speaking confidence for the toefl ibt®...

SPEAKING CONFIDENCE FOR THE TOEFL IBT® WORKBOOK

Speaking Confidence for the TOEFL iBT®

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Contents

Introduction: Making An Effective Schedule ......................................................................................................3

Module A: Know Your Enemy ..............................................................................................................................4

Module A: Assessment of my skills for the Scoring Criteria.............................................................................5

Module A: Speaking Response Checklist .............................................................................................................7

Module B: Breathing ..............................................................................................................................................8

Module B: Pronunciation, A Note From Jaime .................................................................................................12

Module B: Pronunciation, The Essential Words ...............................................................................................13

Module B: Pronunciation, “s” sounds ................................................................................................................14

Module B: Pronunciation, “should/would/could” ...........................................................................................15

Module B: Pronunciation, “p” versus “b”..........................................................................................................15

Module B: Pronunciation: the 3 sounds of “…ed” ............................................................................................16

Module B: Pronunciation, when “t” sounds like “d” .......................................................................................17

Module B: Pronunciation, swallowing the “…nt” sound ................................................................................17

Module B: Pronunciation, the “ul” sound..........................................................................................................18

Module B: Pronunciation, the “ur” sound .........................................................................................................19

Module B: Pronunciation, “a” as in “accent” ....................................................................................................21

Module B: Pronunciation, the “ohh” sound ......................................................................................................23

Module B: Pronunciation, the sliding “aww” sound .......................................................................................23

Module B: Pronunciation, the sliding “Big I” ....................................................................................................24

Module B: Pronunciation, the long “e” sound ..................................................................................................25

Module B: Pronunciation, the short “i” sound ..................................................................................................26

Module B: Pronunciation, “g” and “j” sounds ..................................................................................................29

Module B: Pronunciation, the 2 “th” sounds .....................................................................................................31

Module B: Pronunciation, the “h” sound ...........................................................................................................32

Module B: Pronunciation, the “v” sound ...........................................................................................................33

Module B: Intonation ............................................................................................................................................34

Exercise 1: Clarifying the Concept ..................................................................................................................34


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Exercise 2: What does American English really sound like? ......................................................................36

Exercise 3: Quick Intonation Practice..............................................................................................................36

Exercise 4: Intonation with Lists ......................................................................................................................37

Exercise 5: Intonation with Transition Phrases .............................................................................................38

Exercise 6: Intonation with Comparisons .....................................................................................................39

Module C: Boosting Your Energy .......................................................................................................................40

Module C: “Uhhh” ...............................................................................................................................................42

Module C: The Anti-Uhhh Worksheet ..............................................................................................................44

Module D: Analysis of Jayda’s Task 1 ...............................................................................................................46

Module D: Analysis of Jayda’s Task 2 ...............................................................................................................46

Module D: Analysis of Abby, Mary and Nelly’s Tasks 3-6 .............................................................................47


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Introduction: Making An Effective Schedule Understanding how many hours you need to study

My target score is______ on the speaking section. I got ______ on my last speaking section. This

means that I need to improve my score by ______ points.

A

For every point that I want to increase my score, I should speak out loud for at least 15 hours. So…

_____ x 15 hours = ______ hours

A B

I need to find ______ hours to speak English and study for TOEFL’s speaking section before _________.

B deadline

My deadline is ______ weeks from today. I have ______ weeks to speak every day.

C C

______ ÷ _______ = _______ hours is the number of hours I need to speak every week.

B C D

I can find ______ hours for speaking practice on…

D

Mondays from ______ until _______.

Tuesdays from ______ until _______.

Wednesdays from ______ until _______.

Thursdays from ______ until _______.

Fridays from ______ until _______.

Saturdays from ______ until _______.

Sundays from ______ until _______.

To be accountable and schedule my time, I will use (choose at least two)…

Gmail’s calendar function + adding the widget to my inbox, so I always see my schedule.

Gmail’s calendar + adding Jaime ([email protected]) so she can check on me.

My smartphone’s agenda application.

A paper calendar that I will put on my fridge / bedroom door / bathroom mirror / ___________.

I will tell ________________ that I’m studying for TOEFL at these times so s/he supports me.


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Module A: Know Your Enemy Watch Jaime’s introduction video and follow the directions to learn as much official information as

possible about TOEFL’s speaking section. It’s a good idea to go straight to the source, and Jaime gives

suggestions about which free – but very current and accurate – websites have this information.

After you study that information, watch “Know Your Enemy: Quizzes 1 and 2” to test yourself. If you

fail those quizzes and still need extra practice, you can take the quiz online by clicking the correct

answer.

Finally, you should assess your specific strengths and weaknesses for speaking skills. Use the

worksheet on the following page.


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Module A: Assessment of my skills for the Scoring Criteria First, find some recordings that you made for TOEFL speaking practice. You want to have a variety of

responses that are campus dialogues, academic lectures and personal opinions.

Listen to your responses and answer the following questions.

Strengths:

Concerning my Topic Development / Accuracy, I feel good about…

Concerning my Delivery, I feel good about…

Concerning my Language Use, I feel good about…

Worries:

Some worries I have about my Topic Development / Accuracy are…

Some worries I have about my Delivery are…

Some worries I have about my Language Use are…

I am the most worried about my ________________ because …


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A Tip from Jaime

Speaking is a social activity, and so improving speaking

skills alone is very challenging. To improve more quickly,

you should get some help and advice from English teachers,

or from friends who speak English as a first language

(preferably American English, because TOEFL is an

American exam).

Who do you know who has great English and can help you

with your English for TOEFL?

Ways to Improve:

I could definitely improve my Topic Development / Accuracy if I…

I could definitely improve my Language Use if I…

I could definitely improve my Delivery if I…

Some specific things I would like to learn from Speaking Confidence are…

Some people who I can ask for help improving my English for TOEFL are:

1.

2.

3.


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Module A: Speaking Response Checklist Print this page as many times as you need to. Use the following criteria to evaluate your speaking

responses. If you’re not satisfied, re-record your response.

It’s a good idea to keep records to track your progress for each type of question: personal opinion

(Tasks 1 and 2); campus dialogues (Tasks 3 and 5); academic topics (Tasks 4 and 6).

Language Use:

o Did you make any major mistakes with grammar?

o Did you make any pronunciation mistakes with your problematic sounds?

o Did you use “he/she/him/her” correctly?

Topic Development:

o Do you have a coherent introduction sentence?

o Did I answer logically?

o Tasks 1 and 2:

o Did you give some kind of personal experience – summarize a story or discuss a future

plan?

o Did you make comparisons?

o Did you make an “if” sentence?

o Tasks 3, 4, 5 and 6:

o How many main points did the speakers discuss in this dialogue or lecture?

o Did you clearly explain all of those the main points of the dialogue or lecture?

o Did you accurately summarize the relationship of the original information?

Delivery:

o Did you use Jaime’s free TOEFL Video Timer to track your time? Did you finish early? Late?

o Did you take a breath in appropriate places?

o Did you sound energetic or robotic and depressed?

o Did you say “uhh” more than two times?

o Did you pause between sentences?


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Module B: Breathing Introduction

Do you feel physically tired and rushed while you speak your TOEFL responses? Can you feel yourself

gasping for air? Can you hear yourself breathing loudly in your responses? If yes, then you’re

probably having an issue with breathing, then the following four exercises are very important for you.

