หน้าเว็บ

วันศุกร์ที่ 31 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2558

TOEIC Day 16 - Reading 4 (Invitation / Registration Form / vocabs) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

TOEIC Day 16 - Reading 4
(Invitation / Registration Form / vocabs)


TOEIC tests your ability to use English in working environment. So, the texts are what you will be seen in working office. Another one that is common in office is invitation to meeting, seminar, or event. It maybe a letter of invitation or a reply to an invitation (or both). Potential questions are as follows:







  • What is the purpose of this letter/email/card/note?
  • When is the meeting?
  • Where will the event take place?
  • What will happen in the seminar?
  • Other details.
My suggestion is read the passage first. It shouldn't be too long. Then read the questions. Now you will be able to locate the answers quicker. So, improving your reading speed is very important. Here are some ways to improve your reading pace.

  1. Practice little by little every day. The quantity is not as important as consistency.
  2. Start with something short and easy. You can find reading comprehension exercise for elementary students, short and easy.

    Check this out : http://www.agendaweb.org/reading/easy-reading-1.html
  3. Use the tip of your finger or a pencil to guide your reading. Always place the pointer few words ahead. This helps you keep track of what you're reading.
  4. Stay conscious. If a sentence doesn't make any sense, read it again. That means you lost it. So, slow down when you need to.

Potential vocabularies


Invite Join Participate Reply Apologize
Unfortunately Activity  Available  Unavailable  Reschedule
Postpone  Attend  Representative  Host  Theme



Let's move on to the next type of text, registration form. It may be for an event, seminar, service or product subscription, or membership registration. It may look like this.



For registration form, you should read the questions first then the text because there are too many details that potentially be the subject of questions. Example questions for the above forms are as follows:

  1. How many years of work experience does Bert Roberts have? (7 years)
  2. Where can this form be found? (Website because there is click here button at the bottom of the page.)
  3. What position is Bert Roberts interested in? (Electrical Engineer)


    As you can see that the questions are impossible to be predicted. They are subject to the topic of the form. So, read the questions and the text carefully but don't think too much because most of the answers are frank and obvious. 


Useful words


Subscribe  Subscription  Registration  Membership  Discount 
Fee  Interest  Privilege Benefit Premium




Here are links to practical exercises.



This article was originally published on chulatutor

TOEIC Day 15 - Listening 4 (Short talk) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 15 - Listening 4 (Short talk)


   Part 4 of listening test is called short talk because it's a talk by one person on a very specific matter. It's shorter than a lecture talk but it's definitely longer than Part 3 conversation, approximately 1 minute long.

   The subject covers various contexts; office announcement, advertisement, commercial, giving information about insurance plan, or a voice mail message. You have to answer three questions, and again, they will be in the same order with the audio. Like Part 3, READ THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE AUDIO BEGINS and highlight the keywords.

   Since it's longer than the conversation part, there will be more details in it. Some may be asked about, some may not. So, I suggest you should answer the questions simultaneously. And be prepared for confusing information such as names, place, dates, these kinds of information may be mentioned several times during the talk. It's very important to listen carefully in order to get the right answer. This time it will be much harder to guess if you don't listen well.

   Here are some examples of possible misheard or misunderstanding.

Example 1 You will hear 'Hi, this is Adam Swanson calling for Ron Jaworski.'

        You will read 'Who is the message for?'

   There are two names mentioned in this sentence and to others mentioned later in the talk. In order to it right, you have to listen to it properly and understand what you're listening to, and you'll know that the message is for Ron. Adam is the one who's speaking. In case your listening skill is not good enough, then you should improve it or this part will be extremely difficult for you.

   There is also irrelevant information such as date and time, place, and phone number. That's why reading the questions first is crucial. It will help you know the specific information you're waiting for and ignore other that's unnecessary.

   Besides the listening practice, you should also practice yourself to stay focused under disturbing environment. More exercises can be found here.


Check this out :

http://www.english-test.net/toeic/listening/Talks.html#list

http://www.yeuanhvan.com/part-4-talks

Here are some tips from my own experience.


  • Don't worry about the impact. The exam may be very important to your life but it's better to be focused on the exam in front of you rather than worrying about your future.
  • Don't waste your time mourning over the previous questions. There are other questions waiting for you, meaning more points are waiting to be collected.
  • Make sure you answer all questions. If you leave it blank, there is 0 percent chance that you get the point. If you choose one, the probability is higher to 25 percent.
  • Check and recheck that you fill out the right circle. It sounds like a ridiculous mistake but let's make sure that doesn't happen.
  • Don't stay up late the previous night because there's nothing else you can do at that point. You better get enough sleep.
  • I usually don't review anything during the waiting time. No more books. No more exercises. Because, seriously, neither my listening nor reading skill will be significantly improved within 1 hour. I use that gap time stay as relaxed as possible. 










