All Things ESL

Studying for the U.S. Naturalization Interview?

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:30:00 -0400

The National Museum of American History and USCIS have created a new tool for studying for the naturalization interview.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/

For personal tutoring* for your interview and improving your English, contact me here. I offer classes online via Skype or in person in Greenville, SC.

*NOTE: Instruction does not include or constitute legal advice. Please consult an immigration lawyer before starting the U.S. citizenship application process. All Things ESL is not endorsed by the USCIS.

Pronunciation Tips: Using Phrasing on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL® test

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:49:00 -0400

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here is the script for the sample independent speaking response* you will hear as you listen. The appropriate places for pauses are marked with this forward slash (/).

I prefer exercising outdoors / First / I spend my whole week at work inside / and the weekend / is my only chance / to see nature / My desk at work / is in a small cubicle with no windows / and by the end of the work week / I’m usually very depressed and restless / Exercising on the weekends / gives me a chance to move / and to improve my spirits / Also / in my hometown / we have a wonderful cycling trail / At my gym / you can rent bikes for free / and ride the trail / Last weekend / I went on a date / with my boyfriend /and we rode the entire trail together/ The weather was perfect/ And at the end / we had a romantic picnic /So I definitely prefer that intimate experience / over a crazy night clubbing.

After you listen to the podcast practice reading the script with correct phrasing.

*sample responses are given in American English

Learn English with me! Click my picture to get started!

All Things ESL sponsoring a new Greenville English Conversation Group

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:48:56 -0400

If you are new to Greenville and need free English conversation practice click the picture below and join our meetup group!

Pronunciation Tips: Using Linking on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL iBT™

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:14:00 -0400

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are the examples* you will hear as you listen:

Example of Consonant-Vowel Linking

Can I turn on the TV now?

Can I becomes Ca-ni

turn on becomes tur-non

Example of Vowel-Vowel Linking

Who is going with Jack to the party?

I am.

Who is becomes who-wis

I am becomes I-yam

*pronunciation examples are given in American English

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Pronunciation Tips: Using Contractions and Reductions on the Speaking Section

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:22:10 -0400

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What are some contractions?
Why should you use contractions?
What are reductions?
What are some examples of reductions?

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

How does my TOEFL® test relate to other English proficiency tests?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:26:07 -0400

Sometimes students ask me how their TOEFL® test score compares with other scores for English tests. The same company that made the TOEFL® test publishes a helpful tool online which compares TOEFL® test scores to IELTS and CEFR scores. Click here for a link to that website.

If you need help or have other questions about the test, join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

The Grading Rubric for the Speaking Section of the Test

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:03:05 -0400

Students ask me sometimes about how they will be graded on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL® test. You don’t have to wonder. The company that made the test publishes the grading rubric online. Click here to see it.

You are graded on three areas: delivery, language use, and topic development.

If you’d like help improving your score on one or all three areas. Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Pronunciation Tips: Sentence Stress on the Speaking Section

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:05:22 -0400

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What is delivery?
What is sentence stress?
Which kind of words do you usually stress in English: content or function?
Why is sentence stress important on the speaking section?

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Listening: Categorizing and Summarizing Questions on the TOEFL iBT™

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:41:49 -0400

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What are categorizing and summarizing questions focusing on ?
What are clues you can listen for in the lecture that will help you on the summarizing questions?
What were the 7 steps in the lecture?
How many summarizing or categorizing questions are on each listening passage?

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Note Taking Skills on the Reading and Listening Sections

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:05:51 -0400

Many ESL students struggle to take notes while listening. And note taking is an important skill to master for the TOEFL iBT®. Here are some great links to note taking methods, tips, and practice. Happy studying!

Methods
General Tips
Specific Tips for Note Taking when Reading
Specific Tips for Note Taking when Listening
Intermediate Listening Practice
Advanced Listening Practice: NPR
Advanced Listening Practice: TED

For personal help to improve your listening skills join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Organizing your Speaking Responses: Questions 5

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:30:08 -0500

If you organize your speaking responses your response will be clearer and easier to understand. Here are some suggested phrases and organization for Question 5 on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL® test. Just finish each sentence with information from the task.

Q5: For this question type you will listen to a conversation between a student and another person at the university. Usually the student has some kind of problem or need. The other person is giving the student advice about the situation. The task will ask you to summarize the problem and the solutions offered. Then you will choose what solution you think is the best and include reasons supporting your choice.

