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IELTS® General Writing Practice 2

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For this task, you will be presented with a situation and will need to write a personal response explaining the situation or requesting information about the situation in the form of an informal, semi-formal or formal letter.

This task assesses your ability to follow English letter-writing conventions (i.e. what order to put information in, what style to use, how to start and finish a letter), to use language accurately and appropriately and to organise and link information coherently and cohesively.

  • - You should spend about 20 minutes on this part.
  • - Write at least 150 words
Start
QUESTION:

You need to take some time off of work to go on holiday.

Write a letter to your direct manager. In your letter:

  • Ask for time off and explain why
  • Provide the dates and times for which you will be unavailable to work
  • Describe what you will do to prepare or make up for your absence

Write at least 150 words. 

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Snyder,

Word Count: 0
Question:

You need to take some time off of work to go on holiday.

Write a letter to your direct manager. In your letter:

  • Ask for time off and explain why
  • Provide the dates and times for which you will be unavailable to work
  • Describe what you will do to prepare or make up for your absence

Write at least 150 words. 

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Ms. Snyder,


Word Count: 0


Transition words are highlighted in red
Advanced grammar structures are highlighted in green
Topic vocabulary are highlighted in blue

Dear Ms. Snyder, 

I am writing to request time off for an annual holiday trip with my family. 

Each year, my extended family members plan a family reunion in Sacramento, California. Since we all live so far away, these reunions have always been great opportunities for us to see each other and reconnect. It is for this reason that I would need to use some of my holiday time in August. 

Since the reunion falls on Sunday, August 25th, I would be available to work up until Friday, August 24th. Thus, I am formally requesting time off from Monday, August 26th until Friday, August 30th. I would be available to return to work on Monday, September 2nd.

I fully realize that August is our busiest period, and taking holiday during this time could potentially increase the workload of my colleagues. As such, I would be more than happy to take on any overtime in early August or during the month of September. 

Thank you for your understanding. I look forward to your response. 

Sincerely, 

Becky Range
 

Word Count: 176


Score Report

Scoring 
In short, this is a Band 9 essay. Let's look at how it would rate in the scoring areas:

Task Achievement/Response  - The essay covers the three main points in the task – the writer asks for time off and clearly explains why, she provides the dates and times for which she will be unavailable to work, and she describes what she will do to make up for her absence. All in all, these themes are touched upon and described in the letter.

Coherence and Cohesion – The essay was clearly organized, contained different paragraphs per each point as well as spaces after each paragraph. Each idea flowed nicely after the other and was semi-formal in tone. Transitions were used well.

Lexical Resource: A table below will showcase the lexical resource. In general, the essay contained useful vocabulary that was specific to the letter's theme of family reunions and the business setting. The letter contains authentic phrases such as “more than happy” to get the point across.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: A table below will showcase the grammatical structures. In general, the conditional form was used, as the writer is making a request to her boss and realizes that nothing has been approved yet. Present perfect was used when necessary.

Potential Areas for Improvement: While the structure, task achievement, and cohesion were excellent, the writer could have used more transition words, especially in the beginning of the last paragraph regarding taking on overtime. While the grammar used worked well for the letter, more advanced structures could have been used.
 

Topic Vocabulary

Grammar Structures

Transition Words

These vocabulary words are either specific to the theme of work, holiday, or advanced-level vocabulary:

- extended family
- family reunion
- formally requesting
- workload
- take on
- overtime
- colleagues
- more than happy

…have always been… - Present Perfect

I would be able/available/need/be – Conditional Phrases

 

Since…
It is for this reason…
Thus…
As such…

Key Words Found in this practice
Related Words

Get your essay scored with grammar corrections and a detailed score report.
Take a closer look at the sample writing review below.

