The verb make is stronger than the verbs have or get; it means force.. Words that Sound Alike There’s no sense in studying lists of words that sound like other words as you pre-pare for
Trang 1Other Phrases Indicating Cause and Effect
Sentences that show cause to the left of the verb and effect to the right of the verb contain verbs such as the following: cause, lead to, result in, produce, and contribute to.
Smoking causes cancer.
Driving a car in salt water or on a salty street can result in rust.
Sentences that show the result to the left of the verb and the cause to the right contain verb phrases such as the following: be due to, result from, be caused by, and stem from.
Cancer results from smoking.
This problem stems from their lack of preparation.
Other words that show cause and effect include therefore, consequently, as
a result, and thus.
Marjorie didn’t receive a response to her application; consequently, she
ap-plied for another job
Causatives
Causative verbs are used to indicate that one person causes a second person to do
something A person can cause somebody to do something for him or her by
pay-ing, askpay-ing, or forcing the other person The common causative verbs are have,
get, and make, and each is explained in detail in the following sections.
Have and Get
Have and get both imply that the person who performs the task does so
voluntar-ily (The word make, discussed in the next section, is a stronger expression of force.) The clause that follows have or get may be active or passive.
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Trang 2Chuck had Maria complete the forms.
This active sentence means that Maria completed the forms because Chuck
caused her to do so (either by asking or telling her to do so)
Chuck got Maria to complete the forms.
Chuck got the forms completed by Maria.
Chuck had the forms completed by Maria.
These sentences mean the same thing, but the first sentence is active while the
second and third sentences are passive
The judge will have the bailiff locate the parties.
The judge will have the parties located by the bailiff.
In both cases, the judge arranged for the bailiff to locate the parties But again, the
first sentence in this example is active while the second sentence is passive
Make
Make can only be followed by a clause in the active voice The verb make is
stronger than the verbs have or get; it means force.
The thief made the man hand him the wallet.
The police officer will make the prisoners empty their pockets.
Words that Sound Alike
There’s no sense in studying lists of words that sound like other words as you
pre-pare for the TOEFL test In fact, confusion of vowel and consonant sounds varies
depending on your native language People from some language backgrounds
may confuse the sounds p and b, while people from other backgrounds won’t have
that problem Likewise, others may experience difficulties with the sounds of i
and e, such as in the words feel and fill Although you should not try to memorize
lists of words that sound alike, you should pay attention to the sounds that are
similar as you learn and experience English
Trang 3Man: Did Holly complete the forms required for the university?
Woman: She wasn’t feeling well, but she said she would fill them out tonight
Q Narrator: What does the woman say about Holly?
A She has already completed the forms.
B. She doesn’t feel like completing the forms
C She intends to complete the forms.
D She feels like she should refuse to complete the forms.
The answer is C, “She intends to complete the forms.” Don’t confuse the words
feel and fill.
You may also run into homophones, which are words that sound identical to other
words but are spelled differently and have different meanings For example, a few
homophones are: beat and beet; great and grate; whole and hole.
Remember: Don’t spend your study time creating lists of homophones Your
chances of seeing one particular word on a TOEFL test are slim However, make sure that you pay attention to words that look and sound alike when you read and listen to English If you aren’t certain of a word’s exact meaning in a particular sentence, look it up in the dictionary Or, if you’re listening to a conversation and aren’t sure which word a speaker is using, ask that person to explain
Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Sometimes, when words are used together, the combination of words has a
mean-ing different from the meanmean-ing of each individual word We use the terms idiom
or idiomatic expression to identify those word combinations.
Just like studying lists of words that sound alike, it makes little sense to study lists
of idiomatic expressions as you prepare for the TOEFL test You learn the mean-ing of idioms by exposmean-ing yourself to English as often as possible Some id-iomatic expressions are used by people of certain ages or in certain geographical areas but not by other people You’ll likely come across some such expressions in all sections of the TOEFL test, so be sure to pay attention to them during your studies of English
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Trang 4Man: Should somebody deliver the papers to the Dean’s office?
Woman: Don’t look at me
Q Narrator: What does the woman mean?