It’s a good idea to do them in order.

Exercise 1: Longer Activity

Read and listen to this response. The audio file is online in Module B, Breathing, Exercise 1, Step 1.

In the conversation the woman is upset because she can’t take research methodology because

she didn’t take a prerequisite course which is Research Writing Skills and her friend

suggests either taking summer classes or online classes and I think she should take the

online classes because like her friend said, when she takes the online class she can go home

and work for the summer and she said that she needs to go home and stay with her family

and work and not stay on campus and spend the extra money on rent so that’s why I think

she should study online.

1. Listen again and mark the places where the speaker breathes in and exhales awkwardly.

Practice reading this transcript the wrong way and wait to put your breaths in the original,

inappropriate places (the answers are on the website). Can you feel how physically

uncomfortable it is to breath like this?

2. Technically, how many sentences is this response?

3. Where can we add more sentences? How can we change the phrases to be better?

4. Look at the transcript and mark appropriate places to take a breath. (You can compare with

Jaime’s answers on the website and listen to the second audio file). Now practice reading it

again the better way. Can you feel how this is physically easier and sounds more confident?


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Exercise 2: Quick Activities

First, intentionally try saying these responses without breathing.

Next, do it again by finding the logical places to put breaths. As always, record yourself and listen! If

you’re not satisfied, do it again.

1. One of the best things that I like about studying TOEFL online is that it fits in my schedule. I

can come home from work and study when I have time. However, if I went to a class in my

city, I would waste time travelling to the school because traffic is pretty bad here.

2. The professor talks about three kinds of volcanoes: cinder cone, shield and composite. Cinder

cone volcanoes are the smallest and least dangerous. Shield volcanoes are very flat because the

lava cools quickly. The last kind, composite volcanoes, are the most explosive and dangerous of

all. The example of this that the professor gave was of Pompeii in Italy.

3. The text defines photosynthesis as the process that plants use to make food. The professor talks

about how pollution affects this process. First, he says that polluted soil stops the plant from

absorbing nutrients. This slows down photosynthesis because plants need carbon dioxide and

water to survive. He then talks about how air pollution can interfere with photosynthesis

because the plant’s stomata gets smaller.


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Exercise 3: Longer Activity Read and listen to this response. The audio file is online in Module B, Breathing, Exercise 3, Step 1.

The reading passage from the student handbook talks about academic integrity which means

that all students have to be honest about doing their own work or they can get expelled from

the university. The professor asked his student to come and talk with him because the

woman and her roommate Sarah are taking the same class and they have the same essay

except she didn’t know and the professor didn’t know they were roommates so the professor

is going to talk with Sarah and the staff of the Academic Integrity Board so that they can

decide what to do. But the student is really upset because she says Sarah took her ideas but

she didn’t know it was happening and she tells the professor that Sarah’s had a hard year

because her parents got divorced so she hopes they’ll be nice to her but nothing is certain yet.

1. Listen again and mark the places where the speaker breathes in and exhales awkwardly (the

answers are on the website). Practice reading this transcript the wrong way and wait to put

your breaths in the same, inappropriate places. Can you feel how difficult this is?

2. Technically, how many sentences is this response?

3. Where can we add more sentences? How can we change the phrases to be better?

4. Look at the transcript and mark appropriate places to take a breath. (You can compare with

Jaime’s answers on the website and listen to the second audio file). Now practice reading it

again the better way. Can you feel how this is easier?


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Exercise 4: Analyze Your Own Response

Action Steps:

Find any recording of yourself speaking for TOEFL.

Type the transcript of what you say. Yes, it takes a few extra minutes, but it’s really useful.

Listen and mark the places where you’re taking breaths or exhaling.

Do you need to change the grammar so that you have more sentences? If yes, copy and paste a

new version of your transcript, and add more sentences.

Now, where are the more appropriate places for your breaths?

Read your transcript again and put your quick and quiet stomach breaths before sentences, or,

in longer sentences, put the breaths before words like “and,” “or,” “which,” “so,” “because,”

and “but.”

Extra things to consider:

Do you make similar breathing mistakes when you’re speaking your language. You can ask a

close friend or family member to tell you the truth. If you do it in your native language, why do

you think you do it? If you just do it in English, why do you think you do it?

How could you remind yourself to take breaths in more appropriate places?


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Module B: Pronunciation, A Note From Jaime


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Module B: Pronunciation, The Essential Words If you focus on nothing else, learn how to say these words correctly because you will need them on

every single TOEFL speaking exam. It’s a good idea to review the other related sounds, but at least

practice the pronunciation of this list of 15 words.

1. “Because.”

o You will need it on every single response, tasks 1 through 6.

o To say the “uhh” vowel sound correctly, watch the “ul” sound video and review page

18.

2. “This” or “These.”

o These words are so essential and they’re usually mispronounced.

o To compare short “i” with long “e” sounds, watch Jaime’s video online and review

pages 25-28.

3. Woman / women / man / men

o These are necessary for speaking tasks 3 and 5.

o Many people believe they are pronouncing these four words correctly, but have a

mistake with at least one of them. Check yourself. For help with these very irritating

words, watch the videos:

Comparing “ah” with “eh” (page 22)

The short “i” sound (pages 26-28)

4. Say / says / said.

o When you’re summarizing on tasks 3, 4, 5 and 6 you might use this word.

o These three words do not have the same sounds. Review the “ah”/ “eh” video and

sound for correct pronunciation (or look at page 22)

5. Advantage / Disadvantage

o I’m sure you’ll say this on speaking task 1, 2 or 5 – and maybe 3.

o Don’t say the “t”! To learn, watch the video about “swallowing the …nt” sound (or look

at page 17)

o To get the grammar right, check out page 14 as well.

6. “Professor.” “Her.” “Research.”

o There’s a high chance you will use these on any of your responses.

o What do they all have in common? The “ur” sound. Watch the video online (or look at

pages 19-21).


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Module B: Pronunciation, “s” sounds Make sure to watch Jaime’s video in Module B that shows you how to correctly form the three different

sounds for “s”: s, z, and ız.

Believes -- She believes he shouldn’t miss his study session.

Claims -- The author claims that global warming isn’t real.

Explains -- The professor explains the main cause of desertification.

Asks about -- The woman asks her friend how to sign up for classes.

Thinks -- The man thinks it’s possible to register online.

Describes -- The text describes two kinds of …

Discusses -- The lecturer discusses this in more detail.

Verbs that end with …–sts

Suggests -- She suggests not missing his study session.

Casts (doubt on) -- The lecture casts doubt on the reading.

Contrasts -- The text contrasts the lecture by citing only theory.

Insists -- The university insists on reducing traffic on campus.

Nouns that end with “…s”

Advantages -- One of the advantages of [verb-ing] is that…

Reasons – One of the reasons that I love my city is that… This is because…

Things – One of the things that I can’t stand about TOEFL is that… This is because…

Places – One of my favorite places to go is… because…

Movies – One of the greatest movies of all time is … because…

Uncountable nouns that never end in “s”

Research (uncountable noun)

Right: The research shows people are happier in developing countries.

Right: They do a lot of research on the level of happiness.

Wrong: They do a lot of researches on the level of happiness.

Right (as a verb): The company researches levels of happiness.