This article was originally published on chulatutor



TOEIC Day 14 - Grammar Practice 4 เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 14 - Grammar Practice 4



   In this article, I'll teach you my secret method on how to learn grammar. I don't memorize the rules. I create them by myself. WARNING! As far as I'm concerned, this is not accepted academic method. I came up with it and I would like to share it. If you find it's sensible, feel free to use it. If not, you just have to find other ways.

   There are three steps in this method.


   Step One: Choose a representative.


Problem: Between VS Among, And VS Or

   Some people still don’t know how to use 'between' and 'among'. And should it be used with 'and' or 'or'. For me, I can search this on Google and get the answer right away but I will forget it in one hour since I have bad memory. So I'll just choose one sentence that wll represent them all.

Between -> Between you and me, this is good.
Among   -> You have to choose among chocolate, lemon, and, strawberry.


   Step Two: Form the formula or rule


   From the representative sentence, I form patterns.

Between + something + and + something
Among + something + something + …… + and + something

   So, 'between' is used with two things or people. 'Among' is used with three or more. Both words are used with 'and'. However, I remember the sentences, not the patterns because it's easier.


   Step Three: Apply the formula or rule


Whenever I have to use 'between' and 'among', I think of the sentences then the formula.
I can't choose …………………. black …………… white.
Formula -> between + something + and + something
Correct answer -> I can't choose between black and white.








   How to succeed?



  • When you choose the representative sentence, choose the one that is short and easy to remember. You can even come up with it by yourself. Choose something that is you are familiar with. For example, 'You have to choose among chocolate, lemon, and, strawberry.' Chocolate, lemon, and strawberry are my favorite ice cream flavor. 
  • This may be easier for someone who is good at Mathematics because it is similar to the way you substitute the height and base length into in the formula for the area of a triangle. 
  • Maybe you should have a notebook to keep record. Writing down those sample sentence is another way to make you remember better.

This article was originally published on chulatutor


TOEIC Day 13 - Grammar 4 (Overall review) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 13 - Grammar 4 (Overall review)

 
   I'll make list of most common grammar errors.

Collocation (verb and preposition)


   A verb has its own collection of prepositions to be used with. Different preposition means different meaning of the verb. 


Sarah is married with John.
Sarah is married to John.
Sarah is the oldest kid so she has to look after her brothers.
He looks down on the delivery boy and spoke harshly to him.
Bobby looks up to his father and follows his footsteps.
Josh was looking for the car key when the phone rang.


Participial adjectives


   What's the different between bored-boring, interested-interesting, frightened-frightening. For those who are still 'confused' with these adjectives. Let me explain.

The book interests me. (interest as a verb)

The book is interesting.

(the -ing adjective is used for describing the source of that feeling)

I'm interested in the book.

(the -ed adjective is used for describing the person who has that feeling)

Now, remember these formulas and you can apply them to any participial adjective.


Every


Every members of the club is at the welcome party.
Every member of the club are at the welcome party.
Every member of the club is at the welcome party.
Here is the formula. Replace 'one' with singular noun
Everyone is happy.


Adverb placement


   Where should we place an adverb in a sentence? Place the adverb as close as possible to the noun or adjective that is being modified. However, if you want to emphasize the adverb, you can put it at the beginning (with comma) or at the end of the sentence.

I drove to furiously her house.
I drove to her furiously house.
I drove furiously to her house.
I furiously drove to her house.
Furiously, I drove to her house.
I drove to her house furiously.


Plural Noun


   'People' is the plural form of person. 'People' is plural noun. 'Police' is also a plural noun. There are many nouns that are ALWAYS plural.

Scissors  glasses  goods  clothes stairs
Firearms  outskirts  surroundings trousers  shorts
Headphones head quarters  socks  


Uncountable noun


   Here is the list of UNCOUNTABLE nouns that you may not know.

Money music luggage  furniture  electricity
Wine water information advice travel 
Work scenery rice coffee accommodation

   Go to this website for a full list of uncountable nouns.

Check this out: https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/nouns-uncountable-list.htm


Want / Need / Like


I want go to the mall.
I want to go to the mall.
I need to your approval for this.
I need your approval for this.
I like to see what happens next.
I like the movie so much.

   want / need / like + to + Verb   VS  want / need / like + noun











Themselves


They went to the camp by theirselves.
They went to the camp by themself.
They went to the camp by themselves.