A She doesn’t intend to take the papers to the Dean’s office.
B. She saw the papers
C She went to the office.
D She will take the papers to the Dean.
The answer is A, “She doesn’t intend to take the papers to the Dean’s office.” The
expression Don’t look at me doesn’t mean that anyone is looking at the speaker
with their eyes Don’t look at me is an idiomatic expression that means, “I’m not
going to do it.”
Problem Items
Certain words and phrases are frequently confused by students because of
gram-mar or usage that is unique, or because they are so similar to other English words
No Sooner
Although the phrase the sooner often appears in double comparative sentences
(explained earlier in this chapter), no sooner has a different usage If the
expres-sion no sooner appears at the beginning of a sentence, an auxiliary appears
imme-diately after it, and the word than introduces the second clause The auxiliary is a
form of the verb do, have, or be used along with a main verb, like the have in
have made The phrase no sooner means the same as “just as soon as.”
No sooner had the rain started than it stopped.
This sentence means the same as, “Just as soon as the rain started, it stopped.”
Remember, Stop, and Forget
Certain words are followed by the infinitive or a verb +ing The words remember,
stop, and forget can be followed by either, with a difference in meaning.
Georgia remembered to call her doctor.
Trang 5Georgia remembered calling her doctor.
This sentence means that Georgia remembered that she had called her doctor in the past
Georgia forgot to call her doctor.
This sentence means she was supposed to call her doctor but didn’t because she forgot
Georgia forgot calling her doctor.
This sentence means that she called her doctor and subsequently forgot that she had done so
Henry stopped to work.
A sentence like this implies that we know Henry was doing something else, and
he stopped doing that other thing in order to start working
Henry stopped working.
This means that Henry had been working, but he stopped
Let and Help
The words let and help are similar to causative verbs (described earlier in this chapter), but they create a different meaning than the verbs have, get, or make Let means allow Help means assist.
The professor let the students leave early.
This means that the professor allowed the students to leave early
We should let her make her own decision.
This means that we should allow her to make her own decision
Ann Marie helped her daughter write the essay.
This means that Ann Marie assisted her daughter in writing the essay
Used To and Be Used To
The phrases used to and be used to have different meanings The basic difference between used to and be used to is that used to involves a past custom or habit and
be used to involves a current custom or habit The following examples show the
difference in meaning
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Trang 6Belinda used to swim every day.
This sentence means that in the past, Belinda swam every day
Belinda is used to swimming every day.
This means that Belinda is currently accustomed to swimming every day
Be used to can also be used for a past idea by changing the verb be to past tense.
Belinda was used to swimming every day.
However, the phrase be used to can also have a second meaning, as the following
example illustrates
A fork is used to pierce food and carry it to the mouth.
This sentence means that the purpose of a fork is to pierce food and carry it to the
mouth
Would Rather
Would rather is a commonly used idiom that means prefer.
Bill would rather fly directly to Indianapolis instead of stopping in Atlanta.
This means that Bill prefers flying directly to Indianapolis instead of stopping in
Atlanta
Henry would rather have gone to New York than to St Louis.
This means that Henry went to St Louis, but he wanted to go to New York
James would rather not eat at that restaurant.
This sentence means that James prefers not to eat at that restaurant
The phrase would rather that sets up a conjunctive idea when followed by either
the simple form of a verb or the past tense A conjunctive is a sentence in which
one person wishes or requires another to do something, and the sentence structure
“ that verb in simple form” is used This concept is covered more fully in
the Structure section Would rather that is followed by the simple form when it
has a subjunctive meaning
She would rather that you call her tomorrow.
This means that she wants you to call tomorrow instead of some other time
We would rather that he take this class.
Trang 7Would rather that is followed by the past tense when the meaning of the sentence
is contrary to fact, such as with unreal conditions and the verb wish
Rafael would rather that his paper were complete.
This means that Rafael wishes his paper were complete, but it’s not complete
When the verb that follows would rather that is in the past tense instead of in
sim-ple form, you know that the sentence is discussing a situation that did not occur,
or a “past contrary to fact” concept
Michelle would rather that Sheila had come to work yesterday.
