2016-04-05 Pre TOEFL: intro to independent writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Two writing sections on the TOEFL
Independent: 30 minutes to write about a topic that you read at the beginning (usually your opinion about some general topic)
Integrated: 20 minutes to write after you read a passage and hear part of a lecture (this will be an academic topic)

The grammar in writing (and speaking) just has to be good enough that it isn’t confusing. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
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Organization is the most important thing.

Introduction: Summarize and give background information about the topic.
	Thesis statement: last sentence should clearly state your answer to the topic question.
Body (2-3 paragraphs): Explain the reasons for your answer and give examples of each reason.
Conclusion: Summarize/restate your reasons and opinion (in 1-2 sentences), then you can generalize beyond the scope of the question or make predictions for the future or give your personal opinion (if that wasn’t your thesis statement).

(5 minutes to organize/outline -> 5 minutes to write each paragraph)
After 30 minutes the screen will go blank, even if you’re in the middle of typing a word.
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On the “Writing Topics” handout, look at topic 90.
If you could meet a famous entertainer or athlete, who would that be, and why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

The person reading your TOEFL won’t have time to check if your reasons are accurate or even if the person you write about is a real person.
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Introduction: general information about the person you want to meet (country, job, age, credits)
	Thesis statement: “If I could meet one famous entertainer or athlete, I would choose [name] for three main reasons.”
Body paragraphs:
	The first reason is… / One reason is… (and then examples which are specific to this reason)
	The second reason is… / Another reason is…
	The last reason I want to meet… / Finally, I would like to meet [name] because…
Conclusion: “Due to [reason], [reason], and [reason], [name] is the famous athlete I would most like to meet.”
	Predictions for the future: If I meet [name], we will… / It would help me with...to meet [name]. / etc.
		or: In reality, I know that I will never meet [name], but it is nice to imagine…
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Homework: Read topic 75 and write a short (5 minutes) outline of how you could answer that question.