TamKang University
TOFEL Preparation Course
Week 2
Host: Andrew du Boulay
Recommended Text
• Reminder if you want the best TOEFL book
“Cracking the TOEFL iBT” 2011 Edition
(with Test Preparation CD)
Publisher: Princeton Review 2010
Approximately, NT$ 1,103
• To Order contact Safin (陳珈汝) in the Dean’s
office ~ room CL521
Extra Learning Tools
• The Official Guide to the TOEFL® Test, 3rd
Edition
A guide with practical and tactical information
you need to know about the TOEFL test.
Includes two full-length practice tests, real
sample responses
About last week’s test
• The following graph shows the average spread
of last week’s test.
• Compare where your performance fits into
the rest of the class.
• Our aim is to improve performance and move
the majority of students toward the 75% pass
mark
Distribution of test results
35
30
S
t
u
d
e
n
t
s
25
20
15
10
5
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
Mean test score was 11.26 out of 30 with 120 students
27
30
Lesson 2
• Your best friend: the Dictionary.
Understand what you read as you read it.
• Your next best friend: the Thesaurus
Question 1
• What do you call a person who likes to read
and study a dictionary?
Answer
• A1 : a smart person with a great vocubulary!
Question 2 & 3
• 2. What do you call a person who likes to
study the formation and meaning of words?
• 3. What do you call a person who likes to
study the history and formation of words?
Answer 2 & 3
• A2: a lexicologist.
– From the Greek words
• lexis ~ meaning word
• ology ~ meaning to study
• plus the suffix ist ~ to signify a person
• A3 : an etymologist.
– From the Latin word
• etymologia ~ meaning to study the origin of a word
The best place to start…
a Dictionary and a Thesaurus
• Oxford dictionaries and thesauruses are
trusted the world over
• They invest in language research
• Give you access to the latest new words and
phrases and the most up-to-date definitions.
For learners of English
• Oxford’s dictionaries for learners of English
give the help and support you need to expand
vocabulary and use words correctly.
• They explain words using language learners
understand, with illustrations for difficult
words, and help with grammar and
pronunciation.
Electronic Dictionaries
• Consumers are turning to electronic
dictionaries over the traditional book
dictionaries due to their portability and user
friendly features.
• The best electronic dictionaries are both
comprehensive and easy to use.
• They have large, easy to read LCD screens,
comprehensive word banks, and tons of
consumer friendly features.
International Phonetic Alphabet
• The IPA is the most common phonetic system.
• It was established in 1886 in Paris.
Different Phonetic Sounds
Phonetic symbol
IPA Sounds
= to English Letter
IPA English Sound
ㄅ
b э:
b
b
bat, ball, big, bank, book, bible
ㄆ
p э:
p
p
pan, pen, point, please, proper
ㄇ
m э:
m
m
man, memory, mother, monster
ㄈ
f
э:
f
f
find, fox, friend, foe, finger , life
ㄉ
d
э:
d
d
do, did, doing, done, destined
ㄊ
t
э:
t
t
tap, tip, toss, temporary, total
ㄋ
n
э:
n
n
no, need, now, next, never
ㄌ
l
э:
l
l
leg, long, lane, lemon, lime
ㄍ
g
э:
g
g
get, go, going, gone, grandma
ㄎ
k
э:
c+k
k
cat, come, kick, cool, kettle,
chemistry, chaos, Christian,
ㄏ
h
э:
h
h
her, hurt, hearse, have, hold,
hello, help, heaven,
ㄐ
ʤ i:
ㄑ
ʧ
i:
j
g
ch ee
Some English words
ʤ
jam, jump, jazz, jog, judge,
general, generation, giant
ʧ
cheese, cheat, church, chop,
change, challenge, chocolate
Different Phonetic Sounds
Phonetic symbol
IPA Sounds
= to English Letter
IPA English Sound
sh ee
ʃ
Some English words
ㄒ
ʃ
ㄓ
ʤ ü:
j
ew
ʤ
Jew, juice, juicy judicial
ㄔ
ʧ
ü:
ch ew
ʧ
chew, chewing, choose,
ㄕ
ʃ
ü:
sh ew
ʃ
shoe, chateau, chauffeur, shame,
session, profession, show
decision, measure, treasure
i:
sheep, shop, sharpen, shadow,
motion, imagination, chef,
ㄖ
ʒür
combined sound
ʒ
ㄗ
ds-z
combined sound
d s z
ㄘ
ts
ts
ㄙ
sz
s z
s
sit, sister, his zebra, size, sizzle,
peoples’ zoo, xylophones
ㄧ
i:
i
I
it, sit, situation, institution,
ㄨ
u:
several diphthongs
u:
ㄩ
jü
ü
ㄚ
a:
ar
t
j
s
ü
a:
does, dozen
dentists, artists, tests, plates
do, to, too, two, kangaroo, you,
flew, through, coupé, blue,
Mainly for German words.