Advice Work Homework Technology Equipment Time Money Information Damage Proof


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Module B: Pronunciation, “should/would/could” These words are extremely important on speaking responses 1, 2 and 5. Listen to Jaime pronounce

them in her video in Module B.

Should –

+ She thinks he should go to the study session.

+ He shouldn’t miss the exam if he wants to improve his grade.

Would –

+ I also think it would be better for him to go to the study session.

+ If I were the man, I would live off campus because...

+ I’d definitely choose to live in a big city because…

+ If he slept more, he wouldn’t be so tired every day.

Could –

+ Alternatively, he could get a job on campus.

+ If she doesn’t talk to her roommate, she could stay mad for a long time.

Module B: Pronunciation, “p” versus “b” After watching Jaime’s video, make sure to use a piece of paper to properly pronounce “p.”

Report – The man printed the report but he didn’t understand how interpret the numbers.

Prefer – I know that some people prefer to live in small towns, but I really prefer big cities.

Keep – I have to keep trying to say “ppp” because it’s possible for my lips to accomplish it.

Prepare – The guy’s upset because he has to prepare a report tonight for his class tomorrow.

Stop – I must stop … when I speak English.

Depend on –

+ The effectiveness of anti-smoking campaigns depends on people’s awareness of them.

+ Depending on the organisms in the water, the color can change.

Passage – The passage talks about how stalagmites and stalactites are formed.

Point out – The professor pointed out that the impact of water hitting the floor causes them to

break into droplets.

Proof / Prove – Basically, the research couldn’t prove that coffee is unhealthy.

Egypt – Egypt is very popular for the Great Pyramids.

Problem – The problem is that it’s easy to procrastinate when you take an online class.

Professor – The professor asked the student to come and have a chat.


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Module B: Pronunciation: the 3 sounds of “…ed” You definitely need this when summarizing past life events on Tasks 1 and 2. You also need it to

explain scientific processes (like on Tasks 4 and 6 – or for the integrated writing). Watch Jaime’s video

for an explanation of these sounds.

The /t/ sound follows “p” “x” “k” “ch” and “s”

Helped – Her friend helped by giving two suggestions.

Stopped – He stopped attending class because he was too busy with his job and fell behind.

Worked – When I was younger, I worked while I studied.

Marked – The professor marked the man’s paper, but she didn’t explain what was wrong.

Asked – The man asked the secretary if she could fix his name because it was spelled wrong.

Fixed – The secretary fixed the problem on the man’s transcript.

Matched – The research participants matched images of faces with different emotions.

Missed – The woman missed her study group meeting because she was sick.

Discussed – He discussed whether or not anti-smoking campaigns are useful.

The /ıd/ sound follows “t” and “d”

Wanted – A few months ago, my friend and I wanted to travel.

Decided – In the end, we decided to book a tour because it seemed easier.

Hated – I was really surprised but I actually hated the tour because there was no spontaneity.

Suggested – She suggested either studying in the student union or going to the library.

Converted – Carbon dioxide is converted into carbohydrate and stored in the plant.

Pointed out – The professor pointed out the differences among 3 types of volcanoes.

** Used to – Now that I’ve gotten used to organizing my own trips, I never take tours.

The /d/ sound follows every other letter

Loved -- One of the things that I loved about being a student was that I learned constantly.

Used – The first time I used a computer, I think I was about 12 years old.

Explained – The professor explained this concept in more detail.

Tried – The researchers tried to find out if animals have self-awareness.

Enjoyed – I enjoyed studying [topic] because…


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Module B: Pronunciation, when “t” sounds like “d” Watch Jaime’s video to hear her pronunciation and get the complete explanation. There are lots of

words that follow this rule in American English, but the most common ones for TOEFL are here.

City – I (don’t) like living in a city because…

University – My university was…

Tutor – Having a tutor for TOEFL is(n’t) important because…

Strategy –

+ One strategy for improving your accent is to…

+ Another strategy is…

Go to –

+ I believe that the best solution is for them to go to the library to study.

+ If I could go anywhere in the world, I would definitely go to… because…

Italy – I would(n’t) like to go to Italy because…

Module B: Pronunciation, swallowing the “…nt” sound Watch the video in Module B then practice with these common TOEFL phrases!

Dis/advantage

+ There are a lot of disadvantages of learning English in a group class.

+ The biggest advantage of living in a city is that there are lots of things to do.

+ The guy tells his friend the advantages of going to the meeting, but she disagrees.

Student -- There were [number] students in my high school class.

Wanted -- When I was young I wanted to… [finish it!]

Point out -- The professor points out the reasons for this.

Experiment -- He pointed out that the experiment was flawed.

Percentage – The percentage of people who study for TOEFL speaking is low.

Statement – The University is planning to digitally deliver statements for students’ accounts.

Announcement – The announcement talked about how the university wants to renovate the

classrooms.

Important – It’s important to pronounce words like an American because…

Environment (sounds like “en-viro-menh”) – Even though it’s important to take care of the

environment, if I didn’t have my car, I would be miserable because I need it to get around.


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A Tip from Jaime

When you’re improving your pronunciation, you

must be patient with yourself. If you’re working or

studying full time, and if you speak English only

once or twice a week, it might take months to

change your pronunciation. This is completely

normal.

Be patient and keep practicing!

Module B: Pronunciation, the “ul” sound Watch Jaime’s video to see the correct place to put your tongue to make this sound. Then practice with

these words and finish the sentences with your own ideas.

*** Because *** (Obviously, this doesn’t have an “L” but it has the same “uhh” sound without

the “L” so it’s added here because it’s logical) –

+ Jaime added “because” to this list because it has a similar “uhh” sound as “successful.”

TOEFL –

+ I hope my TOEFL score is…

+ After I pass TOEFL, my life will be different because…

Result – The results of the exam were…

Personally – Personally, I don’t mind…

Several – Several of my friends …

Successful – Successful people have …. in common.

Example – One example of this is…

Cultural – There are cultural differences in various regions of [my country]. For example, …

Conventional – One of the conventional ways that people get around [my city] is by…

Loyal – I consider myself a loyal person because

Formal – The event I went to was very formal

Criminal – The professor argued that criminals should be given psychological evaluations.

Controversial – A controversial story in [my country’s] news today is about…

Inevitable – It’s inevitable that….

Equal – I personally think that the government should(n’t) treat men and women equally

because…

Quality (this sounds like more like

“all” and less like “ul” but they’re

very similar)

+ I think the most important

quality for a friend to have

is…

+ If I were going to move to a

new town, the most important

quality would be…


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Module B: Pronunciation, the “ur” sound Other pronunciation sections in Speaking Confidence are short because they naturally don’t include

lots of TOEFL words. This section is long because the “ur” sound is everywhere in American English.

Yes, there is a very long list of words that show up on TOEFL – many of the adjectives are useful in

responses for 1 and 2.

Read carefully because many of the sentences have other words that also have the “ur” sound.

Critical Words:

Your (when spoken quickly, it sounds like “yur”) – Your problem is that you don’t like her.

For (when spoken quickly, it sounds like “fur”) – Thanks for listening to my response!

Her (not “hair”) -- I think her first piece of advice is good.

Person – My favorite person is my mother.

Professor / Teacher – The best professor / teacher I had was … because…

Girl – The girl is angry because her roommate lost her library book.

