Okay. Obvious I know, but taking notes is an essential piece of
this TOEFL listening tips article. Why?
Because few students actually think about how
to take notes effectively. Taking notes is a crucial skill for you to
develop, and something that will take practice just like any other skill! As
you practice, you’ll develop patterns and codes which will really help you to
keep track of those longer conversations and lectures!
Here are some pointers for taking
notes …
When in a
conversation:
Don’t try to copy the entire conversation! Develop a system of
abbreviations, symbols and capital letters to symbolize frequent topics (for
example, as the conversations are university related, I often write ‘P’ for
‘paper’, ‘C’ for class’ and ‘Pf’ for ‘professor’ ).
Try organizing your notes into a table. You could try drawing a line down
the middle and when the narrator says ‘listen to a conversation between X and
Y’ , you can write ‘X’ and ‘Y’ at the top of each side of the table. Then, as
the audio progresses, you can keep each speaker’s main points organized.
Note-taking example:
S
Pf
Fin
P: doubts..
Q:
where Ý res?
Check
lib sec. 220
!
More time?
Ok…by
Fri
Sub.
Class/office?
Office
b/f 5pm
(TOEFL listening tips: You might do
something similar as long as it works for you!)
Can you understand my notes? Here I have written some full words, the
first syllable of longer words (fin= final res= resources, lib=library,
sec=section, b/f=before), used singular letters for common words (P=paper,
Q=question) and some symbols (happy face= great! , upward arrow= more).
These are just some examples, and to be honest, it doesn’t really matter
what abbreviations, symbols, or characters you use as long as you understand!
When listening to
lectures:
Try making a flow chart. You can start with a column for the main ideas,
and draw arrows to supporting examples, key facts, or contrasting ideas.
Listen for connecting words, so you can follow the organization of the
lecture! You don’t have to write down these words, but when you hear them, you
know that important information will follow. These words will act as an
auditory clue, so pay attention to what comes next.
Examples of what to listen for:
Adding information: In addition,
for example, furthermore
Explaining a result: Therefore,
as a result, consequently
Comparing & Contrasting:
However, in contrast, on the other hand
Giving reasons: Because (of),
due to, for this reason, since, thanks to
.
TOEFL Listening Tips
#2 : Pay attention to Tone and Stress
As you’ve probably noticed from TOEFL Listening files, there are lots of
intonation changes in English. Rarely will a speaker have a flat tone
throughout an entire sentence, unless they’re bored that is!
Although the test may be a slightly dramatic at times with all the ups and
downs, you’ll notice that native speakers actually do this, and it’s an
important part of conveying meaning and attitude.
On the TOEFL Listening section, you’ll hear informal conversations between
two people, and you’ll often be asked about the speaker’s attitude. To help you
answer the question, pay close attention to the speaker’s tone of voice, and
which words he/she chooses to emphasize.
Let’s consider an example:
Boy: “How do you like your new social sciences class?”
Girl: “ It’s really great. The teacher is always absent.”
Question: What is the
girl’s attitude towards the class?
There are two possibilities here, depending on how the girl says the
sentence. If she lengthens the word ‘really’ and has a flat tone throughout the
second phrase, she is probably showing sarcasm, and
therefore doesn’t like the class.
On the other hand, if she pronounces ‘really great’ and ‘always’ with a
high tone, she is showing excitement and
she must like the class as
the teacher is never there (less work for her!).
Common intonation patterns to
listen for:
–Confusion/Uncertainty: multiple pauses/slow speech/fillers ‘Um..well..I guess I could”
–Excitement: high tone ‘That’s great!’
–Surprise: rising tone ‘Are you serious?”
–Consistent flat tone: boredom/indifference “That’s
great
TOEFL Listening Tips #3: Focus on Grammar and Vocabulary
Don’t
forget that this is a test of how much English
you know. All languages are, in the end, about words (vocabulary) and how you
connect those words (grammar). You need to prove your knowledge of English is
at the right level for you to pass the test. How do you that?
· Learn a few new words and expressions every day. Make
your own sentences with them. If you just try to memorize them without using
them in context, your memorization won’t work. You have to practice new words
so they become a part of your active vocabulary.
