2017-07-14 TOEFL: common errors, speaking 5

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-genius-of-marie-curie-shohini-ghose
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Handout (Collins) p. 164 - Common writing errors
sentence fragments - Fragments are sentences that are “too short”. Either they lack a subject or verb, or none of the clauses are independent.
run-on sentences - These are sentences that are “too long”.
	My father is a banker he lives in New York. / My father is a banker, he lives in New York.
	- Independent clauses must be in separate sentences, or separated by a conjunction or semicolon.
non-parallel structure - Two or more things connected in a sentence (or across multiple sentences) should have the same grammatical structure.
	*Some people are not so much successful as just having luck. (adjective and noun)
	-> Some people are not so much successful as just lucky. (adjective and adjective)
	-> Some people do not so much have success as just luck. (noun and noun)
pronoun agreement - This handout tells you not to use singular “they”. However, this is extremely common even in formal writing and will not hurt your TOEFL score as long as it’s clear what your “they” refers to. (Singular “they” is older in English than singular “you”.)
subject-verb agreement - Pay close attention to whether your subjects and verbs are singular or plural.
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p. 165 part A - Fix the mistakes in each sentence. (Each number has at least one mistake, even if we ignore the book’s rule about “they”.)
1 It’s difficult to decide which is better, working with a team or working independently.
  It’s difficult to decide whether working with a team or working independently is better.
2 If someone works with a group, he or she learns many skills, such as cooperation and tolerance.
3 Everyone who works on a team should have a chance to say their / his or her opinion.
  People who work on a team should have a chance to say their opinions.
4 It is not always easy to work with a team because there can be a personality problem. This can cause conflicts and be very destructive.
5 Everyone who works on a team has to cooperate with the others.
6 People who work alone only have to think about themselves.
7 You need to have initiative, creativity, and a lot of confidence. (noun, noun, and noun)
8 I learned that it is important to be on time and have a positive attitude.
  I learned that being on time and having a positive attitude are important.
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Parallelism handout (p. 30-31) part B - With your partner, correct the problems with parallel structure.
1 Tom enjoys swimming and skating.
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BREAK
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2 He wore a green suede jacket, a flowered shirt, and multicolored platform shoes.
3 At 16, I was wild, outspoken, and uncaring.
4 The work was difficult and dangerous.
5 Like many women, she had several roles: wife, mother, student, and worker.
6 When the teacher left the room, I talked loudly, fought with my classmates, threw paper airplanes, and even climbed on the desks.
7 When I disobayed, my parents punished me: no going out, talking on the telephone, or having company.
  ...punished me: I couldn’t go out, talk on the telephone, or have company.
  ...punished me: I wasn’t allowed to go out, talk on the telephone, or have company.
8 Slowly, easily, and soundlessly, the dancers moved offstage.
9 The drums pounded, throbbed, rose and fell.
10 Good writing must be honest, fresh, and precise.
   Good writing must have honesty, freshness, and precision.
11 My son wants to be either a fireman or a pilot.
   My son wants to either fight fires or fly planes.
12 The students were more interested in dating girls than in studying math.
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KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid
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not A, not B, and not C
= not A, B, or C
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Speaking Task 5 response:
1 Summarize the problem
2 List the solutions they discuss
3 State your opinion (which solution you recommend)
4 Lead-in [optional]
5 First reason
6 Detail
7 Second reason
8 Detail
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Give your partner your response for ETS 1 tests 4 and 5.
Record your responses to the ETS guide practice tests.
Listen to your responses and decide which one we can hear as a class.
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Did your classmates’ responses have all the necessary parts? What else was good or bad about each response?
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Homework: correct the errors in the paragraph on the “Common Errors” handout (p. 165)
	Optional: Complete the sentences with your own ideas in the parallel structure handout (p. 31)