This article was originally published on chulatutor

TOEIC Day 12 - Reading 3 (Ads / Schedule / vocabs) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 12 - Reading 3 (Ads / Schedule / vocabs) 



   Another recurring type of text is advertisement. It could be about new restaurant, sales promotion, event advertisement, new product, or business introduction.


   This is the typical length of advertisement. I suggest you read the text once with skimming technique. Then you read the questions and read the related information in detail. Some advertisements use symbols, numbers, and pictures to draw attention. But this one is written in paragraphs and not marked as advertisement. Therefore, one of the questions is Where is the text from? Here are the choices and the solution.

   This question can be answered by only reading the first paragraph. Advertisement is usually written with persuasive languages such as questions. So, in some case, you basically read the text and answer the questions simultaneously.

   These are the links to more questions on Rebus Virtual Office World and a source for more exercises on reading for comprehension.


Check this out :


Potential vocabularies

Discount  Exhibition  Rental  Purchase
Membership Privilege  Limited  Lease
Available  Convenience Donation  Provide

   Another type of text that is common in TOEIC test is schedule. It may be a schedule of train, ferry, bus, movie, theatre, conference, seminar, or university classes

   The potential questions are
  • Who's the target audience?
  • Where the schedule most likely to be seen? 
  • What is the purpose of this notice?
   Other than that will be 1-2 questions about the details. For this type of test, I suggest you should read the questions first because the text usually comes with many details, some you can ignore. So, read the questions first then look for the relating keywords in the text. Go to this website for exercises. 













Possible vocabularies

Conference Audience  Guest  Service
Terminate  Topic Visit Cancel
Rearrange Revise  Occasion  Fee
Discount  Departure Arrival Estimation


This article was originally published on chulatutor



TOEIC Day 11 - Listening 3 (Short Conversations) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 11 - Listening 3 (Short Conversations)



   In this part, you will hear two people having a conversation and answer three questions based on what you hear. Now, the conversation has a very specific purpose. So, every line matters. Typically, the choices are clear. If you can catch up with the audio, then you have a good chance to get the right answer.

   It's more difficult than the first two parts because the audio is longer. The very first thing that you have to do is READ THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE AUDIO BEGINS and highlight the keywords. You won't be able to do this if you're still filling out the answers of previous questions. That was my mistake during the first time I took the test. So, the second time, I just marked the circles with dots and went back to fill them out during the gap time between the two tests and the beginning of the reading test. You may waste five minutes of the second part, but trust me, reading the questions first is significantly helpful.

   Then, there are two ways to tackle this part. I want you to try both techniques when you practice and find out what suits you the best.

   ONE. Pay attention to the audio from the beginning to the end, and then answer the questions. When I do this I usually close my eyes so I can focus on the sound and imagine that I'm listening to two of my friends talking. It's a very short and easy conversation. So, with your normal ability of comprehension, you should be able to answer the questions.

   For example, you're listening to two friends talking about a party. What is the important information? It's simply who, what, when, where, why. 

   TWO. For those who have bad memory or easily distracted, I suggest you listen to the audio and answer the questions simultaneously. This is very easy because the questions are in the same sequence as the story from the audio. Don't fill out the circles in the answer sheet right away. Just make a mark. Reading the questions first is highly useful for this strategy.

   I don't know which strategy will be the right one for you. So, try them yourself with these 200 sample tests.

Check this out  :  http://www.english-test.net/toeic/listening/short_business_conversations.html

   I'll show you how to identify keywords and how to rule out the wrong answers by this example.










Talking about self-employed


   Here are the questions and the underlined are the keywords. Remark! The questions usually don't mention the name directly but rather using descriptive nouns such as man, woman, customer, client, interviewer, interviewee, or shop owner.

      1). What are the speakers talking about?
      2). How many clients does the woman have?
      3). What does the woman say about self employment?

   Then you'll hear this conversation.


The man:   Hey, Cindy. How are you doing with your new business?
The woman:  Hey, Greg. It's going well. I signed up two new clients last week, 
and now I have five total.
The man:   Wow, five already. That's great! How do you like being self-employed?
The woman:  Oh it's wonderful. I can work from home, and even from the coffee shop. 
And I can set my own hours. I did a conference call last week while 
I was wearing my night gown and bathrobe.

   As you can see that the subjects in the conversation are in the same order with the questions; the new business in general, the numbers of clients, and thought about self-employed.


1). What are the speakers talking about?
a. The man's job b. The man's salary c. The woman's business d. The woman's clients

   You can rule out the first two choices because the man is the one who's asking the questions. Now, you can judge from the very first line of the conversation that they are talking about the woman's business. The numbers of client is just minor detail.