Preparation Time: 20 seconds

Speaking Time: 60 seconds

Approximate Length: 7-8 sentences

Sentence 1 (Summarize the problem):

The student’s problem is…

The student needs …

The student wants…but…

Sentence 2-3 (Summarize one of the solutions):

The man/woman advises that the student should…

According to the man/woman the student should …

One solution the man/woman offers is…

Sentence 3-4 (Summarize another one of the solutions):

The man/woman also says the student could …

Another solution the man/woman offers is…

Sentence 5-6 (State the solution you agree with):

I agree with the first/second solution because…

I think the best solution is the first/second one because…

The first/second solution the man/woman offered is the best because…

Sentence 7-8 (Optional: Give more detail supporting your choice):

This is also a good solution because…

Another reason to choose this solution is…

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Small Changes to the TOEFL iBT® Reading Section

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:19:21 -0500

In case you hadn’t heard, there have been some small changes to the reading section of the test. Here is a link to the official announcement about the update to the reading section of the test.

Listening: Prediction Questions on the TOEFL iBT™

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:52:45 -0500

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What is prediction?
What are the conversations usually about on the listening section?
What are some questions to think about during the listening?
What do you think John will do to improve his grade?

Join my online classes. Click here to request more information.

Campus Vocabulary

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:52:35 -0500

For the Listening and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT™ it’s important to be familiar with common American campus vocabulary. Here is a quick quiz about the names of places on an American university campus:

Where should the student go on campus? Read the student’s problem and then match it with the office he needs to go to.

1. I need to find out if I can get a scholarship to help pay for my tuition

2. I need to get a copy of my transcript (school records)

3. I need to start looking for a job for after graduation

4. I need to do a chemistry project

5. I need to turn in my application

___________________________________________________________________

a. The Registrar

b. Admissions Office

c. The Office of Financial Aid

d. The Science Lab

e. The Office of Career Services

For the answers visit my facebook page. Click like while you are there. If you are interested in online English classes contact me here.

Reading Section: Using Context Clues to Answer Vocabulary Questions

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:29:00 -0500

Introduction

Imagine you are kidnapped and blindfolded. The kidnappers make you withdrawal all your money from the bank. Then they put you in a car and drive you far away and leave you somewhere. After they drive away, you remove your blindfold. No one is around and you have no idea where you are. How would you discover where you were?

Context Clues

In the situation above you would use context clues. Context clues are the things around you that would help you understand your location: things like the plants, the buildings, other structures, road signs, etc.

You can also use context clues as you read to help you discover the meaning of new vocabulary words. Context clues include grammar structures, word parts, the topic of the text, and key words. Don’t rely on one clue too much. Just like a good detective you need to use all the clues to solve the problem.

Common Context Clues and Examples

Function

First try to decide the function of the vocabulary word. Is it a noun, adjective, verb, and so on? If it is a noun it could be a person, place, thing, or idea. If it is a verb it is an action.

Example: The Blue Whale is the largest vertebrate. Its backbone has around 63-64 free vertebrae.

Unknown vocabulary word: vertebrate

You can guess that the word vertebrate is a noun because the article “the” comes before it and it also is modified by the adjective “largest.” So since it’s a noun, it could be a person, place, thing, or idea. So that leads us to our next clue…

“Be” Verb

The “be” verb is an easy clue. Imagine it as a big equals sign (=). The noun, noun phrase, or adjective that comes after the “be” verb is often describing or defining the noun or noun phrase that comes before.

Example: The Blue Whale is the largest vertebrate. Its backbone has around 63-64 free vertebrae.

Unknown vocabulary word: vertebrate

Using your logic and the context clue “is” you can guess that a vertebrate is a type of animal, because a whale is an animal. Specifically, you could guess that a vertebrate is a category of animals, which include the Blue whale. The next sentence gives you more clues. It helps you understand that a Blue whale has a backbone with vertebrae. The word vertebrae is very similar to our unknown vocabulary word so you can conclude it is related. So if you bring all these clues together you can guess a vertebrate is an animal with a segmented backbone.

Here’s a sample question similar to the reading questions on the TOEFL.

The word vertebrate in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. Animals that are classified as fish

B. A group of animals with large fins

C. A species of whales

D. A group of animals with backbones

“Or”

“Or” usually presents options. Sometimes it is used to restate the word or phrase that come before it.

Example: The Dalia Lama, or the spiritual leader of Tibet, is living in exile.

Unknown vocabulary word: Dalia Lama

In this example “or” is introducing a restatement of the subject. So we know that the Dalia Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet.

Adjective Clause or Phrase

The Dalia Lama, who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk, is also a renowned advocate of non-violent protest and important political leader.

Adjective clauses and phrases start with relative pronouns and describe the noun that comes directly before them. Relative pronouns are “that, who, whom, whose, which, where, when, and why.”

Unknown vocabulary word: Dalia Lama

The relative clause “who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk” signals that the Dalia Lama is a Buddhist monk.

List or Series

A list usually includes things that share similarities. This helps us understand more about the word’s meaning.

Example: Lobsters, crabs, crawfish, and other crustaceans have tough exoskeletons.

Unknown Vocabulary word: crustacean

The list helps us understand that crustaceans are types of animals that are similar to lobsters, crabs, and crawfish. They are classified together because of their similarities.

