viii Before You Begin www.petersons.com Bonus Information As you work your way through the book, keep your eyes on the margins to find the following: NOTE Notes highlight critical information about improving your vocabulary. TIP Tips draw your attention to valuable concepts, advice, and shortcuts for tackling the harder vocabulary words. Summing It Up The review chapter ends with a point-by-point summary that captures the most important concepts. They are a convenient way to review the chapter’s key points. Practice Tests The three practice tests, including the diagnostic test, are designed to help you prepare with little anxiety. YOU’RE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS The TOEFL tests your vocabulary with “vocabulary-in-context” questions in which you must determine the meaning of words as used in a specific sentence, as well as indirectly through the use of reading comprehension passages and questions. The more words you know, the better your chances of narrowing down the choices to the correct one. Peterson’s Master TOEFL Vocabulary will help you to fine tune your vocabulary skills. GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK Peterson’s publishes a full line of resources to help guide international students through the college admission process. We welcome any comments or suggestions you may have about this publication and invite you to complete our online survey at www.petersons.com/booksurvey. Or you can fill out the survey at the back of this book, tear it out, and mail it to us at: Publishing Department Peterson’s 2000 Lenox Drive Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Your feedback will help us to provide personalized solutions for your educational advancement. 00_TOEFL Vocab FM,i-x 8/9/06, 10:138 Before You Begin ix www.petersons.com TOP 10 STRATEGIES TO RAISE YOUR SCORE 1. As with other sections of the TOEFL, be familiar with the directions and examples so you can begin work immediately. 2. For each passage, begin by briefly looking over the questions (but not the answer choices). Try to keep these questions in mind during your reading. 3. Scan passages to find and highlight the important facts and information. 4. Read each passage at a comfortable speed. 5. Answer the questions, referring to the passage when necessary. 6. Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or do not answer the question. If more than one option remains, guess. 7. Mark difficult or time-consuming answers so that you can come back to them later if you have time. 8. Timing is an important factor. Don't spend more than 10 minutes on any one reading and the questions about it. 9. Concentration is another important factor. The reading section is one of the longer sections of the test. Your practice and hard work will help you. 10. Relax the night before the exam. 00_TOEFL Vocab FM,i-x 8/9/06, 10:139 00_TOEFL Vocab FM,i-x 8/9/06, 10:1310 P ART I TOEFL VOCABULARY BASICS CHAPTER 1 All About TOEFL Vocabulary 01_TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12:281 01_TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12:282 chapter 1 3 All About TOEFL Vocabulary OVERVIEW • Vocabulary on the TOEFL • Strategies for learning and remembering new words • Summing it up VOCABULARY ON THE TOEFL TOEFL vobabulary questions ask you to identify the meanings of words and phrases that appear in the reading passages. The words and phrases that are tested are important to understanding the entire passage, and, for the most part, you will have to figure out their meanings. On the TOEFL iBT, however, if there are technical or unusual words in the passage, you will see the definition presented in a box. STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING AND REMEMBERING NEW WORDS Read Reading is probably the single best way to improve your vocabulary. When you’re preparing for the TOEFL, read materials that contain the words that you are most likely to encounter. Use a Dictionary and Thesaurus If you’re serious about improving your testworthy vocabulary, you must have (and use!) a good dictionary. (A good thesaurus also helps a lot, but more on that later.) A dictionary is an alphabetical reference list of the words in the language. 01_TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12:283 4PART I: TOEFL Vocabulary Basics www.petersons.com A dictionary entry always includes the following components: • Spelling • Pronunciation • Part(s) of speech • Irregular forms of the word • Definition • Etymology (the derivation and development of words) An entry may also contain synonyms and antonyms of the word; prefixes, suffixes, and other elements in word formation; and abbreviations. Most people think that all dictionaries are the same. After all, all dictionaries are chock full of words listed in alphabetical order. They all have pronunciation guides, word definitions, and word histories. However, all dictionaries are not the same. Different types of dictionaries fit different needs. For example, dictionaries have been written just for scholars who research the history of language. The most famous scholarly dictionary is The Oxford English Dictionary. An unabridged dictionary, the OED (as it’s often called) contains more than 500,000 entries. Don’t rush right out to buy one to stash in your bookcase, however, because the OED now contains about 60 million words in 20 volumes. If shelf space is an issue and you simply can’t live without an OED, however, online and CD-ROM versions are available from www.oed.com. Dictionaries have been created just for adults, college students, high school students, and elementary school students, too. The following list includes the bestselling general dictionaries and the Web addresses for the online versions, when available: • The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin Co.: www.bartleby.com/61) • Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Inc.: www.m-w.com/ dictionary.htm) • Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Inc.) • The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, Inc.) • The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, Inc.) • Webster’s New World College Dictionary (Hungry Minds, Inc.) Which dictionary should you purchase and use? Since more than 30,000 dictionaries are currently offered for sale online, you’ve got some shopping to do. Here’s what you need: • A dictionary that contains all the words that you are likely to encounter on standardized tests. This will most likely be the same dictionary that you can use in college, in your personal life, and in your professional life. 01_TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12:284 . exam. 00 _TOEFL Vocab FM,i-x 8/9/06, 10:139 00 _TOEFL Vocab FM,i-x 8/9/06, 10:1310 P ART I TOEFL VOCABULARY BASICS CHAPTER 1 All About TOEFL Vocabulary 01 _TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12: 281 01 _TOEFL. 8/4/06, 12: 2 82 chapter 1 3 All About TOEFL Vocabulary OVERVIEW • Vocabulary on the TOEFL • Strategies for learning and remembering new words • Summing it up VOCABULARY ON THE TOEFL TOEFL vobabulary. language. 01 _TOEFL Vocab,Ch1,1-18 8/4/06, 12: 283 4PART I: TOEFL Vocabulary Basics www.petersons.com A dictionary entry always includes the following components: • Spelling • Pronunciation • Part( s)