College Preparations

[mydiamond]

Some of you might notice that I hang around the forum less and less these days... Well that's the reason there up at the title. I've booked a TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) test on the 24th of August. My chosen university's standard is 550, but I do hope I can get a much higher score so I started taking TOEFL preparation classes. The thing is, I started only yesterday  :wacko: so I'm gonna need to get the best score possible with only 23 days of preparation. Does anyone realize I'm freaking out?? Because I totally am!   but I have no choice, I'm racing with time here! The university has already started accepting submissions for the fall semester (MY chosen semester!) and I know my test result won't be ready until next month. So because I'm gonna be very late (quoted from university website: "students applying for the fall semester should apply during the fall of the previous year (that's this month!) for maximum consideration") I need to get a really high, eye-catching score so that they'd make room for me. Crossing my fingers now hopefully all goes well 

 

 

Small update about Diamond: That baby boy actually poses for the camera now  He'd follow my phone's camera lens wherever it moves and wear a cute face! 

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[Andy]

You'll do fine 'Liv.

We have every confidence that you'll ace the Test

[Chula]

I agree, you will do wonderfully. My ex husband (the "insert expletive of your choice") did really well, and your written English is SO MUCH better than his. Your English is better than most Americans! If I didn't know it wasn't your first language, I would never know you aren't a native speaker.

 

(edited by Andy)

Edited August 2, 2013 by Andy

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

you will ACE it liv! you english is better than mine and i am english lol ,, oh and if diamond now poses where are our pics?! lol 

[goingsolo]

Stop stressing lol your english is more than excellent you will ace it.

[mydiamond]

Thanks guys 

[Removed #5]

Liv, if I had one constructive comment about your English ( which IS better than many native speakers ), it would be to put a bit more emphasis on tenses.  You still, occasionally, will put something in present that should be in past.  The fact that English is very much a bastard language ( coming from so many different ancestors ), makes it a real bear to learn.  Considering what I've seen of ESL test though, you should pass with flying colours.

[mydiamond]

thanks Al I'm struggling with grammar really... in my TOEFL preparation class I even wrote "one has to bear their own..."  :wacko: that's exactly why I don't have the confidence to take the test without any preparation classes. People say I am wasting my parents' money because I will definitely pass even without any studying but I want more than just a passing grade. I need a grade that will catch the eyes of those people in the admission office. 

[Removed #5]

Actually, the example you gave is correct and one that cropped up for me recently.  They and their historically have also been used in the singular.  "Each student must buy their own book." Is absolutely correct.  Where the gender of the subject is indeterminate (student is neutral) they and their as pronouns is appropriate.

If you run into someone who argues the idea try "There's not a man I meet but doth salute me / As if I were their well-acquainted friend â€”" Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Scene 3 (1594)

 

For point of reference in using them in the singular, see this blog or this one. 

[mydiamond]

LOL oh gosh! The one telling me that my sentence was wrong is my TOEFL preparation class teacher!  I knew my tendency to write "their" after a gender-neutral subject comes from somewhere 

[Removed #5]

I think the current accepted usage would be to say "one must bear his own ..." but that becomes unacceptable as English wanders its way through the "gender neutral" concept in writing. I'm curious though what was your TOEFL's teacher "correction"?

And an interesting blog entry, albeit a bit technical , can be found here.

[mydiamond]

yea "his" is the correction given.. I wonder which one the examiner would consider acceptable

[Removed #5]

A knowledgeable tester would consider either correct, since one is historically correct and the other correct by usage - but purists of either ilk are apt to kill for their idea of correctness.

 

I'm surprised that Becky hasn't chimed in here ... hey, Austinville!!!!!

[mydiamond]

bad day in TOEFL class today. There's this book full of fancy words and the teacher asked me to find the synonyms of some of those words. Out of 12 words, I made 7 incorrect guesses "Saline"?? "Discrepancies"?? Oh gosh. Speaking section isn't good either. Although I didn't say a lot of "uhh" and "umm"s, I tend to make repetitions =\ there's even one question that totally got me and I made a full stop for 2-3 seconds, resulting in a "damn it" and, later on, a "sh**!"  :wacko: writing section has always been my weakness point. Somehow I just can't remember that I'm supposed to use as many fancy words I know to the point average high school students won't be able to understand my article. Reading isn't that good either today. I did (quoting the teacher) "very, very very well" in previous classes which is probably why I kinda rush this time and ended up with a lot of mistakes it's a good thing I still maintain my good performance in listening section because I leave the class totally ashamed   hopefully I'll be better tomorrow...

[winterchillz]

Hey, chill out and keep calm, you're gonna make it, trust me

[valkyries]

you'll do great and we're here to help where we can xxxxx

[Andy]

You'll do fine it's just a hiccough.

Sometimes you can try too hard and kind of block yourself.

try to relax and enjoy it.

[Austinville]

Liv, you'll do just fine, of that I am certain.

 

Just slow down and know you can do it! I remember when you first joined the forum, and you've come such a long way! 

 

As a newspaper editor, I find that I have to use the 'smaller' words to get my points across. One must write for the masses, most of whom are generally ignorant on any subject and 'big' words only confuse them! LOL. It pains me, but that's my job.

[Removed #5]

PLATITUDINOUS PONDEROSITY

 

The New England Journal of Education (in 1881!!) in a serio-comic lecture gives its readers some good precepts beaten in with examples:

 

In promulgating your esoteric cogitations or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity.

Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a compacted comprehensiveness, coalescent consistency and a concatenated cogency.

Eschew all conglomerations of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement and asinine affectation.

Let your extemporaneous descantings and unpremeditated expatiations have intelligibility and veracious vivacity without rhodomontade or thrasonical bombast.

Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolixity, psittaceous vacuity, ventriloquial verbosity and vaniloquent vapidity.

Shun double entendres, prurient jocosity and pestiferous profanity, obscurant or apparent.

In other words talk plainly briefly naturally sensibly truthfully purely. Keep from "slang", don't put on airs, say what you mean, mean what you say and don't use big words.

 

Your last comment, Becky, reminded me of this.  I'd seen it first in a Readers Digest article and then had to memorize the whole thing for a high school English class.  Loved it then and love it now!!

 

Liv, if you're feeling especially like teasing your TOEFL instructor, try this on him ...

 

Edit: Just reread this and, even though it gives my spelling checker fits, realized that there was a misspelling in the middle of it ....

Edited August 6, 2013 by Al Jones

[mydiamond]

PLATITUDINOUS PONDEROSITY

 

The New England Journal of Education in a serio-comic lecture gives its readers some good precepts beaten in with examples:

In promulgating your esoteric cogitations or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity.

Let your conversational communications possess a clarified conciseness, a compacted comprehensiveness, coalescent consistency and a concatenated cogency.

Eschew all conglomerations of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement and asinine affectation.

Let your extemporaneous descantings and unpremeditated expatiations have intelligibility and veracious vivacity without rhodomontade or thrasonical bombast.

Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profuudity pompous prolixity psittaceous vacuity ventriloquial verbosity and vaniloquent vapidity.

Shun double entendres, prurient jocosity and pestiferous profanity, obscurant or apparent.

In other words talk plainly briefly naturally sensibly truthfully purely. Keep from "slang", don't put on airs, say what you mean, mean what you say and don't use big words.

 

Your last comment, Becky, reminded me of this.  I'd seen it first in a Readers Digest article and then had to memorize the whole thing for a high school English class.  Loved it then and love it now!!

 

Liv, if you're feeling especially like teasing your TOEFL instructor, try this on him ...

 

LOL oh gosh!!   I've just been told (again) that articles I write are using too many "conversational English" and I should learn to use more fancy words. THAT would certainly show him LOL

 

Today's class focuses on writing and reading since those two sections are my worst enemies. Surprisingly, I got much better on both. My articles become much more well-structured and my teacher said I've "reached a safe point". Wait... Or is it a save point?  anyways, I regained my previous performance in reading and once again earned a good score (87% correct!) so yeah good day today. No more classes starting tomorrow until Monday (following a major Moslem holiday called Lebaran in Bahasa. Idk what's that in English) so I'm gonna need to study by myself  

[Removed #5]

From what I've just read, Lebaran is Eid with a flair!  I've heard about the Eid celebrations but the friends I've had who celebrate it are, I think, more subdued than it appears to be in Indonesia!  

[mydiamond]

Well, what can I say? This is a country where the majority of people are Moslems schools get week-long holiday to celebrate it and banks are closed for 5 days straight. Lots of fireworks in the sky too 

[Removed #5]

... I write are using too many "conversational English" and ...

 

Since what most of what we see here is mangled conversational English, what you write is easily understandable and normally correct - surprisingly correct given the intricacies of English when compared to most other languages where verbs are strictly conjugated, nouns are declined and word order is less critical.

 

In the quote above, a small correction: 'too much "conversational' or 'too many "conversational English" structures'.

Many is used in those places where you could actually count the items referenced ( "I have many keys.", "There are many horses there.")

Much is generally used when you don't have a specific, countable, number of items. ( "I have much time on my hands.", "How much homework do you have?" )

See this for further expansion if you want.

 

To Liv and all:  would you prefer that I do this in PM rather than in thread??

[Andy]

Since what most of what we see here is mangled conversational English, what you write is easily understandable and normally correct - surprisingly correct given the intricacies of English when compared to most other languages where verbs are strictly conjugated, nouns are declined and word order is less critical.

 

In the quote above, a small correction: 'too much "conversational' or 'too many "conversational English" structures'.

Many is used in those places where you could actually count the items referenced ( "I have many keys.", "There are many horses there.")

Much is generally used when you don't have a specific, countable, number of items. ( "I have much time on my hands.", "How much homework do you have?" )

See this for further expansion if you want.

 

To Liv and all:  would you prefer that I do this in PM rather than in thread??

LOL no this is and education for all of us.

Keep it up Al'

[mydiamond]

Since what most of what we see here is mangled conversational English, what you write is easily understandable and normally correct - surprisingly correct given the intricacies of English when compared to most other languages where verbs are strictly conjugated, nouns are declined and word order is less critical.

 

In the quote above, a small correction: 'too much "conversational' or 'too many "conversational English" structures'.

Many is used in those places where you could actually count the items referenced ( "I have many keys.", "There are many horses there.")

Much is generally used when you don't have a specific, countable, number of items. ( "I have much time on my hands.", "How much homework do you have?" )

See this for further expansion if you want.

 

To Liv and all:  would you prefer that I do this in PM rather than in thread??

 

Ah right can't count "conversational English" can we   much vs many is a lesson back in primary school... but sometimes I still get it wrong