VOCABULARY TOEFL

Tips and strategies

VOCABULARY

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use context clues

Context refers to the words and sentences that surround a particular word and help convey its meaning. You can use the context of a sentence—or context clues—to help you detect the meaning of a word. Simply put, this means that you can look for clues in and around the vocabulary word. The term context clues means that other words in the sentence “give away” or “give clues” to the definition. For example, sometimes you’ll find synonyms (words that mean the same thing) or antonyms (words that mean the opposite), or details that lead you to identify the vocabulary word in question. Once in a while, you’ll find a group of words set off by commas (called an appositive), which gives you a very clear definition of the word.

I admire Arun’s candor, but sometimes, he can be a bit too honest. Candor means

comfort with speaking in front of people.

readiness to judge or criticize others.

frank, sincere speech.

irritability.

There a four types of context clues that can help you: 1. Restatement 2. Positive/Negative 3. Contrast 4. Specific Detail

Sarah had worked so hard for the past few weeks that she decided she owed herself a day of complete indolence. Saturday, she slept until noon, ordered take-out so she wouldn’t have to cook, and left the dishes in the sink. She left her chores for another day and spent the afternoon lying on the couch, reading and watching television. But on Sunday, she was back to her old assiduous self, and by noon, she had already cleaned her whole apartment, done her grocery shopping, and paid her bills.

What does indolence mean? a. luxurious b. hard labor c. deep sleep d. laziness

What does assiduous mean? a. luxurious b. lazy c. hardworking d. insomniac

denotation/connotation

CONNOTATION

denotation

The denotation of a word is simply its dictionary definition

The connotation of a word is an implied meaning or emotional impact. Sometimes, the connotation can be favorable or positive. Other times the connotation can be unfavorable or negative.

vs

synonyms

Although some synonyms are interchangeable, most words have their own unique connotation

synonyms can be similar, they are rarely identical

sentence structure

The basic strategy is to separate the sentence into units divided by punctuation. Often, one of the units will express a complete thought, then at least one unit will have one or two blanks.The unit that expresses a complete thought will tell you what the unit(s) with blank(s) need to say.

The second important skill you must master for sentence completion questions is the ability to identify key words and phrases. These are the words that most help you decode the sentence.Among the most useful of these are the words that enable you to identify the logical relationship between the complete unit(s) of the sentence and the incomplete unit(s).There are three types of logical relationships commonly expressed in sentence completion questions: contrast, comparison, and cause and effect.

contrast

though, although, however, despite, but, yet,on the other hand, however, despite, or on the contrary.

comparison

likewise, similarly,just as, as well as, for example, as shown,as illustrated by,namely, in other words, in fact, and that is

cause and effect

thus, therefore, consequently,because,since,due to, as a result,leads to

1. The _____________ president differs from the past president on healthcare reform issues. a. talkative b. accomplished c. artificial d. incumbent

2. The _____________ data supports the belief that there has been an increase in population in the county. a. nominal b. demographic c. practical d. nocturnal

3. The _____________ collected from real estate taxes helped to balance the town budget. a. domain b. remainder c. revenue d. assessment

4. She pretended to be _____________ about the new job opportunity, but secretly she was very excited. a. dedicated b. receptive c. candid d. blasé

5. We were tired when we reached the _____________, but the spectacular view of the valley below was worth the hike. a. circumference b. summit c. fulcrum d. nadir

6. The suit had a(n) _____________ odor, as if it had been stored in a trunk for a long time. a. aged b. scented c. musty d. decrepit

7. Because his workplace was so busy and noisy, he longed most of all for _____________. a. solitude b. association c. loneliness d. irrelevancy

8. The teacher put the crayons on the bottom shelf to make them_____________ to the young children. a. accessible b. receptive c. eloquent d. ambiguous

9. My computer was state-of-the-art when I bought it three years ago, but now it is _____________. a. current b. dedicated c. unnecessary d. outmoded

10. Visiting all the tea shops in the city, they were on a _____________ to find the perfect cup of tea. a. surge b. quest c. discovery d. cadence

11. Make sure the directions are very explicit so that no one makes a mistake. Explicit means a. intricate, complex. b. clearly and fully stated. c. chronologically ordered. d. ambiguous or implied.

12. The hotel is teeming with security personnel because the leaders of several countries are here for a summit meeting. Teem means a. to close down temporarily. b. to lose business due to circumstances beyond one’s control. c. to be full of, nearly overflowing. d. to be under close scrutiny.

13. Karen was relieved to learn that the chemicals in her well water were all benign. Benign means a. natural. b. dangerous. c. of local origin. d. harmless.

14. Although it was futile because he didn’t meet half of the requirements,Jensen applied for the job anyway because it was his dream position. Futile means a. useless. b. fruitful. c. radical. d. insane.

15. The editor, preferring a more terse writing style, cut 500 words from the 2,000-word article. Terse means a. elegant. b. factual. c. descriptive. d. concise.

16. Victor Frankenstein spent the last years of his life chasing his elusive monster, who was always one step of his creator. Elusive means a. difficult to compare. b. difficult to capture. c. difficult to forget. d. difficult to avoid.

17. Xiu’s timely joke served to diffuse the tension in the room, and the rest of the meeting was highly productive. Diffuse means a. to refuse. b. to intensify. c. to create. d. to soften. 18. I completely lost track of Tula’s point because she kept digressing to unrelated topics. Digress means a. to deviate, stray. b. to regress, revert. c. to change the tone. d. to express concisely.

19. The senator evaded the question by changing the subject and accusing his opponent of misconduct. Evade means a. to escape or elude. b. to answer indirectly. c. to refuse to answer directly. d. to deceive. 20. Samantha hasn’t said why she’s been so withdrawn lately, but I would surmise that it is because she is still upset about not being able to go to camp. Surmise means a. to confirm. b. to surprise. c. to believe. d. to guess.

1.interval—The researcher spent three-month intervals in Antarctica for each of the past four winters in order to complete his experiments. a)travels b) periods of time c) research methods 2. persist—The young man has practiced his guitar daily for the past two years. If he persists with this schedule, he will definitely become a successful musician. a) practices b) continues c) observes 3. immense—The television program featured an immense whale, spotted in the Atlantic Ocean. The narrator said the whale's size broke all previous records that had been set. a) massive b) tiny c) common 4. encompass—These bamboo trees now encompass the entire house. There is no area around the house where they don't grow. a) surround b) invade c) rise

5. hue—The beautiful blue hue of Margaret's dress matches her eyes. a) shape b) color c) size 6. diminish—When someone feels anger at another person, the emotion can be strong in the beginning. However, it should diminish as time passes, so the person begins to calm down. a) get larger b) express c) decrease 7. merge—If the two companies are merged with each other, they can control the majority of the market for this particular product. a) combined b) divided c) sold 8. replication—West Side Story is a modern replication of the story from Romeo and Juliet. However, it uses almost all of the themes from the original play, and West Side Story is set in twentieth-century United States. a) substitution b) copy c) comparison