Make Your Independent Speaking Response Interesting

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:17:00 -0500

You are graded on three areas of your speaking: Delivery (pronunciation, pausing, intonation, etc.), Grammar & Vocabulary (variety of sentences, correct vocab use, advanced vocabulary, etc), and Topic Development. To score well on questions 1 and 2 you need to speak well in all of these areas.

Here are three tips to help you do well with grammar, vocabulary and topic development.

1. Use interesting vocab

Don’t use generic, boring words like good, nice, and beautiful. Those are words that you learned in your first English class. Try to use more interesting vocabulary or try to use words that help the listener imagine what you are explaining.

Do use the 5 senses to explain what the thing or the experience was like that you are talking about.

Example: I prefer the beach because of the rich taste of salt in the air. I like to feel the warm sun on my skin and the cool wet sand in between my toes.

2. Use a variety to sentences.

Don’t use only simple sentences (S+V)

Do use a variety of sentence types: simple, compound, complex

Negative Example: I like the beach. The beach is nice. The sun shines at the beach. There is water at the beach.

Positive Example: I like the beach because the sun shines often, and there is always water to play in. When I went to the beach last summer, I learned how to surf. Now surfing is my new favorite sport.

3. Use personal examples

Don’t only give reasons to support your answer.

Do give reasons and examples from your own life experience

Negative Example: I like the beach because it’s nice. Also, because there is water there. Another reason is I can get a good tan at the beach.

Positive Example: I like the beach because there is a lot of water there. In my childhood, I grew up in the desert region of my country. There was a lot of sand, but not very much water. The first time I went to the beach I was overwhelmed by the size of the ocean. It was big like the desert, but instead of sand it was all water.

To get more information about my online classes click here.

Listening: Inference Questions on the TOEFL iBT™

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:22:00 -0500

Here’s the latest podcast!

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What is inference?
What is indirect speech?
What should you listen for to help you make inferences?
Think of reasons we use indirect speech

Join my online classes at www.edufire.com/allthingsesl or click here to request a class using Skype.

Organizing your Speaking Responses: Question 3

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:41:00 -0500

If you organize your speaking responses your response will be clearer and easier to understand. Here are some suggested phrases and organization for question 3 on the speaking section of the TOEFL® test. Just finish each sentence with information from the task.

Q3: For this question type you read an announcement or notice about a change at a university. Then you listen to a conversation about the announcement. The conversation is between a student and someone else at the university. It could be another student, a professor, or someone else who works at the university. Usually, the student or the other person will have an opinion about the announcement. The task will ask you to summarize one person’s opinion and give reasons for that opinion.

Preparation Time: 30 seconds

Speaking Time: 60 seconds

Approximate Length: 7-10 sentences

Sentence 1 (Summarize the announcement or notice):

According to the announcement, …

The university is going to …

The notice says…

Sentence 2 (Summarize the person’s opinion or how he/she feels about the announcement):

The man/woman thinks the announcement is …

The man/woman disagrees/agrees with the change at the university …

The man/woman believes…

Sentence 3 (Give the first reason the man/woman mentions):

First, the man/woman says …

Her/his first reason is…

Sentence 4-5 (Give some details from the conversation supporting the first reason):

(This part of the response will vary according to the conversation.)

Sentence 6 (Give the second reason the man/woman mentions):

Next, he/she thinks …

He/she also says …

Sentence 7-8 (Give some details from the conversation supporting the second reason):

(This part of the response will vary according to the conversation.)

Listening: Attitude & Purpose Questions on the TOEFL iBT™

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:27:08 -0500

Here’s the latest podcast! Sorry I haven’t posted one in a few weeks.

Listen to Podcast

Here are some questions to answer while you listen:

What is the attitude of a speaker?
What are some clues that can help you understand a speaker’s attitude?
What are some purposes a speaker could have?
What are some things you can focus on as you listen for attitude and purpose?

Join my online classes at www.edufire.com/allthingsesl or click here to request a class using Skype.

Organizing your Speaking Responses: Questions 1 & 2

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:45:00 -0500

If you organize your speaking responses your response will be clearer and easier to understand. Here are some suggested phrases and organization for questions 1 and 2 on the speaking section of the TOEFL® test. Just finish each sentence with information from the task.

Q1-Q2: Remember for these question types you are giving your opinion about a topic or you are choosing one of two options and explaining why you prefer that option.

Preparation Time: 15 seconds

Speaking Time: 45 seconds

Approximate Length: 5-8 sentences

Sentence 1 (Make your choice):

In my opinion, …

I believe that…

I prefer…

Sentence 2 (Give your first reason):

First of all, …

My first reason is…

I believe this because…

Sentence 3 (Support your first reason with an example or details from your life experience):

For example…

In my life I…

Sentence 4 (Give your second reason):

Secondly, …

Also, …

Another reason is …

Sentence 5 (Support your second reason with an example or details from your life experience):

For example, …

In my life, I…