Rawdon Wyatt - Check Your English Vocabulary for TOEFL

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR

TOEFL

Rawdon Wyatt

Contents

Introduction

Introduction

If you are going to take the TOEFL, you will find the vocabulary exercises in this workbook very helpful. They will help you to review, practice and acquire a lot of the words and expressions that you might need to use in the Writing and Speaking sections, or that you might come across or be tested on in the Listening and Reading sections. A greater command of vocabulary is one of the key factors that will help you raise your TOEFLL score.

Structure of the workbook

The workbook is divided into two sections. The first section deals with general vocabulary, including synonyms, idioms, and phrasal verbs. The second, smaller section is topic-specific, and focuses on some of the topics that regularly appear in the TOEFL. Each topic is accompanied by a typical TOEFL Writing question, which will give you the chance to use the key vocabulary in an essay.

There is a comprehensive answer key at the back of the book.

How to use the book

You should not go through the exercises mechanically. It is better to choose areas that you are unfamiliar with, or areas that you feel are of specific interest or importance to yourself. Remember that you should keep a record of new words and expressions that you learn, and review these from time to time so that they become an active part of your vocabulary. There is a vocabulary record sheet at the back of the book which you can photocopy as many times as you like. Use this to build up your own personal vocabulary bank.

We recommend that you have a good dictionary with you, and refer to it when necessary. However, always try to do the exercises without a dictionary first, and then use the dictionary to check anything that you are not sure of. A particularly useful reference is the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. You will find a free on line version of this at www.macmillandictionary.com. When you open the web page, make sure you choose American, which you will find by clicking on Options at the top of the page.

Extending your vocabulary

Also remember that there are other methods of acquiring new vocabulary. For example, you should read as much as possible from a different variety of authentic reading materials (books, newspapers, magazines, on line articles, etc.).

Practicing for the TOEFL

There is a lot of TOEFL material available, but we particularly recommend Barrons TOEFL iBT by Pamela J. Sharpe (ISBN 978-0-7641-9698-0), which provides comprehensive practice for all sections of the exam, as well as offering essential language skills development and useful studying strategies. It also gives lots of vital information on the test itself and how it works. The book has been written for the Internet-based TOEFL, but is also useful if you are going to take the older, standard computer-based TOEFL. You might also like to consider Barrons Practice Exercises for the TOEFL by the same author (ISBN 978-0-7641-4566-7), and Achieve TOEFL iBT by Renald Rilcy and Rawdon Wyatt (ISBN 978-0-462-00447-1).

Information about the TOEFL

The purpose of the TOEFL is to evaluate a non-native English speakers proficiency in the English language. Almost one million students every year from 180 countries register to take the TOEFL: the majority of universities and colleges in North America as well as in other English-speaking countries require official TOEFL score reports for admission. The test is also used by institutions in other countries where English is the language of instruction. In addition, government agencies, scholarship programs, and licensing / certification agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency. An acceptable score depends on the particular institution or agency involved.

About the Check Your English Vocabulary series

Check Your English Vocabulary for TOEFL is one of several books in the Check Your English Vocabulary series. These books are designed to help students of English (and those who are working or who want to work in an English-speaking environment) to develop and practice the essential vocabulary that they would need to know or use on a day-to-day basis, or in order to get a better grade in an exam.

There are currently 15 books in the series:

Check Your English Vocabulary for Academic English

Check Your English Vocabulary for TOEFL

Check Your English Vocabulary for TOEIC

Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS

Check Your English Vocabulary for FCE+

Check Your English Vocabulary for PET

Check Your English Vocabulary for Phrasal Verbs and Idioms

Check Your English Vocabulary for Business and Administration

Check Your English Vocabulary for Law

Check Your English Vocabulary for Medicine

Check Your English Vocabulary for Computing

Check Your English Vocabulary for Leisure, Travel and Tourism

Check Your English Vocabulary for Human Resources

Check Your English Vocabulary for Banking and Finance

Check Your English Vocabulary for Living in the UK

For more information, visit www.bloomsbury.com

Exercise 1

Put the following words and phrases into their correct place in the table depending on their function. Three of them have been done for you.

Exercise 2

Complete these sentences with one of the words or phrases from above. In most cases, more than one answer is possible.

1. Tourism brings much needed money to developing countries..................... it provides employment for the local population.

2...................... bringing much needed money to developing countries, tourism provides employment for the local population.

3.. Tourists should respect the local environment..................... they should respect the local customs.

4...................... industrial waste, pollution from car fumes is poisoning the environment.

5.. In order to travel, you need a passport....................., you might need a visa, immunization jabs, and written permission to visit certain areas.

6.. Knives are banned from hand baggage on all flights..................... other sharp objects such as scissors.

7.. All power corrupts....................., absolute power corrupts absolutely.

8.. You shouldnt smoke, drink, take drugs, or eat unhealthy food....................., you should live a more healthy lifestyle.

9.. The ozone layer is becoming depleted, the air in the cities is becoming too dirty to breathe and our seas and rivers are no longer safe to swim in..................... pollution is slowly destroying the planet.

10. Your grades have been very poor all year..................... you need to work really hard if you want to pass your exams next month.

The following exercises look at some common American words (words which are used in the United States and Canada). You might find it useful if you have been learning British English (the English which is spoken in the United Kingdom and in some other countries around the world). Generally, American words are understood by British English speakers largely as a result of imported television programs and movies but many North Americans are unfamiliar with some British English words. As a result, it is advisable to use the American words rather than the British words in the TOEFL.