Get a Writing Review

SAMPLE IELTS Writing Report

SAMPLE Score Summary
5.5 / 9
Task Fulfillment
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
Coherence & Cohesion
SAMPLE Grammar Corrections & Feedback
Correction Legend

Corrections in red
Academic language suggestion in blue

Detailed Feedback

Essay Grammar Corrections & Improvements
Several doubt about the accuracy of the memoir writting by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading but the professor clarify the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain that the Chevalier rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its assets to selling. Accordingly, to the professor, being low on cash fund is not same as being financially poors. However, in reading someone who borrowing large of amounts of money could not be wealth, therefore the Chevalier must have lied his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging by the professor as well. She explains that, due to habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing.

Finally, the professor refute the idea briber was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping from the prison was accurately recorded.
Several doubt doubts about the accuracy of the memoir writting written by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading reading, but the professor clarify clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain explains that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its his assets to selling. Accordingly, sell. According to the professor, being low on cash fund funds is not the same as being financially poors. poor. However, in reading the reading, someone who borrowing borrows large of amounts of money could not be wealth, wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging challenged by the professor as well. She explains that, due to the habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing. passed.

Finally, the professor refute refutes the idea briber that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point points out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping escape from the prison was accurately recorded.



Task Fulfillment


Relevance & Completeness of Information


Grammatical Usage


Vocabulary Usage


Connections & Coherence


Connection between Lecture & Reading


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doubt
Solution Explanation
doubts The correct form is 'doubts' because it is a plural noun in this context.

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writting
Solution Explanation
written The correct past participle of 'write' is 'written'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
reading, A comma is needed after 'reading' to separate the two independent clauses.

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clarify
Solution Explanation
clarifies The third person singular form of the verb 'clarify' is 'clarifies'.

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explain
Solution Explanation
explains The third person singular form of the verb 'explain' is 'explains'.

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was
Solution Explanation
was The verb 'was' is needed to indicate the past tense.

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the
Solution Explanation
The article 'the' is not needed before 'Chevalier'.

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its
Solution Explanation
his The correct possessive pronoun is 'his' as it refers to 'Chevalier'.

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selling. Accordingly,
Solution Explanation
sell. According The correct verb form is 'sell'. Also, 'According' should start a new sentence.

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fund
Solution Explanation
funds The correct noun is 'funds'.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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poors.
Solution Explanation
poor. The correct adjective is 'poor'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
the reading, The article 'the' is needed before 'reading' and a comma is needed after it.

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borrowing
Solution Explanation
borrows The correct verb form is 'borrows'.

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of
Solution Explanation
The preposition 'of' is not needed in this context.

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wealth,
Solution Explanation
wealthy, The correct adjective is 'wealthy'.

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about
Solution Explanation
about The preposition 'about' is needed before 'his wealthy life'.

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regards
Solution Explanation
regarding The correct preposition is 'regarding'.

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challenging
Solution Explanation
challenged The correct past participle of 'challenge' is 'challenged'.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'professor'.

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passing.
Solution Explanation
passed. The correct past participle of 'pass' is 'passed'.

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refute
Solution Explanation
refutes The third person singular form of the verb 'refute' is 'refutes'.

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briber
Solution Explanation
that bribery The correct noun is 'bribery'.

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point
Solution Explanation
points The third person singular form of the verb 'point' is 'points'.

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prison
Solution Explanation
prison, A comma is needed after 'prison' to separate the two independent clauses.

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existences
Solution Explanation
existence The correct noun is 'existence'.

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escaping
Solution Explanation
escape The correct noun is 'escape'.

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accuracy
Solution Explanation
veracity The professor challenges the veracity of the memoir written by the Chevalier de Seingalt.

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written
Solution Explanation
penned The professor clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir that he penned.

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clarifies
Solution Explanation
elucidates The professor elucidates the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

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seeming
Solution Explanation
apparent The professor elucidates the apparent contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

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explains
Solution Explanation
clarifies The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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rich
Solution Explanation
wealthy The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was wealthy in assets, but poor in cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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poor in cash,
Solution Explanation
cash-poor, The professor clarifies that the Chevalier was wealthy in assets, but cash-poor, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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lived
Solution Explanation
resided The professor clarifies that the Chevalier resided in Switzerland while he had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to sell.