2). How many clients does the woman have?
a. Two b. Three c. Four d. Five

   There are only two numbers mentioned in the audio; Two and Five. Now if you can't catch what she is saying exactly, there's a fifty-fifty percent chance that you'll get the right answer. The word 'total' at the end of the line is the indicator. Five is the correct answer.

3). What does the woman say about self employment?
a. She loves it. b. She has mixed feelings. 
c. She can sleep until noon.  d. She cannot set her own hours.

   Since her answer is quite long, even if I have no idea of what she said, I'll go with choice a. because the first sentence suggests positive opinion. In case your listening skill is well enough, you know that she didn't mention anything about sleep time or other negative comments. So, a. is the correct answer.

   You can find more practice exercise here.




This article was originally published on chulatutor


TOEIC Day 10 - Grammar Practice 3 เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
TOEIC Day 10 - Grammar Practice 3

   I'll give you a list of websites where you can find sample grammar tests because practice makes perfect.


  1. www.toeic-online-test.com
    This website gives you over 3,000 TOEIC questions covering every part of TOEIC test. The questions are categorized in different levels, from easy, intermediate, and advanced. Here are the links that lead you straight to the grammar test.
  2. www.englishclub.com
  3. www.goodwinenglish.com
  4. www.english-test.net
  5. www.englishstore.net
  6. www.businessenglishsite.com
  7. www.learnenglishfeelgood.com

   But if you're bored with the conventional form, you may want to take a break and try these website for kids. Trust me it's not too easy and it's more fun.








Check this out :

   However, for some people, doing many and many practice doesn't feel right. What are other options?


  • Observe if the English grammar is similar or different from Thai grammar in what aspect. The most obvious difference is tense. The most similar aspect is conjunction.
  • Read a lot of English and listen more.
    When I do grammar test, I don't memorize the rules. I mostly rely on experience and usualness which come from reading and listening. Reading and listening a lot will give you a database and from that you can create the rules by yourself. I will explain this method in Day 14 article. 
  • Write more often
    Not only practicing grammar exercises but also learning from your mistake. Know what your common mistake is about and focus on that topic. If you do the same mistakes for ten times, I believe you will not make them again. Right? So make mistakes as many as possible and learn from them. 
  • Ask your teacher or personal tutor
    Everyone has difficulty with different topics. Even with the same topics, their understanding seems to be different. Therefore, you should consults your teacher or tutor personally to clarify the specific issue.


    This article was originally published on chulatutor

    TOEIC Day 9 - Grammar 3 เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

    เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

    TOEIC Day 9 - Grammar 3 


    • Causative forms

    A sentence in causative form is the one that has the following verbs; let, make, have, get, and help. They are called causative verbs. For example, I had my hair cut yesterday. Here are the forms.


    Permitting  LET + person/thing + Verb in base form 
    Forcing   MAKE + person + Verb in base form  
    Giving responsibility   HAVE + person + Verb in base form  
    HAVE + Thing + Verb in Past Participle
    Convincing / encouraging  GET + person + to + Verb 
    Assisting someone   HELP + person + Verb in base form
    HELP + person + to + Verb
    For more examples, go here.








    • Comparisons


    You can make comparison in two aspects; comparative and superlative. You need to know how to change the form of adjectives and adverbs when making comparison. There are three ways to do that.


    1. Add er / est  such as fast - faster - fastest, low - lower - lowest

    2. Using more / most such as comfortable - more comfortable - most comfortable.

    3. Some adjectives and adverbs need to change to other words completely

    Many - more- most, badly - worse - worst


    • Adverbs of frequency

    There are 12 adverbs of frequency. They signify how often an action happens. Each of them shows different degree of frequency. They are always close to a verb or an adjective.





    • Word choices

    Word choice is about choosing the right word in the right context. You have to know the meaning of the word and know when it is commonly used. The word choice problem usually occurs with the words that are similar or have close meaning. Here are some words that are frequently misused. 




    • Clauses


    A clause includes a subject and a verb. There are two kinds of clauses; independent and dependent. These two are seen together in a complex sentence. 


    Example:  I will call him as soon as he landed.


    The independent clause is underlined. It makes sense on its own. The dependent clause is in bold. It doesn't make sense and incomplete when it's alone.

    A clause in a sentence can act as a noun, adjective, or adverb. See more details here.


    • Conditionals

    There are four types of conditional sentences.

    Types  If clause  Main clause
    Eternal truths  Present Simple Present Simple
    Possible and likely (future)  Present Simple Future simple with 'will'
    Possible and unlikely (present) Past Simple Future simple with 'would'
    Impossible (past)  Past Perfect Future Perfect



    I know that this topic is very difficult to understand for somebody. This website gives a very easy explanation.