First – The first reason is that the internet is an amazing source of information.

Third – The third example the professor gives is about birds.

Were – They were talking about where to study for the test.

Thirty – There were thirty participants in the research study.

Per / percent – 20% of the people in the study said they were unlike to start smoking.

Adverbs / Transitions:

Particularly – The professor particularly has a problem with the idea that…

However – The man thinks this. However, the woman thinks that.

Alternatively – Alternatively, the woman could …

Verbs:

Survive – Camels can survive in the desert for days without water.

Heard – What he heard was that the rules are changing.

Understand – I’m starting to understand how to say “ur” more easily.

Search – If she searches online, she’ll definitely find the information.

Worth – Jaime says it’s worth it to study these because it’ll help my accent.

Remember – I can’t remember if I told you this but…

Learn – I like learning about…

Refer – The text discusses “cohorts,” a word that refers to a person’s social group.


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Nouns:

Professor – The professor explained the alternatives.

Term – The professor explains this term in more detail by saying…

Word – I learned [#] new words this week.

Verb – A verb that I have trouble pronouncing is …

Future – In the future, I would really like to visit … because…

Failure – One of my country’s greatest failures is that…

Pressure – I feel a lot of pressure about TOEFL because…

Answer – He doesn’t know the answer.

Infrastructure – If I could improve my city’s infrastructure, I definitely would.

Culture – One interesting thing about my country’s culture is that…

Performance – The announcement says that the performance will be held next week.

River – One of the rivers near my city is called …

Sculpture – In my city, public sculpture is(n’t) popular because…

World – There are lots of places in the world I would like to visit but one in particular is…

Information – The information isn’t very clear.

Major – When I was in university, my major was …

Junior – I still remember that my junior year of high school / college was really stressful

because…

Visitor – The University says that visitors have to check in at Campus Security.

Adjectives:

Similar – Actually, living in [my town] is similar to living in [another town] because…

Different – I think that …. is different from … because…

Early – I (don’t) like waking up early because…

Familiar – I (wouldn’t/don’t) like living in a small town because I always see a familiar face.

Regular – I eat … pretty regularly because…

Sure – The man isn’t sure if he is sick, but he thinks he should find out.

Urban X Rural – I prefer living in urban / rural areas because…

Determined – I’m determined to improve my TOEFL score and that’s why I…

Alternative – The alternative to this is to have the same level of English.

Safer – I think that … is safer than … because…

Natural – I think that … is more natural than … because …

Happier -- [activity] makes me happier than [activity] because…


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A Tip from Jaime

If you are looking for a way to integrate pronunciation

practice into your daily routine, then make sure to

watch the video “Setting Pronunciation Alarms.” It will

show you how to use your smart phone so that you

bother remind regularly and improve!

Comfortable (actually sounds like “komf-tur-bul”) – I think that … is more comfortable than …

because …

Perfect – To me, the perfect job would…

Modern – The most modern city in my country is … because…

Better – It would be better if she talks with her roommate.

Incorrect – The professor says this is incorrect because…


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A Tip from Jaime

Definitely use a mirror when you practice these

words.

Study the pictures of the mouths on the right.

1. Which mouth is “taller”/”longer”?

2. Which mouth is “wider”/”more stretched”?

3. Which mouth shows more top teeth?

Module B: Pronunciation, “a” as in “accent” Make sure to watch Jaime’s video that compares “ah” as in bad to “eh” as in bed. This is an important

distinction that can affect quite a few words on TOEFL. Definitely use a mirror when you practice this!

The “ah” sound The “eh” sound

Man Men

Taxed Text

Bad Bed

Mad Medical

---- Question

A lack of … A lecture

---- Lesson

Past Pest

Bastard Best

Fast Festival

Master Messed up

And End

In fact Infect

Had Head

saw Says

Application – She has to submit her application as soon as possible.

Actually – Actually, I don’t like taking vacations in really hot or really cold places.

Bad – That movie was so bad because…

Fact – In fact, I prefer going to warm places.

Man – The man tells the woman that she should talk with her roommate.

Fast – If the man studies regularly, he’ll improve faster.

Staff – The man asks the staff member if he can have an application.

Have / had / has – The man doesn’t have any idea how to complete his research.


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That – That is the reason he’s confused.

Calculate – Scientists calculated the statistics from the experiment.

After – I think the man should go to the evening class, and then after that, study for the

midterm. If he doesn’t do this, his grades might drop.

Accent – I think that my accent is improving because…

Personality – Personally, I think she has a bad personality. (Remember! “Personally” has the

“ul” sound. Check page __)

Module B: Pronunciation, the “ohh” sound So – There are so many different kinds of pollution.

Old – Because it’s an old building, the man doesn’t agree with the university’s choice to destroy

it.

Know – The man is stressed because he doesn’t know how to register for classes online.

Show – The woman suggests that he talk to the Registrar so they can show him how to do it.

No – There’s no proof from the research that we can really trust.

Program – The woman doesn’t want to stay for the summer program, but if she wants to

graduate on time, she really has no other choice.

Grow – Animals generally eat young plants that are growing before they have time to develop

deep roots. This makes it difficult for the soil to hold together, and it can blow away easily.

Focus – The woman is really stressed out because she can’t focus on any of her lessons.

Even though – Even though she’s studying hours and hours, she doesn’t remember anything.

Notice – The woman didn’t notice her friends sit down because she was so focused on her book.

Although – Although the woman’s friends came to the table, she didn’t notice them.

Module B: Pronunciation, the sliding “aww” sound This is one of the “sliding sounds,” where your mouth changes shape while you say it. The technical

use the term “sliding sound.”

Although

Author – Although the author didn’t cite any research or statistics, the theory might still be

valid.


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Module B: Pronunciation, the sliding “Big I” This is another “sliding sound.” To watch Jaime demonstrate the right way to move your mouth, check

out the video.

Kinds of – The passage mentions two kinds of trees: deciduous and coniferous.

Types of – There are many types of fungus, but the passage focuses on one type called Southern

blight.

Varieties of – Animals’ use a variety of ways to remember where they buried their food.

Meanwhile – I was trying to call my friend on the phone. Meanwhile, the cars on the street

were honking.

Criteria – I agree/disagree with the criteria that my university used to evaluate students’

applications because…

Minor – On Tasks 4 and 6, I shouldn’t mention too many minor points of the professor’s lecture

because…

Define – The passage defines animal domestication as the process of taming wild animals to live

near humans.

Decide – The University has decided to renovate some buildings on campus.

Dialogue – The students in the dialogue are discussing whether or not the university’s new plan

is a good idea.

Finally – The cars finally stopped honking and I was able to hear my friend.

Finalize – The students in the dialogue are trying to decide where to finalize their presentation –

either in the library, or in the student center.

Time –

+ I remember that one time, I ... (tell a story with past simple).

+ It’s really time-consuming to… because…

+ The man doesn’t have time to … because…

Die / died -- … died in …

Like – I like … because…

Despite – Despite the fact that pronunciation is tricky, I can feel that I’m improving.

Rise / Rose / Risen (verb) – The

Primary – The primary reason that I’m taking TOEFL is to…

Exciting – The most exciting thing I did recently was when I…

Private – I’m (not) a private person and so I usually…

China – The population of China has grown exponentially because of…


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Module B: Pronunciation, the long “e” sound It’s not usually difficult for people to make the long “e” sound because it’s a very exaggerated sound.