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sell.
Solution Explanation
liquidate. The professor clarifies that the Chevalier had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for his assets to liquidate.

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funds
Solution Explanation
The professor clarifies that the Chevalier had to occasionally borrow while waiting for his assets to liquidate.

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the same as
Solution Explanation
synonymous with The professor explains that being low on cash funds is not synonymous with being financially poor.

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amounts
Solution Explanation
sums In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

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wealthy,
Solution Explanation
affluent, In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be affluent, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his affluent life in Switzerland.

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lied about
Solution Explanation
misrepresented In the reading, someone who borrows large sums of money could not be affluent, therefore the Chevalier must have misrepresented his affluent life in Switzerland.

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challenged
Solution Explanation
contested The professor contests the skepticism regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire.

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habit
Solution Explanation
practice The professor explains that it was the Chevalier's practice to record each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward.

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recording
Solution Explanation
documenting The professor explains that it was the Chevalier's practice to document each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward.

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passed.
Solution Explanation
elapsed. The professor explains that even after several years had elapsed, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail.

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refutes
Solution Explanation
disputes The professor disputes the idea that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison.

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idea
Solution Explanation
notion The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison.

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got out of
Solution Explanation
secured his release from The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier secured his release from prison.

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points out
Solution Explanation
highlights The professor highlights that even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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because
Solution Explanation
since The professor highlights that since even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how the Chevalier escaped.

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who had better
Solution Explanation
with superior The professor highlights that even the other prisoners with superior resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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very
Solution Explanation
highly The professor highlights that even the other prisoners with superior resources were highly unlikely to successfully bribe their way out of prison.

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how he escaped. Also,
Solution Explanation
his method of escape. Additionally, The professor disputes the notion that bribery was how the Chevalier secured his release from prison. Additionally, she notes the existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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notes
Solution Explanation
cites The professor cites the existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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papers recording
Solution Explanation
documents noting The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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strong
Solution Explanation
compelling The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately recorded.

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recorded.
Solution Explanation
documented. The professor cites the existence of documents noting repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as compelling evidence that his escape from the prison was accurately documented.
SAMPLE Criteria Score Reports

Task Achievement   7/9

• covers the requirements of the task
• presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate
• clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended

Task achievement is about how well you present a clear overview of main trends, the main features, and comparisons where relevant. IELTS raters are looking for a response that answers these three aspects directly, with relevant ideas that are fully developed.

How to Improve

To achieve a high score on the Task Achievement criterion, you need to write...

  • ...
  • ...
  • ...
  • ...
  • ...

Grammatical Range and Accuracy   5/9

• uses only a limited range of structures
• attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences
• may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is about how you use English grammar, sentence structure, and the basic conventions of writing. Raters want to see that you can use what you know correctly, and that you can use a wide variety of structures to express your ideas.

How to Improve

The best way to improve your grammar in writing is to have a...

Another way to improve your grammar is to...

  • ...
  • ...
  • ...

Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)    6/9

• uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
• attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
• makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication

Lexical Resource (Vocabulary) is about how you use English words. Raters are looking for writing that uses different words correctly and accurately, and that uses a wide range of words that help readers understand.

How to Improve

To improve your vocabulary in the Academic Discussion Writing task, we recommend you study...

Coherence & Cohesion    4/9

• presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently andthere is no clear progression in the response
• uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive
• may not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing

Coherence and connections are about how you put your ideas together and link different sentences to each other. Raters want to see sentences that flow smoothly from idea to idea without confusing the reader.

How to Improve

Complete the following lessons:

SAMPLE Essay Grammar Corrections & Improvements
Several doubt about the accuracy of the memoir writting by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading but the professor clarify the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain that the Chevalier rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its assets to selling. Accordingly, to the professor, being low on cash fund is not same as being financially poors. However, in reading someone who borrowing large of amounts of money could not be wealth, therefore the Chevalier must have lied his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging by the professor as well. She explains that, due to habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing.