You’re, j = yes
are, archer, arm, army, muscular
Different Phonetic Sounds
Phonetic symbol
IPA Sounds
= to English Letter
IPA English Sound
Some English words
ㄛ
ɔ:
several diphthongs
ɔ:
auto, author, auspicious, saw,
awesome, all, or, ordinary,
major,
ㄜ
э:
several diphthongs
э:
her, girl, curl, term, turn,
ㄝ
je
yeh
j
e
yeah (yes), yell, yellow,
several sounds
aI
Letter ‘I’, tie, fly, fire, by, bye,
buy, eye, bicycle, hi (hello),
high,
ei
Usually ‘A’ words
ei
Letter ‘A’, day, maid, made,
fade, appreciate, eight,
ㄠ
aƱ
ao
aƱ
Ouch! Our house. How now
brown cow.
ㄡ
oƱ
several diphthongs
oƱ
No, know, go, low, coat,
boat, remote, follow, yellow
ㄞ
aI
ㄟ
ㄢ
Λn
un
Λ
n
up, hut, but,
under, undo,
understand, hundred
ㄣ
en
en
e
n
end, send, envy, enable, enter,
envelope
ㄤ
Λŋ
ung
Λ
ŋ
up, sun, rung, ring, thing
sing, sang, sung,
ㄥ
Ʊŋ
ong
Ʊ
ŋ
put, look, book,
No Ʊŋ sounds
ㄦ
э:r
several diphthongs
э:r
her, sir, father, turn, burn, dirt,
Some sounds not in Chinese
æ
‘a’ as in cat
l
‘l’ as in lolly
at, hat, mat, scatter, material,
manager
look, listen, learn
ƆI
‘oy’ as in boy
toy,
r
‘r’
θ
‘th’ as in with
ð
‘th’ as in the
v
‘v’ in victory
Red Rooster on Ross River
Road
thank, think, thistle, brother,
mother, father
this, that, those, them ,they,
their, therefore
five, favour, very, every
w
‘w’ in wish
with, when, why, window
The Thesaurus
• A thesaurus is a book that lists words grouped
together according to similarity of meaning
(containing synonyms and sometimes
antonyms) in contrast to a dictionary, which
contains definitions and pronunciations.
• The largest thesaurus in the world is the
Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English
Dictionary which contains more than 920,000
words.
Synonyms
• In its narrowest sense, a synonym is a word or
phrase that is perfectly substitutable in a
context for another word or phrase.
• They have identical or very similar meanings.
• Words that are synonyms are said to be
synonymous.
• Eg: the words car and automobile are
synonyms.
Synonyms
• Synonyms can be any part of speech
(e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or
prepositions), provided both words are the
same part of speech.
Synonyms
• Noun : "student" and "pupil"
"petty crime" and "misdemeanour"
• Verb: "buy" and "purchase"
• Adjective: "sick" and "ill"
• Adverb: "quickly" and "speedily"
• Preposition: "on" and "upon"
Antonyms
• Antonyms are words with opposite or nearly
opposite meanings.
• For example:
– short and tall
– dead and alive
– increase and decrease
– add and subtract
• The words synonym and antonym are
themselves antonyms.
One of the best around …
• You can download a Thesaurus on-line
Next week’s lesson…
• Lesson 3
• Pronunciation: the key to improving listening,
speaking and spelling.
• The LATIN Alphabet
• Vowels, Consonants and Diphthongs