, whom students admired for her clarity, explained the topic.
Basic: The program helps unemployed people. It gives training.
Relative: The program that helps unemployed people provides training.
Basic: The government started a campaign. It educates young drivers.
Relative: The campaign which educates young drivers has reduced accidents.
Basic: The building collapsed. Its foundation was weak.
Relative: The building whose foundation was weak collapsed.
Basic: The lab is famous. Scientists discovered a vaccine there.
Relative: The lab where scientists discovered a vaccine is famous.
Basic: The website collects personal data. Users are not aware of it.
Relative: The website that collects personal data worries users.
Basic: The city launched a recycling project. It involved volunteers.
Relative: The city launched a recycling project that involved volunteers.
Basic: The school installed cameras. Students once vandalised the property.
Relative: The school, where students once vandalised the property, installed cameras.
Conditionals express real results, predictions, or hypothetical situations, which examiners expect in arguments.
Types:
Zero → general truths
First → real future
Second → hypothetical present
Third → hypothetical past / regret
(zero)
Basic: Education is accessible. More people go to university.
Conditional: If education is accessible, more people attend university.
(first)
Basic: The government invests in clean energy. The air will improve.
Conditional: If the government invests in clean energy, air quality will improve.
(second)
Basic: Public transport is poor. People will not use it.
Conditional: If public transport were reliable, people would use it.
(third)
Basic: The authorities acted earlier. They reduced flood damage.
Conditional: If the authorities had acted earlier, they would have reduced flood damage.
Basic: Parents read to their children. They become better readers.
Conditional: When parents read to their children, they tend to become better readers.
Basic: Citizens have access to parks. Their mental health improves.
Conditional: If citizens have access to parks, their mental health improves.
Basic: The government taxed junk food. People would eat healthier.
Conditional: If the government taxed junk food, people would eat healthier.
Basic: The workers received safety training earlier. The accident did not happen.
Conditional: If workers had received safety training earlier, the accident would not have happened.
Basic: The university increases tuition fees. Many students cannot afford it.
Conditional: If the university increases tuition fees, many students will not afford it.
(negative condition)
Basic: Companies fail to adopt automation. They will lose competitiveness.
Conditional: Unless companies adopt automation, they will lose competitiveness.
Nominalization turns verbs → nouns to create a formal, academic tone.
This is especially useful in IELTS Task 1 and Task 2 when summarizing data, trends, or policies.
It helps you speak about concepts instead of actions, which feels more sophisticated.
Basic: The government banned smoking. Public health improved.
Nominalized: The ban on smoking led to an improvement in public health.
Basic: The factory polluted the river. Fish populations declined.
Nominalized: The pollution of the river caused a decline in fish populations.
Basic: The city built bike lanes. Cycling became popular.
Nominalized: The construction of bike lanes increased the popularity of cycling.
Basic: The company invested in research. It developed new products.
Nominalized: The company’s investment in research resulted in the development of new products.
Basic: People used solar panels. Energy bills went down.
Nominalized: The use of solar panels led to a reduction in energy costs.
Basic: Tourism increased. The local economy improved.
Nominalized: The increase in tourism improved the local economy.
Basic: The country enforced road safety laws. Accidents dropped.
Nominalized: The enforcement of road safety laws caused a drop in accidents.
Basic: More young adults studied abroad. They gained global perspectives.
Nominalized: The rise in overseas study among young adults encouraged global perspectives.
Basic: Cities removed old factories. Air quality improved.
Nominalized: The removal of old factories resulted in improved air quality.
Basic: Teachers motivated students. Their performance increased.
Nominalized: Teacher motivation led to an increase in student performance.