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Using the Right Verb Tense: Grammar Help for Speaking Questions 1 & 2

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Listen to podcast

Example Question: Talk about someone who has been a mentor for you in your life? How did he/she help you grow as a person? Include examples and details in your response.

As you respond to these questions you will have to be able to use a variety of verb tenses in English.

Here are some of the verb tenses and examples. You should be able to use all of these tenses.

  • Use the Simple Past to talk about finished actions from your past.

Ex: My former music teacher taught me a lot about perseverance.  She made me practice 10-15 hours a week.

  • Use the Past Perfect to talk about something you did before something else in the past.

Ex: Before I had been her student, I never practiced.

  • Use the Simple Present to talk about things your do often or usually. You also use the simple present for facts.

Ex: I usually don’t like to work hard at anything.

  • Use the Present Progressive to talk about what you are doing now.

Ex: She is the reason I am taking this English test now.

  • Use would to talk about something you hope to do in the future.

Ex: After I pass the TOEFL, I would like to study music Juilliad.

  • Use going to for talking about your future plans, which are certain.

I know I’m going to be successful because of her strong support.

It’s possible for you to use more verb tenses, but these are the most likely ones that you will need to use.

Revising Your Essays on the TOEFL iBT ® Test

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Listen to podcast

Here is the revision checklist I mentioned in today’s podcast:

Checklist

  • Does every sentence have a subject and verb?
  • Do your subjects and verbs agree? ( this means you should have an –s on the verb if the subject is singular in the simple present)
  • If your sentence has a subordination conjunction (examples: although, even though, because, after, etc.), does your sentence have two clauses? One independent (without a subordinating conjunction) and one dependent (with a subordinating conjunction).
  • Are any sentences too long?
  • Do you have a lot of short sentences that could be combined?
  • Is the first word of every sentence capitalized?
  • Do you have commas before coordination conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, yet, so)?
  • Do you have punctuation at the end of every sentence?
  • Check your word forms. Are you sure you are using the right form for the word. Ex. Technology (noun), technological (adjective)

Here is a checklist for the content of the independent essay:

Introduction

  • Is your thesis statement clear?
    • Is it grammatically parallel?
    • Does it have a topic and a focus?
    • Is it at the end of your introduction?
  • Do you have a hook at the beginning?
  • Does your introduction start general and become more specific?

Body

  • Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence?
  • Are the topic sentences different enough, but also related to the thesis?
  • Are the topic sentences parallel and clear?
  • Do you have some specific support for each paragraph? Examples, facts, details, statistics, etc.
  • Do you use transitions?
  • Do you have a concluding sentence for each paragraph?

Conclusion

  • Do you have at least a concluding sentence?
  • Do you have a restated thesis?

Writing Your Essays on the TOEFL iBT ® Test

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Listen to podcast

Follow these notes as you listen to the podcast:

Listen for the answers to these questions: 

  1. What are the two outline options for the integrated essay?
  2. What are the three main sentence types of paragraphs?
  3. How should you organize your time for the writing phase?
  4. Should you start the writing phase by writing your introduction?

Here are the parts of an essay labeled:

Integrated Speaking Task: Question 5

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In question 5 for the Speaking Section of the TOEFL iBT® test you listen to a conversation between a student and someone else on campus. The student has a problem and the other person is offering solutions. For the speaking response you have to summarize the problem and solutions and then choose the best solution and explain why.

I have listened to many students practice this question. Students often use the wrong form of the word advice to explain the solutions mentioned in the listening. This causes a grammar problem.

Advice or Advise?

Advice: Noun

DO SAY:

He gave her some advice. He said she should drop the class.

One piece of advice he gave her was to drop the class.

NOTE: Remember that advice is non-count. So you don’t need to change it to make it plural. If you want to count it add “one piece of” or use “some” to express more than one.

DON’T SAY: He gave her advices about dropping the class.

Advise: Verb

DO SAY:

He advised her to drop the class.

He advised that she should drop the class.

NOTE: Notice what follows the verb. You can follow the verb advise with “her/him + to + verb.” Or you can follow the verb advise with “that + she/he + should/could + verb.”