However, you might be accidentally saying the long “e” sound instead of saying the short “i” sound

(see the next page for that).

Succeed – One time I felt that I really succeeded was when I…

These (not this) – These sentences are helping because…

Need – The man tells the woman that he needs to find a new place to live.

Recently – Recently, I’ve been … because…

Increase X Decrease – The population of [my city] has been increasing / decreasing recently.

This is mainly due to the fact that…

Believe – I really believe that it’s better to …(choice 1)… than to … (choice 2)…

The long “e” sound The short “i” sound

These This

Seedy City

Leave Live

Eat It

Thief Think

Leaf If

Heat Hit

A Tip from Jaime

Definitely use a mirror when you practice

these words.

Study the pictures of the mouths on the

right.

1. Which mouth is “wider”/”more

stretched”?

2. Which mouth shows more teeth?


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Module B: Pronunciation, the short “i” sound Be sure to watch Jaime’s video that compares the short “i” sound with the longer “e” sound (or look at

the previous page and compare the pictures that you see). Use a mirror!

Read the following sentences carefully because many of them have other words that also have the short

“i” sound.

Critical Words:

Woman (yes, it ends in “..an” but it sounds like “..in”) – The woman is excited because…

Women (both the “o” and the “e” sound like “i.” Don’t worry, we all hate English spelling.) –

The women can’t believe that “women” sounds completely different from its spelling.

Is – TOEFL is…

In – My city, … , is in …

It – Think of your own idea

With – I (don’t) like studying with Speaking Confidence for TOEFL because…

If – If the woman doesn’t take the online class, she won’t be able to work this summer.

This (not “these”) – For this reason, I dislike cities.

Adverbs / Transitions:

For instance – My town has a big problem with … For instance, …

Additionally – Additionally, we have a problem with…

Alternatively – Some people think we should fix this problem by… Alternatively, we could…

Specifically – I specifically remember the time that I… (describe a memory)

Consequently – When I was a kid, I … Consequently, I … nowadays.

Before – Before I started Speaking Confidence, I didn’t know how to…

Especially – I especially didn’t know …. before I started this program.

In comparison – My English before was really different in comparison to my English now

because...


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Verbs:

Live – I live in…

Think – Personally, I think that … is the best movie because…

Discuss – The two friends are discussing if they should … or …

Finish – I have to finish with TOEFL as soon as possible so that I can…

Miss – If I lived in another country, I would miss …

Increase – According to the lecturer, the amount of pollution is increasing.

Increase – One way to increase my speaking confidence is to speak regularly.

Get bigger – My city’s population is/isn’t getting bigger because…

Is known as – My city is known as … because…

Consists of – TOEFL consists of 4 sections: reading, listening, speaking and writing. My favorite

is the… because…

Nouns:

Passage – The passage discusses the concept of emotional intelligence.

City – One of the best cities in my country is … because…

Ability – The professor explains that people with emotional intelligence have the ability to make

important life decisions with more confidence.

The Internet – If I didn’t have the internet, my life would… / I couldn’t…

Mistake – It’s a mistake not to focus on saying the short “i” sound correctly.

Definition – According to the passage, the basic definition of “a boycott” is some kind of non-

violent, economic protest.

(look at “The Big I” sound because the verb “define” is pronounced different)

Animal – My favorite animal is… because…

Scholarship -- I think that awarding scholarships is a good/bad idea because…

Internship – My favorite thing about my internship is that…

Characteristics – I personally think that one the most important characteristics of a good friend

is to be…

Transcript – I can get official copies of my transcript from the Registrar’s office.

Minute – Give me a minute.

America – When I think of America, the first thing that comes to mind is… because…

Brazil – When I think of America, the first thing that comes to mind is… because…

England – When I think of America, the first thing that comes to mind is… because…


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Adjectives:

Similar – I’m similar to my friends because we all…

Different – I’m different from my friends because…

Attitude – When I was younger I used to … but now my attitude has changed and I…

Big – I (don’t) like driving big cars because…


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Module B: Pronunciation, “g” and “j” sounds Useful for Everyday Life:

Did you – Did you hear about … ?

Would you – Would you help me with…?

Verbs:

Enjoy – I really enjoyed … because…

Suggest – The woman suggested making a budget so he can figure out how much money he

needs.

Object – The man objects to the increase in student tuition because he’s already paying an arm

and a leg.

Nouns:

Suggestion – Her suggestion is to make a budget so he can figure out how much he needs.

Schedule – I feel … because I’m (not) following my TOEFL study schedule the way I hoped.

The reason it’s (not) going well is that…

Job – My ideal job would be to… because...

Age – She explained that the age of the fossils is unknown.

Genes – Despite this, scientists can still analyze the genes.

Page – I don’t understand the material on page 50.

Passage – The passage describes the phenomena called spatial memory.

Advantage – One of the advantages of speaking English is that…

Disadvantage – One of the disadvantages of living alone is that…

Language – If I could learn another language, I would choose … because…

Strategy – My favorite strategy for remembering words in English is to…

Egypt – One of the things that I know about Egypt is that…

Jeans – In my country, it is(n’t) very common for people to wear jeans because…

Jaime – I think that Jaime is…

Origin – Charles Darwin wrote the book, The Origin of Species.

Biology – I (don’t) enjoy biology because…

Fridge – In my fridge right now, there is(n’t)… because…

Edges – When a plant is sick, the edges of the leaves turn brown.

Psychologist – Psychologists found that if people sit in front of a bright light, they feel more

energetic.


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A Tip from Jaime

Fact: People can’t pronounce new sounds if they

can’t put their tongue or lips in the right

position.

Don’t forget to watch Jaime’s “Warm Up Video”

to help your mouth and tongue move in new

and unfamiliar ways. To say “g” more easily,

you should especially focus on doing the weird

tongue circles at the end of the video.

Anthropologist – The professors said that

anthropologists are people who research other

cultures.

Change – If I could change one thing about my

hometown, I would … because…

Generation – One way that my generation is

different from that of parents is that nowadays

we … It’s like this because…

Education – I think that getting a good second

language education is(n’t) important because…

Gestures – Researchers watched to see if

animals’ gestures changed when they looked at

themselves in the mirror.

Religion – There are many religions in my

country: …(list them and pause between types)…

Adverbs:

Just –

+ Just as I was leaving my apartment / house, … (something happened at the same time)…

+ I just really don’t understand why people like to…(annoying habit) To me, (annoying

habit)… is just… (adjective)

+ Just give me a minute! I need to…

Generally –

+ Generally speaking, I think it’s a good idea to… because…

+ In general, I’m feeling good about … for the TOEFL. This is because …

Adjectives:

Large – The largest city in my country is … There are … people.

Strange – One of the strangest things I saw on TV was when…

Major – The major religion in my country is…

Educational – I (don’t) think that TV can be educational because…

Objective – If my friend told me that s/he wanted to …(crazy idea)…, I would try to be

objective, but I would try to convince him/her to … (more rational idea)… instead.


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A Tip from Jaime

You will need the words “the” “this” “that” and

“they” at least 10 different times on every TOEFL

speaking test (but realistically, you could say them

20 or maybe even 30 times – if you use them 5 times

for every response – it’s certainly possible).