Your active vocabulary are all the words you can remember and use easily. This
means you’ll be able to use them in speaking and writing without thinking too
much. Here are some really good resources to help you improve your vocabulary and grammar.
· Prove you learned those words. Try to include them
in your speaking and writing practice.
· Only use the words you know. On the exam, avoid
using words and structures you are not sure about.
Because the listening involves “real-life”
conversations, you can expect lots of phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions, and
university-related vocabulary. In order to understand the context of the
conversations, you should know words like:
Dean= the head of a
college or university faculty or department.
Registrar= an
official in a college or university who is responsible for keeping student
records.
Scholarships= a grant made
to support a student’s education, usually given based on academic or other
achievement.
Prerequisite= a course
that is required to be completed before entering another course.
Student Loan= a sum of
money borrowed from the bank to be used for university tuition and payed back once
a student graduates.
Tuition= the amount of
money paid for instruction at a college or university.
Transcript= an official
record of a student’s grades and courses taken.
Deadline/Due Date=The day
by which something should be completed or submitted.
In the conversations and lectures, you will often hear phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions, so you should
start learning and practicing them early on.
Some common ones just to get you
started may be:
Hand in =submit (an
assignment)
Check out =take a book out
from the library
Take up (sthng) with (so)= discuss
an important issue in detail
Look over= review in detail
Find out= discover
TOEFL Listening Tips #4: Work
on Your Attitude
Everybody has exam nerves. Some level of stress is
good because it can help you focus on your goals and motivate you.
But if you worry too much, you will not be able to
prove your real English skill level in the exam. You will answer questions
wrong or make mistakes because you are too nervous and not paying attention to
the exam.
Remain calm and confident, and do
not let that happen!
The good news is that if you simulate exam conditions
by taking a lot of practice tests, you will be more relaxed in the exam.
Go to the real exam with confidence. Feel strong. Feel
intelligent. Think about all the time you spent studying.
Don’t worry about the unfamiliar topics you may come
across on the exam. This is not a general knowledge quiz, so you do not have to
know about every topic or theme. This is a language test. You are not supposed
to focus on your knowledge, opinions or ideas. You are supposed to focus on
communicating clearly.
With these tips in mind, get started on your study
plan. Write it down and post it somewhere so you can see it every day. Remember
that language skills don’t improve overnight, but you can certainly make every
day count!
TOEFL Listening Tips #5 : Practice, Practice and Then Practice Some More
There’s
no way around it, the more you practice,
the higher you will score! But do you know how to make the best use of your
time, money, energy and other resources as
you prepare?
· Don’t take the test too soon. If you can afford to
postpone the test for a few more months, you will gain more time to prepare. Do
not sign up until you feel 99% ready. This means you will probably score
higher. But be careful: You must make a commitment to yourself to use the extra
time to study intensively or you may forget what you learned.
· Make a study plan and stick to it. See how many practice
tests and resources you
can get access to and make a plan. You should regularly take practice tests.
Try to take one every week or every two weeks. Remember the questions that you
most often get wrong, and practice those areas of English. Spend the rest of
your time improving your general level of English. If you don’t have access to
as many practice tests as you’d like, you can create your
own.
· Pretend you are taking the exam. Save seven practice tests for the week before the exam.
Wake up every day like you would on the day of the actual exam and pretend it’s
the real thing. Take a full test every day, in exam conditions, and try to
imagine you are at the exam. No dictionary, no phone, no help. Time yourself
and stop when the time has ended. You will probably feel quite nervous, but
that is a good thing! Overcoming nerves is something you need to do. Once you
learn how to control your own level of stress, chances are good that the actual
exam will seem just like another practice session. You will feel more familiar
with the situation, and you will probably feel more confident and prepared.
· Have a teacher or friend help with speaking and writing.
You’ll
probably be able to do reading and listening practice
by yourself, but you are going to need someone to read your writing samples and listen to your speaking. You need some feedback. Ideally, this person
should be a teacher or native speaker of English, but anyone who can speak
really good English can help you.
2. Know All
the Directions
All tests are created equal in terms of
difficulty and what you have to do. You are going to read the same directions on every TOEFL test you take.
These directions tell you what task you have to do (reading, writing, answering
questions) and how much time you have to do that task.