Do not mix these forms

DON’T SAY: He advised she to drop the class. He advised that her drop the class.

Planning Your Essays on the TOEFL iBT ® Test

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Listen to podcast

Follow these notes as you listen to the podcast:

Listen for the answers to these questions: 

  1. What are the three steps for writing?
  2. What step is maybe the most important?
  3. What are the three parts of planning?

Example independent writing question for the listening: 

Do you agree or disagree with the statement that

The beneficial aspects of nuclear power outweigh the negative aspects.

Example thesis statement: 

Although there are benefits to nuclear power, the dangers of this form of energy far outweigh them.

Example brainstorm related to this topic:

  • The nuclear power plant crisis in Japan after the tsunami
  • The current threat of enriched uranium projects in politically unstable countries
  • Alternative cleaner and safer energy: solar and wind.
  • Problem of waste

Writing an Introduction for the Independent Writing Task

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Introduction

An introduction is the first paragraph of your essay. A good introduction usually starts general then becomes more specific. This is called a funnel introduction. It ends with the thesis.

Your introduction should begin with a hook. A hook is an interesting quote, statistic, proverb, or fact that grabs the readers’ attention and draws them into the essay. General observations show that the topic of the essay is relevant to the broader world, but the sentence leading up to the thesis narrows the topic and limits it to the controlling idea in the thesis statement.

Example Hook (statistic)

According to The US Telecommuting Forecast “29 million telecommuters will enter the remote workforce between 2009 and 2016, totaling . . . 43% of US workers.”

Example Introduction

According to The US Telecommuting Forecast “29 million telecommuters will enter the remote workforce between 2009 and 2016, totaling . . . 43% of US workers.” In a world with IPhones, Skype, and Screen-share technology, some people think working in an office environment will become a thing of the past, but these efficient technologies can also be distractions, especially if you are working at home. Social media is more tempting at home, and then workers become less productive than at the office. Although some people prefer working at home, an office environment is more suitable for three reasons: fewer distractions, more ready resources and a better controlled environment.

The example introduction starts with a hook and then some general comments about technology in the world. It then connects these technologies with working at home. Finally, the introduction ends with a thesis.

Write an introduction using a the thesis statement for the topic above. Try to include the three essential parts of an introduction: a hook, general observations, and a thesis statement.

Tips for Small Talk in English

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Small Talk Topics

Look at the list of topics. Which topics do you think are safe for small talk and which topics are risky. There are 5 safe topics and 5 risky topics.

  • Finances
  • Travels
  • Books/ Movies
  • Religion
  • Death
  • Hobbies
  • Food
  • Age and Appearance
  • Politics
  • Events

Now try to think of a specific example for each of the safe topics.

  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  

Open and Closed Questions

  • Open questions are questions that require a long developed answer.
  • Closed questions are questions that usually can be answered by a single word or phrase.

In small talk situations it’s good to use a mix of open and closed questions. Too many closed questions mean that you have to keep thinking of new questions. Too many open questions means that you will be listening most of the time.

Look at the following questions/statements. Which ones are open and which are closed?

  • Where are you from?
  • What’s your job?
  • Tell me about what a regular day work looks like for you.
  • Tell me more about yourself.
  • Do you like music?
  • What kind of music do you enjoy?
  • What do you like about that kind of music?

Practice introducing one of the safe topics. Use the example that you thought of above. Try to use some open and closed questions.

Use Paraphrasing Not Plagiarism on the Integrated Writing Section

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Listen to podcast

Here are some notes to read as you listen:

  1. What do you have to do for the integrated writing task on the test?
  2. What is paraphrasing?
  3. What is quoting?
  4. What is plagiarism?
  5. Which is bad: quoting, paraphrasing, or plagiarism?
  6. What could happen if you plagiarize at an American university?

Here is a great webpage that explains different techniques for paraphrasing.