    This article was originally published on chulatutor


    TOEIC Day 8 - Reading 2 (Postcard / Memo /vocabs) เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

    เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน
    TOEIC Day 8 - Reading 2 (Postcard / Memo /vocabs)



    In reading comprehension, the reading text may come in form of postcard. Postcard is naturally written by easier words than those used in e-mail or letter because it's usually meant for family or friends. But there could be some informal phrases that you have never seen before.

    Read the text first then the questions in order to get the story. Also, pay attention to the address. You may be asked about a person's whereabouts.  In the page below, click Download the free PDF resource link to download sample and easy postcard reading test.











    Vocabularies that may appear in postcards

    Great Wonderful Fantastic  Fabulous
    Weather Sunny  Perfect Sightseeing 
    Explore Local  Cuisine Travel
    Road trip Journey Scenery Accommodation


    Frequently seen in TOEIC test is a memorandum or memo. A memo is a short note about a specific topic often found in working office environment.


    The potential questions will involve around the purpose, where to find this note, the main idea, and more specific details. The questions in TOEIC test, regardless of what type of text, are relatively easy because they ask for direct answer. By easy, I mean you don't have to interpret the answers and they are likely short ones, few words or short phrases.


    This is a sample memo of a corporate in medical industry. A memo comes in short form, so I suggest you read the memo first. Here is one secret. When you practice enough, at one point you will be able to guess the potential questions. When you can do that you may mark them while you read simultaneously. The phrases in bold are the information that I thought could be the questions when I first read the memo.

    Visit this site to see the exercise of Binell Interoffice Memo.

    Check this out  : http://www.toeicstore.com/toeic-test-reading-comprehension-no-4-memo.html


    Useful vocabularies


    Message  Employee Staff Inform
    Action Aware  Due to Suggestion



    This article was originally published on chulatutor


    TOEIC Day 7 - Listening 2 (Question-response) (เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน)

    เทคนิคการเตรียมตัวสอบ toeic ภายใน 16 วัน

    TOEIC Day 7 - Listening 2 (Question-response) 


    Part II of Listening test is called question-response. From the audio, you hear a question and three responses. You basically have to choose the response that conforms to the question. This part truly tests your listening skill because the answers are quite explicit. If you hear the audio correctly, there's a good chance that you'll get the answer correctly.

    There are two strategies to handle this part; get used to the test and improve your listening skill.

    Get used to the test. The questions are to be found in working environment and general situation. The choices may not be the answer but an appropriate response. For example:

    1). Isn't this the train to Albuquerque?

       (A) No, we're headed for Santa Fe.

       (B) No, I usually take a taxi.

       (C) Yes, the training began last week.


    This conversation likely takes place on a train. One passenger asks Isn't this the train to Albuquerque?. So, the appropriate response should be whether or not the train is heading Albuquerque or where is this train going. The correct answer is (A) because Sante Fe is a place. (B) is irrelevant. And (C) is far more irrelevant because it's talking about a training, not a train. 


    2). Why don't you send an e-mail to the CEO?

       (A) The mail hasn't come yet.

       (B) Good idea. I think I will.

       (C) Yes, I have an appointment.


    An office is the place where you most likely find this conversation. From the question, you may be expecting a reason why the person didn't send an e-mail, to which (A) and (C) are not appropriate. (B), while it doesn't seem like a reason, is the correct answer because Why-don't-you question is, in another aspect, a suggestion.


    Doing a lot of exercise will finally give you the idea of potential response. At least you'll know how to rule out obviously wrong choices. For example, when the question asks for a location, anything about time or date is supposedly not the answer. Here are links to more than 200 exercises.


    Check this out :

    http://www.toeic-online-test.com/free-toeic-tests/questions-responses/index.htm

    http://www.english-test.net/toeic/listening/Question-Response.html







    Improve your listening skill. There are many sources where you can practice listening skill, for instance, movie, news report, or lecture tape. Since the nature of TOEIC is to test English usage in everyday life and working environment, I suggest you should practice with naturally-spoken English. There's a better chance to catch the words and phrases that could appear in TOEIC test. Here are the links. For someone who has serious problem with listening skill, you may want to start with the easier levels first.


    Check this out :

    http://www.manythings.org/elllo/

    https://www.englishlistening.com/index.php/listen-to-passages/


    Remember, if you can do it, you'll want to do it more. When you do it more, you'll get better. So, don't push yourself too hard. It's a long-term process which means consistency is the most important matter.


    This article was originally published on chulatutor