TOEFL Talk 7 – Writing Tips

TOEFL Talk 6 – Conditional 2

Radio Show-Conditional 2

Part 1

TOEFL Talk 5

TOEFL Talk 4 – Independent Speaking Section

TOEFL Talk 3 – Advanced

TOEFL Talk 2 – Advanced

Easy English Vocabulary

Learn English Prefix 1:
"Anti-" or "Ant-"

Meaning: The basic meaning of "anti" is "against". Be careful - in other languages, "anti" still keeps its original meaning, "before", but not in English!

Pronunciation: Some people pronounce "anti" as "ant - I" but others pronounce it as "ant - ee". The second pronunciation is more common in North America, but both are acceptable.

Example 1: "antisocial" describes a person who is not friendly. "He has been very antisocial since his wife died two years ago".

Example 2: "antislavery" describes the efforts of people to fight against using other humans as slaves. "The antislavery movement was an effort by many people to end slavery in the 19th century".

Example 3: "antiwar" means to be against a war or against all wars. "Antiwar protesters went to Washington to persuade the President to stop sending soldiers abroad".

Other useful words:
antibacterial - kills bacteria
antispam software - stops junk email
antonym - an opposite word
antibiotic - a kind of medicine
antifreeze - stops car engines from freezing in winter
antibody - something that fights disease in the human body

Learn English Prefix 2:
"Bi-" or "Bin-"

Meaning: Both "bi-" and "bin-" mean "two".

Pronunciation: "Bi-" is often pronounced the same as "bye" but the "i" sound is sometimes pronounced as the "i" in "bit" or "sit". "Bin-" can also be pronounced both ways but is usually pronounced as in "bit" or "sit".

Example 1: A "bicycle" has two wheels.

Example 2: A person who is "bilingual" can speak two languages fluently.

Example 3: "Binoculars" are a set of two "glasses" that we use to see things that are far away.

Example 4: Computers use a "binary" system, with just two numbers, "zero" and "one", expressing every other possible number and letter.

Other useful words:
bifocals - glasses with two lenses
bigamy - describes a man with two wives
biannually - two times a year
biped - describes animals that walk on two feet (humans, for example)
binomial - a mathematical equation with two parts
(but NOT "biology" which is based on the root "bio" or "life".)

Learn English Prefix 3:
"di -" or "du-"

Meaning: "Du-" and "di-" have the same meaning as "bi-" and "bin-" in the last lesson. Both mean "two".

Pronunciation: "Du-" is always pronounced like the English word "do" while "di-" is usually pronounced "die".

Example 1: A "duo" is a team made of just two people.

Example 2: To "duplicate" something means to copy it, in other words, to make a second one.

Example 3: The chemical word "dioxide" describes an element that includes two oxygen atoms.

Other useful words:
duplicity - lying (saying one thing, but meaning a second thing)
a duel - a fight between two men
duet - two people singing together
dialogue - a talk between two people
dissect - to cut something into two parts, to cut something open
diverge - when a road goes off in two different directions
(but NOT "diary" which has the root "dia" meaning "day".)

Learn English Prefix 6:
"un-" or "uni-"

Meaning: Both "un-" and "uni-" mean "one".

Pronunciation: The "u" in both "un-" and "uni-" is pronounced like the word "you" (just like the letter "U"!).

Example 1: A "unique" person or thing is one that is different from any other in the world. "I really like our teacher, Joe. I think he is truly unique!".

Example 2: A "unit" of a book, especially of a textbook, is one part of that book. "Please open your books to unit 3".

Example 3: A "university" is a place where we can learn all of the knowledge of the world in one place.

Other useful words:
unity or united - all together as one
a unicycle - like a bicycle but with only one wheel
universe - the whole of space, including every planet and star
unilateral - when one country acts without the cooperation of any other country
unanimous - when all people agree as one group
uniform (adj.) - when everything is done in the same way
uniform (noun) - when everyone wears the same clothes

Learn English Prefix 7:
"Semi-", "Demi-" or "Hemi-"

Meaning: These three prefixes all mean "half".

Pronunciation: "Semi" is either pronounced as "semee" or as "sem-I" while "demi" is normally pronounced as "demee" and "hemi" is pronounced with a short "i" as in "middle".

Example 1: A "semicircle" is half of a circle. "We sat in a semicircle as we listened to the teacher talk".

Example 2: A "demigod" is someone who is so famous or so loved that he or she is almost like a god (or half a god!).

Example 3: The Earth can be divided into two "hemispheres", the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. "Our brain has two hemispheres, the left being very logical and the right being more creative".

Other useful words:
semiannual - something that happens every six months
semisweet - used to describe bitter chocolate
a semester - half of a year at a university
a semicolon - a dot over a comma ;

Learn English Prefix 8:
"pre-" or "pro-"

Meaning: These two prefixes mean "before" or "forward".

Pronunciation: "Pre-" is usually pronounced with a long "e" as in "see". "Pro-" can be pronounced with a long "o" as in "no" or "slow", but sometimes it is pronounced "a" as in "father". (For example, in the noun "progress".)

Example 1: Of course, a "prefix" is part of word added before another word! "We can make many new words by adding prefixes at the beginning."

Example 2: When we do something before an event so that bad things won't happen, we call it a "precaution". So we can say, "Keeping extra food and water at home is a precaution in case we have a terrible storm this winter".

Example 3: The word "proceed" means "to move forward". "If we finish step one of our project, we can then proceed to step two".

Other useful words:
to precede - when something happens before another event
a precedent - an example from before, often used in law
predict - to guess what will happen in advance
preexist - to be alive before something else
progress (noun - pronounced PROgress) - good changes that have been made
to progress (verb - pronounced proGRESS) - to make good changes
probable - much more than "maybe"
to probe - try to find out
to process (pronounced PROcess) - to change something or make it ready for something
to proclaim - to say something out loud
a proclamation - something important that is said out loud
to procure - to get or to buy
to profess - to say loudly or openly

Learn English Prefix 8:
"pre-" or "pro-"

Meaning: These two prefixes mean "before" or "forward".

Pronunciation: "Pre-" is usually pronounced with a long "e" as in "see". "Pro-" can be pronounced with a long "o" as in "no" or "slow", but sometimes it is pronounced "a" as in "father". (For example, in the noun "progress".)

Example 1: Of course, a "prefix" is part of word added before another word! "We can make many new words by adding prefixes at the beginning."

Example 2: When we do something before an event so that bad things won't happen, we call it a "precaution". So we can say, "Keeping extra food and water at home is a precaution in case we have a terrible storm this winter".

Example 3: The word "proceed" means "to move forward". "If we finish step one of our project, we can then proceed to step two".

Other useful words:
to precede - when something happens before another event
a precedent - an example from before, often used in law
predict - to guess what will happen in advance
preexist - to be alive before something else
progress (noun - pronounced PROgress) - good changes that have been made
to progress (verb - pronounced proGRESS) - to make good changes
probable - much more than "maybe"
to probe - try to find out
to process (pronounced PROcess) - to change something or make it ready for something
to proclaim - to say something out loud
a proclamation - something important that is said out loud
to procure - to get or to buy
to profess - to say loudly or openly

 

Learn English with Mr teatcher Joe