With such a high certainty of “th” use, it is

absolutely worth your time to master the hard and

soft “th” sounds.

Module B: Pronunciation, the 2 “th” sounds In the video in Module 2, you can see practice with Jaime to see how to correctly make these sounds.

After that, practice with these word lists.

Hard Vibration Words:

The – The only reason I like the city is because of the people here.

Than – I like this more than that.

That / this / these / those – I like these more than those.

Then – I studied. Then I took the test.

Thus – Pronunciation is tough. Thus, people

should practice daily.

Even though – Even though this is repetitive,

I’m improving.

There – There aren’t a lot of fathers and

mothers who breathe at the same time.

They – They were clapping and stomping

their feet.

Soft / No Vibration Words:

Author – The author defends his theory

Three – The professor gives three examples of this.

Third – The third reason is that there wouldn’t be any traffic.

Thing – The thing I like about living in a city is that everything is close.

Thousand – There are thousands of people who live in the capital.

Thought – The woman thought that this was going to be easy.

Thinks – The man thinks she should go to the job fair.

With – He thinks she should talk with her professor.

Worth – It’s worth it to practice this.


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Module B: Pronunciation, the “h” sound Watch Jaime’s video and then practice with this word list. Make your hand warm when you say the

“h” on the following words!

Heat – The sun’s heat reaches planets hundreds of thousands of miles away.

His – His friend suggests either taking the class with the professor he doesn’t like or trying to

find another class at a similar time.

Him – If I were him, I wouldn’t bother looking for another class.

He –

+ I think he should just take the class from the professor.

+ Even though he doesn’t like his professor, he could still learn a lot of really interesting

things.

+ Plus, he needs the class for his major.

Half

House –

+ The man should look for a house near campus so that he doesn’t waste time commuting.

+ My house is… (where?)…

Help –

+ When I need help, I usually ask …(person)… because…

+ I think that Speaking Confidence is helping me to… (what?)

Human – The human body has eleven different systems, including the muscular system (for

moving), nervous system (for thinking and sensing), and respiratory system (for breathing).

Hate – I hate to say it, but … (say something true that your friend doesn’t want to hear)…

Hypothesis – According to the researcher’s hypothesis,

Historical – The man doesn’t want the university to tear down the building because it has

historical value.

History – In the professor’s lecture, he explains that there have been many mass migrations in

human history.


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Module B: Pronunciation, the “v” sound Make sure to watch Jaime’s video and then practice with the following list.

Very – I think this town is very exciting / boring because…

Valuable – The most valuable thing I own is… because…

Vital – When studying for TOEFL, it is vital to…

Vague – I have a vague idea about my project / research / vacation but I’m thinking of…

Video – Jaime’s videos in Speaking Confidence are …

Visual – I am (not) a visual learner. It’s (not) easy for me to learn by seeing something.

Virtual – I (don’t) like playing virtual games online. My (least) favorite one is…


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Module B: Intonation Exercise 1: Clarifying the Concept

After watching Jaime’s video, “A General Introduction to Intonation,” come back here and fill in this

information. The answers are online.

1. There are two ways to think of concept “intonation”:

2. True or False: A speaker with perfect grammar and advanced vocabulary cannot be understood

easily if his/her intonation patterns don’t sound like American intonation patterns.

3. True or False: A speaker with good grammar and decent vocabulary can be understood easily if

his/her intonation patterns sound like American intonation patterns.

4. In normal American English, flat intonation indicates... (Check all that are correct.)

The speaker is energetic and wants to communicate with the listener.

The speaker is bored and doesn’t care about communicating.

5. In normal American English, rising intonation means... (Check all that are correct.)

The speaker could be asking a question.

The speaker could be in the middle of a message unit.

The speaker hates the listener and wants to make him/her uncomfortable.

The speaker is energetic and wants to communicate with the listener.

6. In normal American English, falling intonation means… (Check all that are correct.)

The speaker could be at the end of a message unit.

The speaker is bored and doesn’t care about communicating.

7. Find and mark the message units in the following sentences. Then speak them outloud:

The man should definitely look for a house near campus so that he doesn’t waste time

commuting.


35

His friend suggests either taking the class with the professor he doesn’t like or trying to

find another class at a similar time.

If I had the choice, I would live off campus because there’s much more privacy and

freedom.

8. In general, when should you use rising intonation in sentences for TOEFL?

9. How often can you practice your American intonation? (Check all that are true.)

Only when I’m practicing TOEFL speaking material.

Whenever I’m listening to American radio or watching American TV.

Only when I’m speaking with an American.

Whenever I’m speaking English with anyone.


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Exercise 2: What does American English really sound like?

Do you remember the last time that you heard a language you didn’t know? Maybe you were

travelling, or wandering around your city and you heard a group of people speaking a completely

foreign language. When you don’t know the language, you can’t understand anything. The only thing

you hear it the “music” of that language – even if you don’t understand the meaning, you can notice

the rhythm and style for a language. Catherine Tate, an English comedian, has a skit that demonstrates

this rhythm and style for different language.

1. Go to YouTube and search for “Catherine Tate The Offensive Translator.” Please do not get

offended. There is a point to watching it...

2. After you watch it, ask yourself, “If I were Catherine Tate, and if I were going to speak

“American English” the same way that she speaks foreign languages, what would American

English sound like?”

Your answer should be an exaggerated, silly sound – and maybe it has lots of “r” sounds

in it, or people look like they’re chewing a lot, or moving their lips in ugly ways. THIS is

the way that you want to speak English if you want to improve your intonation for

TOEFL.

Exercise 3: Quick Intonation Practice

Look online to find and listen to this exercise. You will compare the same sentences spoken with

robotic and energetic voices. You can also get more practice here with identifying message units.

This is the easiest place to start before doing the longer exercises that follow.


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Exercise 4: Intonation with Lists

Jaime responded to the prompt, “Describe an important festival in your country.” In it, she used a lot

of lists to give information. Listen to her response (find the audio online, in Module B on the

Intonation page) and read along with her. Mark the places where her voice rises.

One of the most important festivals in America is probably *pause* the *pause* State *pause*

Fair. And usually every state and even cities can have their own fair. Usually it happens

during the summer and it’s gonna be somewhere kind of outside the town where there’s a

really big area – maybe an old parking lot where they can have animals, and a stadium, and

some kind of space to have competitions for food, dancing, maybe karaoke, uh some very

crazy monster truck shows (which are very bizarre!) *laughing* and also maybe amusement

park rides so people can have fun. It’s just a big opportunity for people to spend time with

their family and their friends and just enjoy life! (119 words)

It’s your turn!

After reading Jaime’s answer online, start your video timer and recorder.

Answer the same prompt: “Describe an important festival in your country.”


38

A Tip from Jaime

When you answer this kind of question, you should

definitely talk about your life history. Just be

careful! It’s easy to spend minutes and minutes

going into detail about exactly what happened.

TOEFL doesn’t give you time like a friend would

give you time.

So, when you summarize your life stories, you need

to cut out 90% of the details. Just leave the major

points.

Exercise 5: Intonation with Transition Phrases

Jaime responded to the prompt, “What’s a challenging situation you’ve been in? How did you solve

it?” In it, she described her problem (usually with falling intonation); and then the results and her

solution (usually with rising intonation).