If
you do a lot of practice tests, you will not need to read the directions
anymore. This means you can read them very quickly, click the CONTINUE button
as soon as it appears and use this extra time on the questions. Extra time
to read, think and answer questions is always good!
When
you take practice tests, read the directions
carefully. Try to remember the directions for each section.
When you take the real test, read the directions of every section again quickly
to make sure that you know what to do.
Make
sure you follow directions and prove that you understand them. In
the speaking test, whenever you are told to “use reasons and examples to
support your response,” make sure you include specific reasons and examples!
For every main point you make, you should present at least one reason and
one example to support it.
Also,
don’t forget that this is a language test, so you cannot just use the same
words from the task directions. You must show that you know a
variety of English words. Do not use the words “reasons” and
“examples” repetitively in your writing, as this can sound annoying to the listener.
Try to prove you have a wide range of vocabulary by using lots of synonyms. For
example:
“My
first point is__________. One of the arguments for this is __________. To
illustrate this idea, let me __________.”
“Another
point that I’d like to make is__________and here’s why: __________. In other
words, __________.”
“Last
but not least, __________. It is for this reason that I think__________. For
instance, __________”
Example :
1.
What is the main point of the professor’s lecture?
a.
People today should know more about the different styles that Botticelli used.
b.
Botticelli’s career exemplifies certain historical tendencies of the art world.
c.
We can never know the artists who might be popular in the future.
d.
Botticelli’s religious paintings were more important than his paintings that
depicted non-religious subjects.
Answer:
B. The professor’s main point is that Botticelli’s work shows that some artists
fall in and out of popularity over time. If you missed this, it might have been
because you stopped listening towards the end of the lecture—a good reminder to
stay alert (though it may be hard!) for the whole thing.
2.
According to the professor’s lecture, what does “his reputation again began to
blossom” mean?
a.
Botticelli became popular again.
b.
Many rumors circulated about Botticelli.
c.
Nobody knew what to think of Botticelli.
d.
Botticelli was well known among other artists.
Answer:
A. You may not know the expression “began to blossom,” but use the context to
work out its meaning. Here, the professor tells us, immediately after using this
expression, that the Pre-Raphaelites brought Botticelli back to popularity.
3.
What is the professor’s attitude toward Botticelli?
a.
She enjoys some of his work, but not all of it.
b.
She sees him as an obscure yet important artist.
c.
She believes his career teaches us about larger social structures.
d.
She does not know why students don’t know more about him.
Answer:
C. If you got question 1 right, you probably go this one right, as well. The
professor’s attitude towards Botticelli is generally pretty objective. She does
use him as an example of shifting artistic tastes, which are themselves part of
society.
4.
The professor describes several features of Botticelli’s non-religious works
compared to his religious works. For each of the following, indicate whether it
is a feature of his non-religious or religious paintings. (For each item, check
the appropriate box—three boxes).
Answer: all non-religious. Listen carefully for the details
and jot them down when necessary. Here, the professor says that the
non-religious works, including The Birth of Venus,
demonstrate “the extensive use of nature as a metaphor.” The trickiest question
here is “Departed from Botticelli’s earlier work.” We need to make that
inference from the professor telling us that there was some, though not much,
holdover and overlap in the religious and non-religious paintings.
5.
Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. What does the
professor mean when she says “Botticelli had the last laugh”?
a.
Botticelli found art historians ridiculous.
b.
Botticelli’s work was less important in the sixteenth century than in the
twentieth.
c.
Botticelli did not care about his reputation as an artist.
d.
Botticelli succeeded in the end.
Answer:
D. Because the time period is so different, so much later, the professor is
commenting that it took a long time, but Botticelli finally came back into
popularity.
6.
Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. Why does the
professor say “It just goes to show you—the art world is ruled by trends”?
a.
To demonstrate that Botticelli changed the subjects of his work according to
trends.
b.
To explain the larger significance of Botticelli’s work and what students can
learn from it. c.
To show that art can be a good investment if we are wise about the paintings we
purchase.
d.
To argue that no artists are objectively good or bad, but only judged by
society to be so.
Answer:
B. The professor is returning to her larger point, that the point of this
example is to show how the art world has different trends, or cycles of
popularity, through the study of one artist’s career.
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