2019-10-04 TOEFL: writing overview

Greg Malivuk
gmalivuk@staffordhouse.com
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: p. 73-74 exercises A, B, C
one freshman / many freshmen
my freshman year (This is a compound noun, so we use the singular for the modifying noun.)
“I haven’t missed any due dates on my assignments.”
GPA = grade-point average (usually out of 4 points)
semester = term (half the normal school year)
faculty = teaching staff (in American English) or a school or college within a university (in British English)
prerequisite = a class that you have to have taken before you can take this class
corequisite = a class that you have to be taking together with this class
“I went to college at the University of Michigan.”
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Sample Independent Writing Prompt (from the second part of http://toefl.uobabylon.edu.iq/papers/ibt_2014_12148630.pdf):

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Always telling the truth is the most important consideration in any relationship.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
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- Words like “always” and “any” are absolute. If you can think of any counterexamples, you can use those to disagree with the statement.
- This is a pretty deep topic, but you don’t need to use deep examples. A surprise party is a simple example of when maybe it’s better to lie to a friend.
- If you agree, one option for organization is to address two or three reasons why someone else might disagree, and explain why those reasons are wrong.
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An effective (4 or 5 out of 5 according to https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/toefl_writing_rubrics.pdf) independent response usually has at least 300 words.
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Some spelling mistakes are worse than others.
“It depens on the case” - This isn’t a problem because it’s obvious what it means.
“you will break her fillings” - This is a problem, because the wrong word and misspelled word give a completely different meaning from “you will hurt her feelings”.
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“idiomaticity” basically means correct and appropriate use of idiomatic expressions
	on the other hand - not “in”, not “another”, not “side”
	in other words - not “on”, not “another word”, not “the other”
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TOEFL writing doesn’t need to be formal, but it shouldn’t be too informal
- contractions are okay
- first and second person pronouns are fine
- “gonna” and “wanna” are not okay
- “bc” or “cause” or “cuz” instead of “because” is not okay
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BREAK
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Independent Response Structure:
- It’s basically a typical five-paragraph essay (which is the standard “beginning essay” in American schools).
1 Introduction: give some background on the topic and make it clear what options you’re choosing between, then state your answer to the question
2-4 Body Paragraphs: state the reasons for your answer, give details and examples to show that the reasons are true and that they support your answer
5 Conclusion: summarize the reasons and restate your opinion, possibly end with a “takeaway” recommendation or prediction about the topic
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Body paragraphs have two jobs:
- show that the reason or supporting point is true
- show that it really does support your main idea
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agree/disagree: “The best things in life do not cost money.”

Each body paragraph can be about one of “the best things in life”, in your opinion.
- support why this is one of the best things in life
- make it clear that it does or doesn’t cost money (depending on your main idea)
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If the independent (speaking or writing) prompt is about which “life choice” is better, start by thinking through a few typical situations where one action can be better or worse than another:
    Does one option cost more than the other?
    Does it help or hurt in different areas of life?
        education
        career
        relationships (friends or family)
        liesure activities
        necessary activities (chores, taxes, etc.)
        budget
        responsibilities
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Integrated Writing
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Take 3 minutes to read the text on the first two pages of the sample responses handout (starting with, “In many organizations”).
R0 (main point) = teams are better than individuals for doing projects
R1 = there’s a wider range of knowledge and teams can work more quickly
R2 = they can come up with more creative or “risky” solutions than an individual (because there’s a wider range of ideas available)
R3 = more rewarding for the individuals on the team

Now read the transcript of a lecture on the same topic.
L0 = one company’s experience shows that there are many problems with the team approach
L1 = not so rewarding because some people got free rides and individual contributions weren’t recognized
L2 = not fast, because it’s difficult to reach consensus
L3 = some people can become very influential and reject other solutions that might be more creative
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(On new TOEFL tests, the reading and listening points are almost always clearly divided and in the same order.)
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Effective integrated responses are usually between 150 and 225 words. This is not very long. The key point is that you correctly summarize the points and their connections.
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https://ed.ted.com/lessons/everything-you-need-to-know-to-read-the-canterbury-tales-iseult-gillespie
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Homework: write an independent response to this prompt (You can take more than the 30 minutes you’d normally get on the TOEFL, but try not to take more than about 45 minutes or it won’t be useful TOEFL preparation.)

“Some young adults want independence from their parents as soon as possible. Other young adults prefer to live with their families for a longer time. Which of these situations do you think is better? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.”

When you’re finished, email your responses to me.