Read it out loud and guess where her intonation will rise and fall. After you predict, listen to her

response (find the audio online, in Module B on the Intonation page) and read along with her. Mark

the places where her voice rises and falls.

A challenging situation that I've been in recently was a couple months ago when my

roommate and I were having trouble with our landlord. He was trying to kick us out of our

apartment because he sold it to some other people. It was a really, really stressful situation.

I didn't understand a lot of the legal terminology in Turkish that I was having to deal with.

So to fix this problem, I went back to my private Turkish tutor and I took Turkish lessons for

a few weeks. I practiced a lot of vocabulary that I need to be comfortable in that situation and

because of it I was a lot more comfortable talking with my landlord and more stress free.

(121 words)

It’s your turn!

After that, start your video timer and

recorder. Answer the same prompt:

“What’s a challenging situation you’ve been

in? How did you solve it?”


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Exercise 6: Intonation with Comparisons

Jaime responded to the prompt, “Some people prefer to learn information by watching television.

Others prefer to learn by reading books. Which do you prefer?”

In it, she explained why she prefers learning from a book. She gives specific examples of how

frustrating Turkish can be, and to express this frustration, her intonation rises. Can you predict where

that might be?

Even though a lot of people really like learning, and learning new languages by watching

television, I am definitely the kind of person who likes to learn by reading a book. This is

because I don’t have very good listening skills and when I can see things written on paper or

in a book, it’s so much easier for me to remember it. I can learn a lot of new words and then I

can make flashcards and practice that vocabulary later. But, for example, when I watch the

news in Turkish on the television, it is so confusing because it’s really fast, there are no

subtitles, and the only words that I can look up are the tiny little captions that they put about

the highlights of the news show. So I definitely don’t like watching TV to learn Turkish.

(141 words – Don’t aim for this much. Arguably, Jaime was speaking too quickly.)

After that, listen to the audio file for her response and mark the rising intonation. The answers are

online.

It’s your turn!

Answer the prompt for yourself. Don’t forget to use the video timer!

“Some people prefer to learn information by watching television. Others prefer to learn by reading

books. Which do you prefer?”


40

Module C: Boosting Your Energy Jaime films all of her videos while looking at the left photo. You speak for TOEFL while looking at this:

What do both recording situations have in common?

There are zero other humans paying attention at the time of recording. It’s strange, but with practice,

we can learn to be ourselves even when we’re surrounded by technology.

Could you tell Jaime was alone when she filmed her Speaking Confidence videos, or did it feel like she

was alive, engaged and passionate about talking to you?

Jaime focuses on boosting her energy before she makes videos by being aware of her Happy Factor,

listening to and singing her power song, and then imagining that she is talking with someone, even

though she looks at a bookshelf, a blinking red camera light and a wall of post-it notes. You can do

it too.

What is your Happy Factor?

Like she said in her Module C: Boosting Your Energy video, Jaime likes moving her eyebrows up, and

smiling because she feels more expressive, playful and alive. I looked in the mirror and I noticed that

when I’m happy, I ___________________________________________________________ so I think that if I


41

_______________________________ before TOEFL, and right before the speaking section, and on breaks

between tasks, then I think that my energy will stay more positive at the exam.

Who will you imagine you are talking to?

My favorite person in the universe who makes me feel great about myself is ____________ and I will

think about him/her before I start the TOEFL speaking section. When I am doing TOEFL practice, I will

imagine ______ is in the room with me and I will pretend I am telling him/her all of my TOEFL

response. I will try to laugh and smile and be as human as possible. Also, when I’m speaking at the

TOEFL exam, I will imagine that I am telling ___________ every response.

What is your power song?

My power song is _______________________________.

I can you guarantee that my power song (or a whole playlist of power songs) are ready for me before I

start practicing for TOEFL in general if I _______________________________________________________.

I can guarantee that my power songs will be in my car, or on my mp3 player, the morning that I go take

my TOEFL exam if I ________________________________________________________________________.


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Module C: “Uhhh” “Uhhh” is not a word in English.

If you say it once or twice (quickly!) in your 45- or 60-second response, the world will go on and you

can still get a nice speaking score.

If you’re saying it 4+ times in your responses, or if you say a long “uhhh”, then you must focus very

seriously on eliminating it from your speaking habits.

How does saying “uhh” affect your score?

It definitely affects your score in a negative way (because it’s a bad speaking habit everywhere – not

just on TOEFL).

Long and repeated use of “uhhh” in a response can get a score of 2, but probably not higher – this

means that the total speaking section score might not be above 18 – even if the speaker has a decent

understanding of the lecture or dialogue, or if the speaker has good ways to develop a personal

opinion.

Too much “uhh” is not good. Let me show you some reasons why:

The speaker says… … and the listener hears:

It’s uhh not a very nice place to go. It’s a not a very nice place to go.

Now there’s a Language Use error because the rater thinks

the speaker used an extra “a” after “It’s.”

I think uhhhhhh that living in

uhhhhh my town is uhhhh much

better than uhhhhh living in the

uhhhhhhh city because uhhhhh it’s

uhhhh easier to uhhhhh do lots of

uhhhh things.

The listener probably doesn’t hear much. It’s so difficult to listen

to lots of “uhhh” that the listener will probably forget what the

speaker is saying, and then the listener will start thinking about

different things.

Now there are Delivery and Topic Development problems

because the listener can’t remember what the speaker said.

There’s also a lot of wasted time. The speaker uses 12-15

seconds (each “uhh” eats half to one second) instead of 6-8

seconds.


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Do you want to hear what “uhhh” sounds like?

First…

Log into the website and find the audio file in Module C, “Uhhh”, Example 1. This is an original,

unedited, completely natural audio track from one of Jaime’s students.

She was responding to the prompt, “Some people don’t work in order to take care of their children at

home. Other people work and send their children to childcare. Which do you think is better, and

why?”

Listen to her response and answer the questions.

1. How many times does the speaker say “uhh?”

2. Don’t listen again – Do you remember the speaker’s examples and ideas?

3. How long is the speaker’s audio file?

Now…

Listen to the second audio file, Example 2. Jaime took the original audio track and used an editing

program on the computer to erase the “uhhh” sounds.

1. How many seconds shorter is Example 2 than Example 1?

2. Do you understand the speaker’s examples and ideas more easily now?

Do you have an uhh problem?

Listen to 5-7 of your speaking responses that you recorded recently. Do you have a problem with

“uhhh”? Don’t worry! There’s hope! Keep going on the next page and finish “The Anti-Uhh

Worksheet.”


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A Tip from Jaime

I record a lot of videos. Make sure you…

Turn on all the lights in the room or face a

window, so your face is recorded clearly.

Have clear audio. Don’t record with traffic.

Leave your video camera and speak how you

normally speak. Be free.

Module C: The Anti-Uhhh Worksheet Remember to be patient and persistent with yourself. It can take weeks or even months to change this

habit.

Record Yourself

Use your smartphone’s video camera or your computer’s webcam program to record yourself while

you speak responses for TOEFL prompts – it’s good to do three responses: one for personal opinions

(either Q1 or Q2), one for campus dialogues

(either Q3 or Q5) and one for academic

lectures (either Q4 or Q6).

Yes, my friend, make a video. An audio

recording is not enough for this problem.

Watching yourself will be much more

effective.

Save the files with names that are logical

and easy to remember. Put the video files in

your TOEFL practice folder. Don’t delete

them!

