TOEFL Includes real sample essays and exercises ACE THE ESSAY ( TWE ) EVERYTHING YOU NEED to write the TOEFL essay with confidence. And the essay, also known as the Test of Written English, is the hardest part of the test—one that keeps many test takers from succeeding. Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) gives you simple and clear instruction on what you need to know to score well and provides real essay samples that you can relate to. You’ll get the lowdown on what you need to score high in an easy-to-understand format, with everything from lessons on punctuation to real sample essays, plus more than 50 pages of exercises. INSIDE YOU’LL DISCOVER: Don’t let the essay stand between you and the score you want. Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) is the resource you need to tackle the most challenging section of the TOEFL. ● ● ● ❍ ❍ ❍ ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0843-0 ISBN-10: 1-4022-0843-X Study Aids/Test Prep $14.95 U.S. $19.95 CAN/£7.99 UK UPC EAN www.sourcebooks.com ✔ How to write the essay ✔ A complete crash course in grammar ✔ 10 real sample essays ● ● ❍ ❍ ✔ Study exercises to hone your skills ✔ And much more! ACE THE TOEFL ESSAY ( TWE ) EVERYTHING You Need for the Test of Written English TIM AVANTS AVANTS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE TEST OF WRITTEN ENGLISH ● ● ● ❍ ❍ ❍ ✔ A complete crash course in grammar ✔ How to write the essay ✔ 10 real sample essays ● ● ● ❍ ❍ ❍ ✔ Study exercises to hone skills ✔ Clues in essay questions ✔ Essay outlines TOEFL Full Cover 7/13/07 3:21 PM Page 1 ACE THE TOEFL ESSAY (TWE) ACE THE TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page i TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page ii ACE THE TOEFL ESSAY (TWE) ACE THE TIM AVANTS Everything You Need for the Test of Written English TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page iii Copyright © 2007 by Timothy Avants Cover and internal design © 2007 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any elec- tronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems— except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publish- er is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trade- marks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book. Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Avant, Tim. Ace the TOEFL essay (TWE) / Tim Avants. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-4022-0843-0 (trade pbk.) 1. Test of English as a Foreign Language. 2. English language—Textbooks for foreign speakers. 3. English language—Ability testing. I. Title. PE1128.A93 2007 428.2’4—dc22 2007024990 Printed and bound in the United States of America. SB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page iv Part I: Writing the Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter One: Essay Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter Two: Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Chapter Three: Sample Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Part II: Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Chapter Four: Parts of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Chapter Five: Syntax and Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Chapter Six: Odds and Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Chapter Seven: Grammar Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Chapter Eight: Tips to Help You Ace Sentence Corrections . . . . . 245 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Contents TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page v TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page vi Dear Reader, This book is designed as a crash course for the TOEFL essay exam, sometimes called the TWE, Test of Written English. ACE the TOEFL Essay has two fantastic components that are sure to help you get the score you want: 1. Outlines of exactly how to write essay exams, with transitional sen- tences, evidentiary statements, and every other type of expository element formatted in graphics. 2. Ten real sample essay exams written by a university professor in response to ten real sample essay questions. Furthermore, there are twenty pages dedicated to punctuation, includ- ing hundreds of examples. In addition to the ten real essay exams (model answers), a separate section explains six different patterns of development for essay writing; each pattern (except the first) with its own sample essay, highlighted for speedy reference, points out the cues to look for in essay questions and demonstrates how to respond in the essay answers. Plus, an irregular verb list and supplements on confusing adjectives, nouns, and adverbs provide the lost TOEFL student worlds of information at a glance. In addition, a complete grammar section guides, pushes, and pulls the student to complete understanding. Sentence structure is dissected, pointing out every component and stressing the way words change func- tions as they change positions in sentences. Furthermore, exercises drill the student on every facet of the test, with detailed explanations of the answers. This text includes everything, but the student can go straight to essays or points of grammar for easy reference. Preface TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page vii TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page viii Included are ten model essays written by a real college professor in response to ten real sample essay questions, designed to get