ELTPR010: Subsist and 6 GO Collocations for English Conversation

Continue to increase your English vocabulary with  my own 15 lessons:

https://englishlanguagetestprep.com/vocab

Watch: PT2 - Ways A Strong Vocabulary Boosts Your Exam Success

Increasing your vocabulary is a sure-fire way to increase your score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or TOEIC test.

Did you watch Part 1 of this 2-part series?

Part 1 of the video covered 7 Ways A Strong Vocabulary Boosts Exam Success covers four (4) of the seven ways:

1. Boost your exam confidence. 
2. Speak more eloquently.
3. Write more intelligently.
4. Read quickly.

Today, your Part 2 reviews the following:

    5. Think in English

    6. Have synonyms and antonyms at your fingertips.

    7. Listen strategically.

Video Instruction

Conclusion

Now you more about the advantages of a stronger vocabulary to reach your target score on the IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC exam.

Get started today! 

Join my Vocabulary Blog and get 15 email lessons to strengthen your word power for the high test score you seek.

Emotional Intelligence and a High TOEFL Score - Quora Question

Find out more about how Emotional Intelligence improves your TOEFL score!

 

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Build Your Vocabulary for IELTS and TOEFL Success

Increasing your vocabulary without doubt is the best move you can make when you need a high score on the IELTS or TOEFL exam.

Most folks probably think of big fancy words to impress the exam graders.

While "less common vocabulary," as the IELTS Rubric indicates, is important, so are two other types of vocabulary also mentioned (the same goes for the TOEFL):

1. collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs
2. topical (education, environment, etc.)

Sometimes candidates are not aware just what "build vocabulary" means for these two exams.

The following shows you how to build better word power.

How to Build Vocabulary

There are two ways to build your word power - 1) directly and 2) indirectly.

Directly

Research shows that studying directly - using a text - leads to greater reading comprehension - one of the key benefits of increasing your word power for the exams.

One way is study a vocabulary text.

Given my over 12 years of experience assisting candidates to get their higher exam scores, I wrote my own vocabulary book with full definitions, examples, and sample sentences.

The terms are grouped by themes which research also shows makes it easier for acquisition of keywords.

In 303 Vocabulary Words You Need, you get 30 chapters of 10 words and bonus 3 words.

A second way is to study electronic flash cards that you or others make like using the website - https://quizlet.com/.

Here are 10 words to get you started that I created flashcards:

A third way is to watch vocabulary videos on YouTube:

Save time and build your lexicon in the shortest time possible!

Indirectly

Here is the best - but slowest - way to increase your lexicon - READING.

Incidentally, reading widely and daily is a good way to be better prepared for the exam.

A good source is the USA Today newspaper. Notice the topics in the top menu. You can read about the general news, sports, finances, money, and life.

However, it is important to develop the following two habits to help you.

FIRST: Be sure to devote a notebook to your new terms you encounter while reading. 

Top Tip: Don't stop reading every time you find a new word and look it up in the dictionary or thesaurus. Instead, try to guess the meaning of the word by its context. 

This minimizes disruptions and allow you to enjoy your reading experience as well as builds understanding by making you concentrate and try to guess the meaning.

Here is video for setting up your vocabulary notebook.

SECOND: Get Friendly with a Dictionary and Thesaurus

Another Top Tip: Write two words before the target word and two or three words after so you can capture its context. Don't just write the target word because you need the context when you look up your words in a dictionary or thesaurus.

After you have finished your reading selection, review your terms.

One of the best dictionaries for US English is Merriam-Webster.

One of the best dictionaries for British English is Cambridge.

One of the best thesauri that I've recently discovered is Power Thesaurus.

Collocation, Idioms, and Phrasal Verbs

Candidates often have to study hard to master enough collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs (CIP) to remember for the exams.

CIP is especially important for the Speaking Sections.

Remember - only use collocations on the Writing Sections because idioms and phrasal verbs are too informal for the writing tasks.

A direct way to study CIP is my own eBook.

That is wrote I 181 Best English Collocations, Idioms, and Phrasal Verbs.

Topical Vocabulary

Finally, certain topics are popular on the IELTS and TOEFL exams like education, the environment, tourism, etc.