Analyze Yourself

It can be embarrassing to watch yourself on camera but don’t worry – you’re not going to share it with

anyone – and it will really help! Watch the videos and answer the following questions accurately!

In about one minute, I said “uhhh” ______ times when talking about my opinion.

In about one minute, I said “uhhh” ______ times when summarizing a campus dialogue.

In about one minute, I said “uhhh” ______ times when summarizing an academic lecture.

I think that I say “uhhhh” because ___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________.


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I think that I say “uhhhh” when I’m feeling ____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________.

At the same time that I say “uhhhh,” I also make some physical movements. Specifically, I

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________.

Next time, I will try to say “uhh” only ____ times instead of _______ times.

Real Strategies for Eliminating “Uhhh”

1. Remember that you’re not alone. Americans are trying to stop saying “uhhh”, too.

2. Instead of saying “uhhh” be quiet and let yourself think until you’re ready to speak.

3. Set a goal for yourself. “In this entire response, I can say “uhhh” three times. If I say “uhhh”

four times, then I must stop early and start again.”

4. Every week, record three videos and answer the same questions above. Keep your results and

track if there is progress. If you consistently lower the number of “uhhs” then it’s a good thing!

Keep going!

5. Talk more. If you say “uhhh” because you don’t have any ideas, then you need a lot more

speaking practice so that you are comfortable.

An Extra Thing to Consider

Do you say “uhhh”(or an equivalent) in your first language? If yes, ask your friends and family to

gently and lovingly remind you when you say “uhhh.”


46

Module D: Analysis of Jayda’s Task 1 This list goes with Module D, in the Analysis video for Task 1. Jayda answers the prompt: “Describe

changes in technology and explain the effect they have had on you.”

What are Jayda’s weaknesses in her first attempt at responding to Task 1?

After her first attempt, check the boxes of the following weaknesses. There is more than one!

The speaker probably didn’t take effective notes or started speaking without a clear idea.

The speaker doesn’t start on time.

The speaker sounds nervous – like she would rather die than speak English.

The speaker does not have a clear final sentence.

The speaker pauses too much.

The speaker does not have a clear introduction sentence.

The speaker has bad ideas. Facebook and English grammar are pointless topics that should not

be discussed on TOEFL.

The speaker doesn’t give specific examples.

The speaker repeats many phrases (knowledge; information; for example; “English grammar”)

For the answers, keep watching the video.

Module D: Analysis of Jayda’s Task 2 This list goes with Module D, in the Analysis video for Task 2. Jayda answers the prompt: “Do you

prefer friends who are similar to you or friends who are different?”

What are Jayda’s weaknesses in her first attempt at responding to Task 2?

After her first attempt, check the boxes of the following weaknesses. There is more than one!

The speaker probably didn’t take effective notes or started speaking without a clear idea.

The speaker makes too many generalizations about “you” or “us” but doesn’t mention anything

personal.

The speaker doesn’t have enough to talk about, and as a result, she ends too early.

For answers, keep watching the video.


47

Module D: Analysis of Abby, Mary and Nelly’s Tasks 3-6 If you watched all four videos with Abby, Mary and Nelly’s responses, then you saw Jaime’s

explanation of the ladies’ similarities and differences. Take notes about each speaker’s characteristics

for Delivery, Accuracy and Language Use. Finally, consider yourself.

Speaker-- Abby Score-- 24 Her characteristics include:

Speaker-- Mary Score-- 26 Her characteristics include:

Speaker-- Nelly Score-- 28 Her characteristics include:

Speaker – Me Score-- My characteristics should include:

How can I personally improve my speaking skills so that I sound more like ________ and get my desired TOEFL speaking score of ____?

Review Speaking Confidence Workbook pages 3 and 5 through 7.


48

Module D: Conclusions that Expand and Collapse Everyone I know who got 26+ finished at 44 or 59 seconds. Many of them had to practice the following

strategy. The following times are approximate – depending on the speaker and your level of comfort,

the time could change.

Ap

pro

xim

atel

y…

# o

f se

con

ds

dep

end

s o

n t

he

spea

ker

. P

leas

e re

mem

ber

th

at

pau

sin

g a

nd

sp

eak

ing

cle

arly

are

val

ued

! Task 3 Task 4 Task 5 Task 6

1 second

Yeah – that’s it!

3-5

seconds

… so that’s why the

guy disagrees.

… so that’s how

spiders are formed.

… so that’s what I

think s/he has to

do.

… so those are the

beliefs about trees.

5-7

seconds

… so that’s why the

guy disagrees with

the university’s plan

to change.

… so those 2 parts –

the antennae and the

torso – are how

spiders are different.

… and so because

of those reasons, I

think it’s better for

him/her to talk

with the dean.

… so because of

native people’s

beliefs, trees were

very special and

used for things like

that.

10-15

seconds

… so even though

the woman thinks

the university is

right for getting rid

of the building, the

guy just really

doesn’t think that

it’s ultimately

beneficial for the

school.

** Jaime doesn’t

recommend any

conclusion sentences

this long because if

you need to fill this

much time, then you

didn’t explain the

concepts in enough

detail. **

… so even though

it would be

possible for the

woman to talk to

her roommate

about the solution,

the advisor’s idea

about going to the

dean by herself

right now will be

faster.

** Jaime doesn’t

recommend any

conclusion

sentences this long

because if you need

to fill this much

time, then you

didn’t explain the

concepts in enough

detail. **


49

Exercise 1: Starting Easy

1. Read the sentences in the chart on page 48, word for word and time yourself for each.

2. Is your timing similar or different from what’s written on the chart? You might want to cross

out the numbers and write your own seconds – this could be a more useful reference for you.

3. Did you remember to pause and breath?

4. Can you think of any alternatives to what’s in the chart?

Exercise 2: Using Old Material

1. Find your notes for any recent Task 3, 4, 5 OR 6 that you completed. Review your notes.

2. Without any time limitations or stress, speak a conclusion sentence for that task (don’t forget to

time and record your voice). Listen to that recorded conclusion sentence. How many seconds is

it?

a. If it’s between 3-5 seconds, practice expanding it to both 5-7 and 10-15 seconds.

b. If it’s between 5-7 seconds, practice expanding it to 10-15 seconds, and collapsing it to 3-

5 seconds.

c. If it’s between 10-15 seconds, practice collapsing it to both 5-7 and 3-5 seconds.

3. Expanding: Now try expanding your conclusion sentence by adding some more information.

Time and record yourself. Are you happy with it?

4. Collapsing: Now try collapsing the conclusion sentence from Step 2 by cutting out some of the

details or using different words. Time and record yourself. After you listen to it, decide if you

should do it again, or if it’s good enough. **Tip! Sometimes writing out the sentence is easier

than speaking it if you’re really stuck about what to say. With practice, you won’t need to write

it anymore and the ideas will come to you more quickly.**

5. Follow steps 1-4 for any other notes and tasks that you already have in your notebook.

Exercise 3: Using New Material

1. Find new and fresh practice for tasks 3, 4, 5 or 6.

2. Complete the task completely and record your answer.

3. When you review your recording, focus on your conclusion sentence. Is it better than your

conclusion sentence in Exercise 1?

If it’s not better, review steps 1 through 4 in Exercise 2 for this. Contact Jaime if you’re still

really struggling with this.

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