This means that Michelle is unhappy because Sheila didn’t come to work yesterday
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs, also known as verbal idioms, are idiomatic expressions that begin
with a verb and contain one or more prepositions As with idioms, memorizing lists of these particular expressions as you study is not important Generally, pay-ing attention to them as you become more familiar with the English language is much more important
Samples
Man: Why is the president so angry?
Woman: The chairmen of the two companies broke off discussions
regard-ing the proposed merger
Q Narrator: What does the woman mean?
A The companies are negotiating the merger.
B. One chairman broke his word
C The chairmen discontinued discussing a merger.
D One company revoked its merger agreement.
The answer is C The phrasal verb break off means to “discontinue.”
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Trang 8Woman: Are Stephen and Brenda still planning to change majors?
Man: Brenda has decided to, but Stephen is still looking into his options
Q Narrator: What does the man mean?
A Brenda hasn’t decided whether to change majors.
B. Stephen is investigating the alternatives
C Brenda isn’t going to change her major.
D Stephen is looking for a list of options.
The answer is B The phrasal verb looking into does not mean that Stephen is
physically looking at something The phrase indicates that Stephen is considering
his choices
Following are a few other common phrasal verbs, definitions, and sample
sentences:
■ Bring up means “initiate.”
The attorneys for the developer are likely to bring up some new defenses.
■ Call on means “ask,” and it can also mean “visit.”
The constitutional law professor enjoyed calling on students in class.
The banker is required to call on several customers every week.
■ Care for means “like,” and it can also mean “take care of.”
The boy does not care for beets.
She earned extra money last year caring for several young children.
■ Check out means “to remove or borrow temporarily,” and it can also mean
“investigate.”
Please check out the file from central records.
The detective is still trying to check out all possible leads.
■ Come down with means “become ill with.”
If you don’t take a flu shot, you’re likely to come down with the flu.
■ Count on means “depend on” or “rely on.”
You should not count on receiving the scholarship.
■ Do away with means “eliminate.”
Because of the increasing cost of gasoline, some companies have done
Trang 9■ Figure out means “interpret or understand.”
We are trying to figure out the annual budget.
■ Find out means “discover.”
The scientists are trying to find out why the Mars explorer was lost.
■ Pass out (or hand out) means “distribute,” and it can also mean to faint or
lose consciousness
The attorney passed out documents.
The attorney passed out and fell to the floor.
■ Pick out means “select” or “choose.”
Please pick out a book to read.
■ Point out means “indicate.”
The victim pointed out the culprit.
■ Put off means “postpone.”
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
■ Take over means “substitute.”
The co-pilot had to take over when the pilot suffered chest pains.
■ Talk over means “discuss.”
The men talked over their dinner plans.
■ Try out means “test.”
A company must try out a new product before introducing it.
■ Turn in means “submit.”
Please turn in your application.
Idioms of Suggestion
Frequently, Listening section questions on the TOEFL test involve suggestions and invitations The questions may ask you something such as, “What does the woman suggest that the man do?” To successfully answer these types of ques-tions, you should become familiar with idiomatic expressions that are used when someone suggests something to another person
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Trang 10Man: I don’t have enough time to finish the research for my paper
Woman: Why not try outlining what you have now?
Q Narrator: What does the woman suggest that the man do?
A Finish his research
B. Start planning the writing before finishing the research
C Give up on the project
D Don’t use research
The answer is B.
Common idiomatic expressions that are used to show a suggestion include:
■ Why not ? ■ You’d be better off
■ Why don’t you ? ■ If I were you, I would
■ Have you considered ? ■ You should
■ You might want to ■ Shouldn’t you ?
■ (Maybe) you could ■ What about ?
■ You’d better ■ What if you ?
Commands and Indirect Commands
You also need to be familiar with commands and indirect commands for the
Listening section of the TOEFL test
A command is a sentence that begins with a verb in simple form In command
sentences, the subject you is understood but not stated.
Close the door.
Please, turn off the light.
Negative commands generally use the word don’t (or the phrase do not) before the
verb
Don’t close the door.
Please, don’t turn off the light.