Especially on the Speaking Test, candidates should seek opportunities to show their expanded vocabulary power to IELTS graders.

To get you started, I include below a sample of vocabulary about Education.

 

 

Conclusion

Now you are better prepared to build your vocabulary for IELTS and TOEFL success. 

Get started today by registering for my email blog of 15 lessons to enrich your word power.

How to Build Academic English Skills

Build Academic English

IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT candidates also need to know a good measure of Academic English - university-level English that most are not familiar with unless they have studied in an English-speaking college.

When I help candidates get the highest score on the IELTS or TOEFL exam, I often find that students are often unprepared for this aspect of the exams.

Most simply need to upgrade their speaking and writing skills before the exam.

I recently wrote this eBook to help students increase their Academic English skills:

Easy Academic English and Writing for IELTS™ and TOEFL iBT®.

Understand the foundation of university-level English and practice it with a IELTS/TOEFL instructor to strengthen your skills for an optimal test result.

Here's a great video where the instructor points out some common mistakes to avoid.

Plus, watch my own video - 3 Don'ts of Academic English.

Conclusion

Now you are better prepared to use Academic English on the TOEFL or IELTS Academic exam.

Continue to study how to use this university-level of English throughout your preparation time.

Plus, you can always use my eText - Easy Academic English and Writing for IELTS™ and TOEFL iBT® - to help.

Get more T

Watch: 4 of 7 Ways A Strong Vocabulary Boost Your Exam Success

Increasing your vocabulary is one of the best moves you can make to increase your score on the IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC exam.

The first part of the video  7 Ways A Strong Vocabulary Boosts Exam Success covers four (4) of the seven ways:

1. Boost your exam confidence. 
2. Speak more eloquently.
3. Write more intelligently.
4. Read quickly.

Video Instruction

Conclusion

Now you more about the advantages of a stronger vocabulary to reach your target score on the IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC exam.

Get started today! 

Join my Vocabulary Blog and get 15 email lessons to strengthen your word power for the high test score you seek.

IELTS Academic - 1 Thing to Know - 2 Common Mistakes

The IELTS Academic exam is a challenge for candidates who hope to attend their favorite university, get a promotion at the office, win a scholarship, or get a high score for their visa. 

Two Common Mistakes

Unfortunately, candidates often commit two avoidable mistakes. 

First, in the speaking and writing sections, full responses are not given.

Second, sometimes test takers speak too much in Speaking Part 2.

Let's look at each of these now.

Lack of Full Response

A "full response" on the IELTS exam includes a reason and example.

It is not sufficient to say (or write): 

Children should learn a second language.

WHY should children learn a foreign language?

Children should learn a second language because bilinguals are smarter.

IELTS graders need to know "the why" - always.

Now, let's go a step further.

A second way to give a complete response is to remember the formula - Reason + Example.

Children should learn a second language because bilinguals are smarter. For example, research shows youngsters are better able to think and read in their own language after studying another.

Speaking Too Much

Much advice from many corners around the Internet is to "keep talking" during the IELTS Speaking test.

That is true - to a point. A very fine point.

Fluency is not just a steady stream of words without stopping.

For example, you do not want any long hesitations in your speech or the IELTS grader may believe you are "stuck" - a loss for words, for whatever reason.

In Part One, the "Interview," you should limit your responses to two (2) sentences. The IELTS grader has only 4 minutes and 20 seconds to complete that section of eight or more questions!

In Part Two, the "Long Turn," you know the fixed time limit of speaking is two (2) minutes. The "keep talking" advice could be dangerous here! 

I grade students who "keep talking" and I find they do not use discourse markers, forget about structuring their responses, and rarely use collocations, idioms, phrasal verbs, or less common vocabulary.

In Part Three, the "Discussion," the "keep talking" advice more valid. You have more time to speak! It is important to modify and measure your speech on the IELTS Speaking exam.

Conclusion

Show the IELTS grader how well you can use the English language to express yourself. 

Remember:  IELTS Speaking section is for you to "show" your range of speaking skills - not how much you can speak.

Maximize Your IELTS Academic Score!

Study with my eText - 41 Things You Wish You Knew About a High Score for Academic IELTS™

If you need to practice IELTS Speaking and receive feedback from a certified English instructor, reserve a session with me.