2020-01-14 TOEFL: word roots, paraphrase

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Word Roots (list 5) - With your partner, try to think of one or two words to explain the meaning of each root.
morph (amorphous, metamorphosis, morphology) = shape/form
multi (multicolored, multilayers) = many (this is the Latin root)
nat (native, innate, natal) = birth
neo (neoclassical, neocolonialism, Neolithic) = new
nom/nym (nominate, misnomer, pseudonym) = name
nov (innovate, novelty, nova) = new
nov (November) = nine (At one time the year began with March.)
ob/op (obstruct, object, opposite) = in front of
omni (omnipotent, omnidirectional, omnivore) = all (this is the Latin root)
optim (optimal, optimize) = best
opt (optician, optometry) = vision
paleo (paleontology, Paleolithic, paleozoic) = old
pan (panacea, panorama, pandemic) = all (this is the Greek root)
path (pathology, antipathy, empathy, apathy, sympathy, pathetic, pathos) = suffering/pain (Many words that start with this, such as “pathology”, are related to sickness and disease.)
ped (pedestrian, pedicure) = foot
ped/paed (pediatrician, pedagogy) = child
peri (perimeter, peripheral, pericardium) = around
phil (philanthropy, philosophy, bibliophile) = love/attraction
phob (arachnophobia, claustrophobia) = fear/aversion
phon (phonograph, microphone, homophone) = sound
photo (photograph, photosynthesis, photogenic) = light (many words that begin with “photo” have to do with photography specifically, not light in general)
pod (podium, podiatry, tripod) = foot
poly (polygon, polyglot) = many (this is the Greek root)
port (transport, portable) = carry (especially into or out of something)
post (posthumous, postpone) = after
proto (prototype, proton, protocol) = first (“protocol” originally related to “first”, but the modern meaning is completely separate)
pseudo (pseudonym, pseudopod) = false
psych (psychopath, psychotherapy, psychology) = mind
pyro (pyromaniac, pyrotechnics) = fire
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Grimm’s Law describes a series of sound changes that happened in Germanic languages (including English), but didn’t happen in Greek or Latin:
pyro -> fire
pod -> foot
pater -> father
quod -> what
Voiced stops lose voicing:
    b -> p
    d -> t
    g -> k
Stops become fricatives:
    p -> f (This is the most common or noticeable example, especially at beginnings of words.)
    t -> th
    k -> /x/ or h
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Another sound change that we often see is h -> s in Greek vs. Latin roots.
hyper -> super
helio -> solar
hemi -> semi
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Other things to remember with word roots:
1 Sometimes many words with a root have a more specific meaning:
    “photojournalist” and “photogenic” have to do with taking pictures, not (directly) with light
2 Sometimes the history of the word comes from that root, but the modern meaning is unrelated
    “protocol” was originally the word for the first page or cover page of a book or document
3 Sometimes words with synonymous roots have different meanings or connotations
    supersonic = faster than sound
    ultrasonic = higher frequency than sound that we can hear
    predict = the normal (non-magical) deductions we naturally make all the time
    foretell = make magical predictions, such as what a fortune teller might make
    prophesy = make “divine” predictions (with information that comes from a god); prophecy (noun)
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Synonyms in phrases can also have different meanings like this:
butt dial = accidentally call someone (because your butt “dials” their number in your pocket)
booty call = call someone to have sex
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TOEFL Test: 3.5-4  hours, 4 sections, 120 points total, $205
1 reading: 54-72 minutes, 3-4 passages, 9-10 questions per passage
2 listening: 40-60 minutes, 5-7 listenings (2-3 conversations, 5 questions; 3-4 lectures, 6 questions)
	(10-minute break)
3 speaking: 17 minutes, 4 tasks, 3m45s speaking time
4 writing: 55 minutes, 2 tasks, 20+30 minutes of writing time
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Reading Question Types:
- vocabulary
- fact/detail
- negative fact
- paraphrase / sentence restatement
- inference
- purpose
- reference
- sentence insertion
- summarize
- organize/categorize into a chart
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Paraphrase questions
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- Most of the original sentences have two main parts/clauses, so make sure the answer you pick also has both of them.
- Wrong answers sometimes switch words around or exchange the subject and object of a verb.
Cengage exercise 5.1 - Is the restatement correct, incomplete, or false?
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BREAK
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Compare your answers with each other. Try to convince your partner if you disagree.
1 incomplete
2 correct (The original sentence uses “architects” and “builders” synonymously.)
3 false
4 false
5 correct
6 false
7 correct
8 incomplete (It’s true, but it doesn’t say anything about checkers, which is the focus of the original sentence.)
9 false (It’s not because of Handel, it was several centuries after Handel.)
10 correct
11 correct
12 false (“rivaled” means they were similar, “didn’t rival” means much less - They had similar talent, but Reynolds was much more financially successful.)
13 false
14 false (He learned about sand dunes, not about glaciers.)
15 incomplete
16 false
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Cambridge exercise R13 - Take 10 minutes to choose the correct restatements. Pay close attention to the subjects and objects of verbs (What does what to what?)
2 D
3 C
4 B
5 D
6 A
7 B
8 C
9 A
10 A
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Generally, before a double consonant (or ‘ck’) the vowel is almost always “short”.
	(“short” sounds: bad, bed, bid, bod, bud)
(Also, if a word has only one vowel and it’s between consonants, it’s probably “short”.)
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Oxford p. 134-136 describes the process for answering paraphrase questions.
- One type of incorrect answer choice that we didn’t cover is when it includes additional true information that isn’t from the highlighted sentence in the text.
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If you can recognize question types and you know what question types are most difficult for you:
- You can devote extra practice to that question type before you take the TOEFL.
- If time is sometimes a problem, you can skip questions on the TOEFL that you’re unlikely to get right.
	(For reading, come back and guess for questions you skipped. For listening, always guess because you can’t come back.)
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Homework (to start in class) - p. 137 and 140 (3R4), p. 142 and 144-5 (3R10)