TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) English Language Foundations Syllabus

Why is the AWL important for TOEFL preparation specifically?

AWL words recur across all four sections (reading, listening, writing, speaking) regardless of topic, so mastering them boosts comprehension and lets you produce a more academic register.

What is a 'word family' in vocabulary study?

A base word plus its inflected and derived forms, e.g., 'analyse, analysis, analyst, analytic, analytical, analytically' — all built from one root.

What is a collocation? Give the two main categories.

A collocation is a pair/group of words that naturally occur together. Categories include lexical collocations (e.g., 'make a decision,' 'heavy rain') and grammatical collocations (e.g., 'depend on,' 'interested in').

Correct the collocation error: 'do a decision' and 'make homework.'

'Make a decision' and 'do homework.' English distinguishes 'make' (create/produce) from 'do' (perform a task) in fixed collocations.

What is a topic-based vocabulary cluster, and why use one for TOEFL?

A set of words grouped by theme (e.g., environment: emissions, sustainability, conservation, ecosystem). Clustering aids recall and prepares you for predictable TOEFL topics like education, technology, and the environment.

What is paraphrasing, and what three techniques achieve it?

Restating meaning in different words. Techniques: (1) synonym substitution, (2) changing word form/part of speech, (3) changing sentence structure (e.g., active↔passive, clause↔phrase).

In paraphrasing, why must synonyms be chosen for context rather than from a thesaurus alone?

Synonyms differ in connotation, register, and collocation; an unfit synonym (e.g., 'thin' vs. 'skinny') can change meaning or sound unnatural. Context determines the correct choice.

What is the difference between a vowel and a consonant sound?

A vowel is produced with an open, unobstructed vocal tract (a, e, i, o, u sounds); a consonant is produced by partially or fully obstructing the airflow (e.g., /p/, /s/, /t/).

What is a minimal pair? Give an example relevant to common L2 confusion.

Two words differing by only one sound, used to test that sound contrast, e.g., 'ship' /ɪ/ vs. 'sheep' /iː/, or 'rice' /r/ vs. 'lice' /l/.

How do the 'voiced' /v/, /z/, /ð/ differ from 'voiceless' /f/, /s/, /θ/?

Voiced consonants vibrate the vocal cords; voiceless ones do not. Place and manner of articulation are the same within each pair — only voicing differs.

What does word stress mean, and what happens to stressed vs. unstressed syllables?

Word stress is the emphasis on one syllable in a multisyllable word. The stressed syllable is louder, longer, and higher in pitch; unstressed syllables often reduce to the schwa /ə/.

How can stress distinguish a noun from a verb in word pairs like 'record' or 'present'?

Many two-syllable noun/verb pairs stress the FIRST syllable as nouns (PREsent, REcord) and the SECOND syllable as verbs (preSENT, reCORD).

How does the suffix '-tion' / '-ic' affect word stress?

Stress falls on the syllable immediately BEFORE these suffixes, e.g., eduCAtion, phoTOGraphy→photoGRAPHic, eConomic.

What is the schwa, and why is it central to English rhythm?

The schwa /ə/ is the weak, neutral vowel of unstressed syllables (the 'a' in 'about'). English is stress-timed, so reducing unstressed vowels to schwa creates natural rhythm.

What is connected speech? Name three of its common features.

The way sounds change when words are spoken together in natural flow. Features include linking, elision (dropping sounds), assimilation (sounds becoming similar), and weak forms.

Define 'linking' in connected speech and give an example.

Joining the final sound of one word to the start of the next, especially consonant-to-vowel: 'an apple' → /ə-NA-pəl/; 'turn off' → /tur-NOFF/.

What is 'elision' in connected speech? Give an example.

The omission of a sound for ease of pronunciation, often /t/ or /d/ between consonants: 'next door' → 'nex door'; 'friendship' → 'frienship.'

What are 'weak forms,' and which words typically have them?

Reduced pronunciations of function words in unstressed positions, using schwa: 'and' → /ən/, 'to' → /tə/, 'of' → /əv/, 'can' → /kən'. Articles, prepositions, auxiliaries, and conjunctions take weak forms.

What is sentence stress, and which words are normally stressed?

The pattern of emphasis across a sentence. Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are stressed; function words (articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries) are usually unstressed.

How do rising and falling intonation typically differ in function?

Falling intonation signals completeness/certainty (statements, wh-questions, commands); rising intonation signals uncertainty or a question (yes/no questions, or inviting a response).

What is contrastive (emphatic) stress, and what does shifting it do?

Stressing a particular word to highlight contrast or correct information. Moving the stress changes meaning: 'I didn't say SHE took it' vs. 'I didn't say she TOOK it.'

What distinguishes formal register from informal register?

Formal: full forms, precise/academic vocabulary, passive voice, no slang, complete sentences (e.g., 'I would like to request...'). Informal: contractions, phrasal verbs, slang, casual tone ('I wanna ask...').

Give the formal equivalents of the informal verbs 'get,' 'find out,' and 'put off.'

'Get' → obtain/receive; 'find out' → discover/determine; 'put off' → postpone. Formal writing favors single-word Latinate verbs over phrasal verbs.

What is an idiom? Why are idioms challenging for learners?

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meanings of its words (e.g., 'hit the books' = study hard). They must be memorized as whole units.

What is a phrasal verb, and what makes it tricky grammatically?

A verb + particle (preposition/adverb) with a meaning different from the verb alone (e.g., 'look up' = search for). Many are separable ('look it up') vs. inseparable, and the meaning shifts with the particle.

Give the meaning of the academic idioms 'hit the books,' 'ace a test,' and 'pull an all-nighter.'

'Hit the books' = study intensively; 'ace a test' = get a top score; 'pull an all-nighter' = study/work through the entire night.

In campus discourse, what do 'office hours,' 'a syllabus,' and 'a prerequisite' mean?

Office hours = set times a professor is available to meet students; syllabus = the course outline of topics, readings, and grading; prerequisite = a course/requirement you must complete before enrolling in another.

In US academic English, what do 'major,' 'minor,' and 'GPA' refer to?

Major = primary field of study; minor = secondary, smaller field of study; GPA = Grade Point Average, the numerical average of grades (typically on a 4.0 scale).

What do the academic discourse expressions 'drop a course,' 'audit a class,' and 'a TA' mean?

'Drop a course' = withdraw from it; 'audit a class' = attend without earning a grade/credit; 'TA' = teaching assistant, a graduate student who helps run a course.

What hedging language is common in academic discourse, and why is it used?

Cautious expressions like 'may,' 'might,' 'tend to,' 'it appears that,' 'suggests' soften claims to show appropriate academic caution and avoid overgeneralization.