English Vocabulary – Thanksgiving

November 22nd, 2007

This lesson features some more advanced vocabulary, including idioms and sayings related to Thanksgiving.
I want some turkey now!

Not this kind of Turkey, though… :)

[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=LD9ZtiX7d7g 468 391]

Technical problems with TOEFL iBT?

November 15th, 2007

The TOEFL iBT was launched as a new generation of test, supplanting the old paper-based exam and its original online version. ETS has over 2600 test centres – where candidates take the TEOFL iBT using special computer suite Tom Ewing, the company’s spokesman, says that they have tested over 148,000 people using this method s far.

But there have been many reports of problems. In September, 150 test takers in China were unable to finish their writing tests after a server broke down at ETS’s Princeton, headquarters. Oops! The candidates were given a different test instead.

TOEFL iBT is also marketed for the speed with which takers get results. In the high-pressure environment of international universities, getting reliable results on time is crucial.

Last month The Washington Post reported that test takers in the US were having a lot of difficulty getting spots at test centres and that there were many last-minute cancellations of tests.

Ewing says that these are isolated problems. “When you completely redesign the world’s most popular English language assessment test and the testing network, there are going to be occasions when technical difficulties arise. They are, however, few and far between.” Hmmm… well, okay.

“The rate of candidates who show up on test days and are not able to test is running well below one half per cent. Sometimes it is because of local power outages or the local connectivity issues over which we have no control.”

These challenges show no sign of curbing ETS’s ambitions for the iBY version of TOEFL. Ewing says that 1600 new test centres are to open soon and that ETS is now accepting registrations in 112 countries, compared to 80 for the old online test.

“We now have the world’s largest testing network. We are on schedule for our rollout and continue to refine the process.”

What about your accent?

November 11th, 2007

A lot of students worry about whether their accent will affect their score in the Speaking section of the TOEFL. Well, it’s like this. Everyone who speaks English has an accent. So, having an accent is not a problem.

What matters more than accent is clarity. Now clarity itself is composed of two elements.

The first element is that you must overcome any obvious mispronunciation. This means learning to say “yellow” and not “jello” if you’re a Spanish speaker. Or learning to say “rice” and not “lice” if you’re Japanese, for example. These are examples where the mistake actually produces a different word, and can cause confusion.

An example where a mistake due to accent does not produce another word is when Eastern Europeans say “Vas iz thiz?” instead of “What is this?” The meaning is still understandable, though there are errors due to the accent. This is less of a problem.

The second point is that you must speak as clearly and confidently as possible. Sometimes when students are nervous or forget the word they want to say, they try to mumble their way through. This is not a good idea, and doing so repeatedly could cause you to lose points because you are not communicating effectively. Better to find another word or explain what you mean as clearly as you can, in whatever accent you do have.

Common mistakes in English

November 11th, 2007

Here are a couple of good, short videos that explain some common mistakes that are often made in English. These kinds of problems can often trip you up on the TOEFL.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=QfAevOl7cXk 468 391]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=wbkHVHOx03Q 468 391]

A typical language school advertisement

November 11th, 2007

You will probably come across many ads in your quest to find a language school. This is a fairly typical one. What can you learn about the school really, in practical terms, from this ad. Is the school different from others that you have been looking at? The truth is, most ads for language schools are very similar. You need to do your own independent research to find out if the school has a good reputation and is right for you. Take a look at our guide for choosing an exam preparation school to see what kind of things you should be looking for.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/?v=VMc1ztz7KX4 468 391]