This morning, I had a lesson with a former IELTS British examiner. During the lesson, one of the students pronounced the word “era” as /ˈer.ə/ with an American accent. The teacher said it should be pronounced as /ˈɪ(ə)rə/. Then he looked it up in the dictionary and said, “I didn’t know it can be pronounced this way.” This raised my questions: We always ASSUME that all IELTS examiners are well-trained and aware of all the differences between any English-speaking countries. But what if they are not? Does using American punctuation formats and pronunciation make it impossible to get a band 9? Let’s say the examiner is British, and they happen to be unfamiliar with the American pronunciation of certain words. For example, you pronounce the word “schedule” as /ˈskedʒ.uːl/ instead of the British version /ˈʃedʒ.uːl/. I’m not referring to typical accent differences, like the "er" sound being pronounced in American English while not in British English, but to less commonly known examples. Let’s take a look at punctuation. Here’s what Grammarly says: Quotation marks in British English reverse single and double quotation marks, so single quotation marks are the standard, and double quotation marks are used only for a quote within a quote. American English: “The chef told me, ‘Anything you order is free,’” I said to the waiter. British English: ‘The chef told me, “Anything you order is free,”’ I said to the waiter. Here’s what www.unr.edu says: British English puts commas and periods (full stops) outside the quotation marks unless the quotation is also a complete sentence or the punctuation is part of the quotation. However, American English always puts commas and periods inside the quotation marks. What if the British examiner happens to not know these rules? Are my worries real? Does using American punctuation formats and pronunciation make it impossible to get a band 9? (Of course, you can get a 7.5-8.5, but these subtle issues might make it impossible to get a 9.)

Here is your grammar question for today! Have a nice day, everyone!

can you add adverb between subject and "can" or "can't" I barely can't hear you.

All They are all beautiful. Students are all disappointed. People are all drunk. In a sentence like these, can "All" mean "totally", " completely"? Thanks a lot in advance!!!! ========================================================== An additional question In terms of my question [In a sentence like these, can "All" mean "totally", " completely"?], is "these" correct? Should it be "this"?

Hi, I have a question. Recently, I went to a nearby beach. Since the atmosphere was nice, I think I can say, 'The atmosphere was good there.' Instead of this expression, can I say, 'The vibe was good there'? Does it sound unnatural? Thank you!

this shouldn’t have to happen vs this shouldn't happen I saw someone said the first one. Do you use it and it's quite alright grammarly and in meaning?

Hi everyone! I am looking for an exchange partner! I can help with English in return. I’m looking for some Hindi/ Telugu/ Tamil Speakers. Anything will help! Thank you!

Let's answer this.

I noticed that I can use "sometimes" In the beginning of the sentence and in the middle and at the end like this. - sometimes I go there. - I sometimes go there. - I go there sometimes. So, the question is Can I use all the adverbs of frequency like ( Always - Usually - often - rarely - never ) In the beginning and in the middle and at the end of the sentence too?? And if so, does it sound natural in USA??

I want to teach not to learn