Speaking like an American: Part 1

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Understanding the way native speakers use English can help improve your speaking and listening. There are many ways to make your English sound more native-like. For informal situations, one way to sound more natural is to use phrasal verbs. Knowing phrasal verbs can improve your listening skills because Americans use them often.

Phrasal verbs are two or three part verbs that are not easy to translate. Sometimes the meaning is not easy to guess. Most non-native speakers learn phrasal verbs from hearing them and from memorizing them. The second part of a phrasal verb looks like a preposition, but is called a particle. Some phrasal verbs share the same first word.

For example:

get out

After my mom died I didn’t get out for a month.

get by

Nowadays, it’s hard to get by on a one person income.

get around

The rumor got around that I had cheated on my exam.

 

Here is a list of some common phrasal verbs.

Some things to notice when you learn phrasal verbs are:

1. Can the phrasal verb take an object?

2. If the object of the phrasal verb is a pronoun, it must go in the middle of the two parts of the verb.

3. Some phrasal verbs can have more than one meaning.

 

Academic Listening and Speaking Practice for TOEFL iBT® test

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Listening Practice

Step 1: Prediction

Look at this title for the listening: Saving Lives In Africa With The Humble Sweet Potato

What do you think the listening will be about?

What are some words that you think the listening will include?

Step 2: Checking your Guess

Look at this infographic related to the listening and check your guesses.

Step 3: Listen to the Report

Now listen to this report from National Public Radio.  As you listen take notes on the key ideas. After you listen, try to answer these questions. Don’t look at the questions as you listen. On the TOEFL iBT ® test you will not see the questions until after you listen, but you can take notes.

Step 4: Answer Questions Similar to the TOEFL iBT® Test

1. What is the listening mostly about?

A. the history of the orange sweet potato

B. the distribution of vitamin A capsules

C. nutrient deficiencies in the poor African populations

D. fortifying staple foods with essential micronutrients

2. According to the listening, what is the significant difference between orange sweet potatoes and other varieties?

A. the color

B. the micronutrients

C. the growing conditions

D. the size

3. Why does the reporter mention “golden rice”?

A. to give an example of  another food that has the same color as the sweet potato

B. to emphasize the importance of staple foods in developing countries

C. to recommend the next kind of crop Africans should grow

D. to give an example of another biofortified crop

4. What does the economist in the report imply, when he says,”Once that seed, that variety, is in the food system, it’s available year after year after year.”

A. orange sweet potato seeds persist in the environment for a long time

B. a biofortified crop is a more sustainable solution than vitamin supplements

C. seeds can endure harsh conditions

D. the food system cannot change quickly

5. Why does the reporter say, “At that point, Bouis had his eureka moment…”

A. to signal that Bouis solved the problem

B. to give an example of the problem

C. to point out the problem with vitamin supplements

D. to express frustration about the vitamin defficiency

Step 5: Check your Answers

1. D

2. B

3. D

4. B

5. A

Speaking Practice: Question 6

Question 6 on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL iBT® test involves listening to a lecture and answering a question about the talk. You have 20 seconds to think and 60 seconds to speak. You will summarize the lecture and focus on the key ideas in the question.

Step 1: Listen Again to the Report

As you listen take notes and focus on the main ideas.

Step 2: Read the Speaking Question and Prepare to Speak

Speaking Question: Summarize what the listening said about biofortification and how it is improving the health of poor people in Mozambique.

Take 20 seconds to think about your response.

Step 3: Answer the Question in 60 seconds

Focus on the main ideas in the question. Use any important examples in the listening.

Step 4: Check your Answer

After you speak compare your response with the answer below:

According to the listening biofortification is adding important nutrients to foods naturally by breeding staple crops that poor people already eat. The lecture said the biofortification is a better solution than vitamin supplements, because it is less expensive. The lecture gave the example of the orange sweet potato. This potato is common in the U.S.A, but not in Africa. It is important because it is a good source of vitamin A. Africans already eat sweet potatoes, but the kind they were eating didn’t have vitamin A. So the government introduced this new variety, and reports show that it is improving the health of many people in Africa. Because of this potato they have more vitamin A.

Did you include some of the same ideas in your response?

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