2017-06-15 TOEFL: writing practice

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Independent writing from last weekend.
- Remember, an effective response typically has at least 300 words.
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Integrated writing (the first writing task)
- 3 minutes to read a passage about a topic
- time to listen to a lecture about the same topic
- 20 minutes to write about the points from the lecture and how they relate to points from the reading (During this time, you will see the reading again, but you will not be able to listen to the lecture again.)
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“How they relate” - the lecture might contradict/challenge/refute/oppose/cast doubt on points from the reading, or it might support or illustrate points from the reading. (Usually the prompt you read after you hear the lecture will include a word that tells you the relationship.)
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Suppose the reading is about what causes people to be happy.
R0 (main idea) = After a lot of research we know the main things that cause happiness.
R1 = Good job
R2 = Good personal relationships
R3 = Enough liesure time
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Possible illustrate/support lecture:
L0 = People in [some culture] are found to be the happiest in the world.
L1 = There is little to no unemployment so almost everyone has a good job.
L2 = The communities are very close and friendly, so everyone has good relationships.
L3 = They don’t have to work long hours, so everyone has enough liesure time.
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Possible contradict lecture:
L0 = There’s no simple answer to what causes happiness.
L1 = Research about depressed people with fantastic jobs.
L2 = Examples of popular people with lots of friends who are not happy.
L3 = Too much liesure time leads to boredom and unhappiness.
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Response framework (for a contrasting lecture):

The lecture and the reading are about
The professor states that
On the other hand, the author believes

First, the lecture says
This contradicts what the reading says about

Second, the lecture says
This challenges the point from the reading that

Finally, the professor argues
This casts doubt on the point the author makes about
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The four paragraphs of your response should be about these points:
- R0/L0 (introductory paragraph about the main ideas of the reading and listening)
- R1/L1
- R2/L2
- R3/L3
“Typically, an effective response will have 150 to 225 words.”
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DELTA p. 393 - Take 3 minutes to read about Abstract Expressionism.
R0 = A.E. was a new form of American art from the 1940s, which valued self expression
R1 = valued the action of painting itself sometimes as much as the finished product
R2 = attention to surface qualities of paint such as texture and brush strokes
R3 = very large canvases, often on the floor and covered all parts
Now listen to a lecture about Jackson Pollock.
L0 = Jackson Pollock was a leading abstract expressionist who painted as a form of self-expression
L1 = He worked all over the canvas (large and on the floor) with a technique like a dance.
L2 = He carefully controlled the drips of paint from the brush to have a very identifiable character.
L3 = He covered the entire huge canvas with paint.
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Sample beginning:
	The reading describes the movement of Abstract Expressionism, which began in New York in the 1940s. The lecture is about Jackson Pollock, one of the leading artists in this movement. The lecture describes how Pollock exemplified the main characteristics of Abstract Expressionism.
	The first characteristic in the lecture is Pollock’s “action painting” process. He painted huge canvases on the floor by “dancing” around them with a paintbrush. This illustrates the points from the reading that Abstract Expressionism valued the process of painting as much as the finished product, and that Abstract Expressionists often painted very large canvases on the floor instead of an easel.
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Paraphrasing handout (Collins) - This is useful for speaking and writing, and you also need to recognize these paraphrasing techniques in the reading section.
- You can (and sometimes should) combine multiple techniques to paraphrase a sentence.
- You often need to change the structure of a sentence to paraphrase successfully (especially if you use different forms of words, such as a noun instead of a verb).
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BREAK
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Timed writing practice (ETS guide test 3, ETS past tests test 2)
Email your responses to me.
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Homework: Paraphrasing handout p. 81 - Exercise A - Complete the table with nouns, synonyms, and antonyms of each word.