Finally, the professor refute the idea briber was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping from the prison was accurately recorded.
Several doubt doubts about the accuracy of the memoir writting written by the Chevalier de Seingalt are raised in the reading reading, but the professor clarify clarifies the seeming contradictions in the Chevalier's accounts to defend the memoir.

The professor explain explains that the Chevalier was rich in assets, but poor in the cash, while he lived in Switzerland and had to occasionally borrow funds while waiting for its his assets to selling. Accordingly, sell. According to the professor, being low on cash fund funds is not the same as being financially poors. poor. However, in reading the reading, someone who borrowing borrows large of amounts of money could not be wealth, wealthy, therefore the Chevalier must have lied about his wealthy life in Switzerland.

The skepticism regards regarding the reliability of the recorded conversations with Voltaire is challenging challenged by the professor as well. She explains that, due to the habit of recording each conversation with Voltaire immediately afterward, the Chevalier was able to recall those discussions in detail even after several years had passing. passed.

Finally, the professor refute refutes the idea briber that bribery was how the Chevalier got out of prison. She point points out that because even the other prisoners who had better resources were unable to successfully bribe their way out of prison prison, it was very unlikely that bribery was how he escaped. Also, she notes the existences existence of government papers recording repair work done to the Chevalier's prison cell ceiling as strong evidence that his escaping escape from the prison was accurately recorded.



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doubt
Solution Explanation
doubts The plural form 'doubts' is needed here because there are multiple uncertainties being discussed.

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writting
Solution Explanation
written The correct past participle of 'write' is 'written'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
reading, A comma is needed after 'reading' to separate the two independent clauses.

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clarify
Solution Explanation
clarifies The third person singular form 'clarifies' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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explain
Solution Explanation
explains The third person singular form 'explains' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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was
Solution Explanation
was The verb 'was' is needed to form the past continuous tense.

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the
Solution Explanation
The article 'the' is not needed before 'assets'.

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its
Solution Explanation
his The possessive pronoun 'his' is needed to refer back to 'the Chevalier'.

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selling. Accordingly,
Solution Explanation
sell. According The verb 'sell' is needed here, and 'According' should start a new sentence.

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fund
Solution Explanation
funds The plural form 'funds' is needed here because it refers to money in general.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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poors.
Solution Explanation
poor. The correct adjective form is 'poor'.

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reading
Solution Explanation
the reading, The article 'the' is needed before 'reading', and a comma is needed to separate the two independent clauses.

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borrowing
Solution Explanation
borrows The present simple tense 'borrows' is needed to describe a general situation.

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of
Solution Explanation
The preposition 'of' is not needed here.

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wealth,
Solution Explanation
wealthy, The adjective 'wealthy' is needed to describe 'the Chevalier'.

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about
Solution Explanation
about The preposition 'about' is needed to introduce the topic of the sentence.

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regards
Solution Explanation
regarding The preposition 'regarding' is needed to introduce the topic of the sentence.

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challenging
Solution Explanation
challenged The past participle 'challenged' is needed to form the passive voice.

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the
Solution Explanation
the The article 'the' is needed before 'Chevalier'.

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passing.
Solution Explanation
passed. The past participle 'passed' is needed to form the past perfect tense.

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refute
Solution Explanation
refutes The third person singular form 'refutes' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'professor'.

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briber
Solution Explanation
that bribery The noun 'bribery' is needed to refer to the act of giving bribes.

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point
Solution Explanation
points The third person singular form 'points' is needed to agree with the singular subject 'she'.

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prison
Solution Explanation
prison, A comma is needed after 'prison' to separate the two independent clauses.

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existences
Solution Explanation
existence The singular form 'existence' is needed because it refers to one specific thing.

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escaping
Solution Explanation
escape The noun 'escape' is needed to refer to the act of escaping.
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