you the high- est score possible on the TOEFL essay exam. This book exists for one reason: to give you example after example of ideal TOEFL essays. The test calls for the knowledge of very distinct pat- terns of development—in other words, the way one must answer the essays. These patterns are often overlooked, and students find themselves simply writing for the allotted amount of time; this method is too unpre- dictable and unfortunately requires luck for any chance of success. Your success involves three steps. First, identify the pattern of development the essay question calls for. Next, write the essay in a very structured format (given here). Finally, have a backup plan if time runs out; your backup plan should include knowledge of how to mix and match your patterns of development. Look inside and learn. Taking the Test of Written English TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page ix [...]... needed to earn that outstanding score on the essay section of the TOEFL Understand this: every essay question is worded in such a way that it requires a specific manner of response The TOEFL reviewers do not care about the personal details in your response, but they do look for coherence in your answer For example, one question from the TOEFL could ask, “Which would you prefer, a traditional home or.. .TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page x TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 1 PART I: Writing the Essay Patterns of Development Simply put, a pattern of development is the method you employ to write a paper These... process of scoring Scoring The essay is graded by two people Scores range from 0, for not answering the question you are given, to 6, the highest possible, which translates TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 2 2 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) to 800 If there is a great difference between the two scores given, a third grader will be called in Roughly speaking, if you receive a 4, you are above average... paragraph The key is to look at the right words in the question itself and proceed from there TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 3 CHAPTE R ON E: Essay Formats This chapter deals with rough patterns for essays These patterns are variable and therefore rough; later on, I include essays that answer specific TOEFL questions Look over the outlines carefully, and familiarize yourself with the various... the topic The ease with which a professor, or anyone else for that matter, reads a pod is based on the reader’s ability to move back and forth from point to point, comparing TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 4 4 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) each in a relatively short time Such a point-by-point structure facilitates the reading of the pod, but the writing of the pod is usually timeconsuming for... century, he can search in the “secondhand” market A Moreover, the buyer can choose from different time periods, haggle on prices, or even negotiate in the arena of remodeling TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 6 6 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) B On the other hand, modern homes are thrown up in a hurry, many having the same features B Along those lines, most homes in a particular subdivision cost... the structure of the paragraph To refute means to talk against, and a proof is evidence that asserts the truthfulness of a statement So, the refutation-proof paper refutes TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 8 8 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) someone else’s claim and then proves, or provides evidence of, why your refutation against another’s argument is correct This is accomplished by addressing... reworded) TS = S + V + Adj + His idea A Your idea B Your idea C Your idea D Your idea TR ¶ TS = 3 (His idea, reworded) TS = S + V + Adj + His idea A Your idea B Your idea TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 10 10 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) C Your idea D Your idea TR ¶ TS = 4 (His idea, reworded) TS = S + V + Adj + His idea A Your idea B Your idea C Your idea TR ¶ Conclusion = Summing Up = Your... order, sufficing as the transitional sentence ¶ TS = 2 Example TR ¶ TS = 3 Example TR ¶ TS = 4 (can put #4 with conclusion) Value judgment TR ¶ ⌬ Specific to general (Concl.) TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 12 12 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) We move back and forth from general statements to more specific statements at the beginning, because we are describing a general effect of that specific behavior... transitions as to initial and medial positions in the sentences The transitional sentence at the end looks back at the preceding paragraph and looks ahead at the next topic TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page 14 14 Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) Paragraph two does exactly the same thing, but the transitional sentence mentions the first two topics and links them to the third topic in the body Finally, . Essay outlines TOEFL Full Cover 7/13/07 3:21 PM Page 1 ACE THE TOEFL ESSAY (TWE) ACE THE TOEFL Internals flowed 7/13/07 3:35 PM Page i TOEFL Internals. and the score you want. Ace the TOEFL Essay (TWE) is the resource you need to tackle the most challenging section of the TOEFL. ● ● ● ❍ ❍ ❍ ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0843-0 ISBN-10: