2017-06-20 TOEFL: word roots, speaking 1 & 2

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Word Roots list 4 - With your partner, think of one or two words to explain the meaning of each root.
icon = image
idio = oneself (by extension, this can have a meaning like “unique” or “strange”)
il/im/in/ir (illegal) = not
il/im/in/ir (illuminate) = in (some of these words have opposites with “ex-” or “e-”
infra = under
inter = among/between
intra/intro = into (includes the direction, not just the location)
ject = throw
junct = join
kine = motion (The Latin spelling of this root is “cine”.)
lab = work
lex/lect = word (Words like “collect” have the more basic meaning of “gather” or “bring together”, which is what you do with words when you speak.)
loc = place
luc = light (In words, the next letter is ‘e’ or ‘i’, so the ‘c’ sounds like /s/.)
lum = light
macro = big (in size)
magni = great (in size or quality)
mal = bad
man/mani/manu = hand
mar = sea/ocean
mega = big (specifically one million as a unit prefix)
meta (metamorphosis) = change
meta (metaphysics) = beyond/on a higher level/about (Metacognition is thinking about thoughts.)
micro = small (specifically one millionth as a unit prefix)
migr = move
mis = incorrect
miss/mit = send/throw
mono = one
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Knowing what these roots mean will help you recognize new words you see or hear, but isn’t always helpful when you’re trying to produce new words.
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You should also make sure you know how different suffixes change parts of speech (nouns to verbs, adjectives to adverbs, etc.). In this way, you can recognize thousands of new words.
“unspammability”
spam (n) = unwanted (advertising) messages
spam (v) = to send spam
spammable (adj) = able to be spammed
unspammable (adj) = not able to be spammed
unspammability (n) = inability to be spammed
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TOEFL overview
- 4 sections: reading, listening, speaking, writing
- 30 possible points for each, for a total of 120
Reading: 3-4 passages, 20 minutes each to answer about 15 multiple-choice questions
Listening: 2 or 3 sets, 3 listenings each, 10 minutes to choose multiple-choice answers for each set (but together with the listening time, each set will take about 30 minutes total)
	(10-minute break)
Speaking: 6 tasks, 5.5 minutes of total speaking time, but about 20 minutes for the whole section
Writing: 2 tasks, about one hour for the whole section (20 and 30 minutes of writing time)
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Speaking tasks 1 and 2 are independent, meaning it’s based only on your own opinions and experiences.
Task 1 is open-ended (it’s a wh-question):
“Who is your best friend? Describe the person and explain why he or she is your best friend. Use reasons and details to support your response.”
Your response should have these parts:
1 Topic statement: “My best friend is [name].”
2 Description (not always necessary): “He was my classmate…”
3 Lead-in: “There are two reasons why he’s my best friend.” (optional)
4 Reason 1: “The first reason is that he always gives good advice.”
5 Detail/example: “For example, when I was deciding where to study English, he …”
6 Reason 2: “The second reason is that…”
7 Detail/example: “For example, …”
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BREAK
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In speaking and writing, the supporting details and examples should demonstrate that the reason is true and show why that reason is a good reason for your thesis statement. (In independent speaking, your thesis statement is something like, “My best friend is Mark.”)
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The second speaking task will be a choice question. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Or it will describe two or three opinions and you choose the one you agree with.
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After you read and hear the prompt, you will have 15 seconds to prepare a response and 45 to speak.
Notes that you write during your 15 seconds should be just enough to remind you of what you want to say.

Mark
- advice (English school)
- humor (improves mood)
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If you have some extra time remaining at the end, you can add a short conclusion: “For these two reasons, Mark is the friend I like most.”
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Record your responses for tasks 1 and 2 in ETS past tests (vol. 2) tests 1 and 2
- Even if you need more than 15 seconds to think of what to talk about, saying something after 20 seconds of silence is better than saying nothing.
- For agree/disagree questions, state your opinion directly, instead of saying “I agree” or “I disagree”.
Listen to your four responses. Which one can we hear as a class?
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Tomorrow we will talk about the reading section with a focus on fact questions.
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Homework: handout (Cambridge) p. 181-182 - Read the passages and decide if each sentence is true or false.