Search results for 'tag:Conversations tag:TOEFL' matching tags 'Conversations' and 'TOEFL'

I would appreciate if you take a look at my reference letter

zink — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:51:10 GMT

Hello !
I am new to this forum and I have discovered it when I was looking for formal letter samples. I want to apply to a College in Denmark and I want to have a chance to be chosen, so I am requiring help from anyone that is kind enough to offer it. I would also like to use the experience of interacting with the users of this forum to get prepared for the English test (sort of TOEFL, but not exactly) that I am required to pass for that College.
This is my letter of reference that I wrote for my teacher to sign. (I know this practice isn't the right way, but my teacher was very busy, so he asked me to do so). I would appreciate if you could have a look at it and spot mistakes and unusual phrases, if there are any.

i have replaced - [me] = my name

~~begin~~

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing this letter as a recommendation for [me], a student at â[my school]â National College, in the quality of Teacher and Class Master at â[my school]â National College.

I have known [me] for almost four years, and in this time he has proven to be an extremely valuable student, with a great potential for learning, surpassing many other students.

In my opinion, during the time I spent with [me] in class, I can say I got to know him quite well. He has proven to me that he has an ample knowledge in the field of technology, being capable of operating a PC and virtually any software and device. The student [me] is, without doubt, one of the most valuable students to whom I teach. He has participated in programming school contests, as well as other contests, like Kangourou European Contest of Applied Mathematics in 2007 and the Siemens Join Multimedia design contest, in 2006.

As far as I can say, he is a very conscious student, one of his greatest qualities is the ability to associate and use new information, so that he finds it very easy to understand a bigger concept and get the essential picture. Moreover, I have noticed that [me] progressed since I had first met him, in the way that now he is more mature, more capable of making right decisions. He has now reached a high level of intelligence and awareness and I can fully state that he is ready to meet the intellectual requirements that are demanded by a college course.

[me] is a talented person, and very passionate when it comes to his ambitions. In a conversation we had a little time ago, I had learned that he is inclined toward computer designing, especially web sites. He had told me that he was studying diverse designing techniques and programming languages at home, so that one day he could be prepared for a job as a web designer.

However, despite the fact that [me] has focused on the field of technology and computers, he has a vast general knowledge and he is aware that by also studying other fields he could solve problems that are related to his choice field. He is a sociable person that accommodates in a group rather quickly, being able to handle teamwork efficiently. He knows when to listen and how, and he adapts his ideas to fit the project he is working on, therefore proving to be extremely flexible.

All things considered, I strongly believe that [me] is the right choice for the Multimedia Design and Communication courses within the [my choice] College. His redoubtable qualities and abilities, along with his great potential render [me] able to respond to elevated academic standards and even to outperform them, in order to pursue his career prospects. I am utterly convinced that this student could be a valuable addition to a prestigious academic center, such as your college.

Yours Faithfully,

~~end~~

Thank you for your time.
p.s. I will also post my motivation letter as soon as it's finished.

Do you recommend conversation courses?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:09:22 GMT

I don't have a problem in English at all (I did vey well in TOEFL), my problem is actually is SPEAKING in English. My vocabulary is quite good but sometimes when speaking I feel that words just run out of my mind.. and as a graduate student this is really embarrassing for me. I lack the courage to start a conversation and I find it difficult to express my opinion and thoughts in a long talk especially in front of many people.... a head-to-head conversaton is much easier. What makes it worse is that a considerable part of my study depends on giving presentations and seminars and imagine how tough it is in my case!! Moreover, my thesis defense is quite soon. So, my question is: are conversation courses beneficial in my case? Do you recommend them?

Waiting for replys.... thanks

"The Works"

Freedom1 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:28:45 GMT

Hi all,

Ok, here goes nothing.

I'm a non-native Eng. speaker, but have studied and lived for 20 years in Eng. speaking countries ( I have a native's fluency ).

I'd like to have as many TEFL qualifications as possible. I'm about to start an internet grammar course ( to prepare me for TESOL / CELTA ) while I'm waiting for my visa approval to Oz.

I really would like to have the best (and most) qualifications (courses/certificates/diplomas) out there that can be had in the next 6-8 months period ( it doesn't have to be in Oz).

I'm considering the idea of having "all what is being offered" out there ( from English courses to brush up my English, TESOL/CELTA, Young Learners' extention/s, Business English, CALL, One-on-One, International Exams preparations -preparing students to take TOEFL/TOIEC etc-, Conversation English, DELTA -if possible- or TESOL Diploma -but from a reputible organization/internationally recognized accreditation, ...etc, ...i.e. all that can be acquired in the next 6-8 -or even to 9 - months. I have about a year off from my work/regular life. I'd like to have all these qualification to help me teach English in Japan/Korea while I'm learning either Jap/Kor. next year. I believe having as many qualifications as possible would help to compensate the fact that I'm not a native English speaker, nor hold the passport of an English speaking country).

It's so far been impossible to find one reputable 'place' that provides all what I'm looking for ( ATTC in Australia looks promising, but not that "comprehensive" ).

All suggestions, thoughts, ideas, opinions are welcome.

What "solid" and recognized TEFL qualifications can I obtain in the next 6-8 ( or even - 10) months ( and preferable at the same institution/school ) ?

Thank you very much.....in advance.

Re: Page 1: Please answer the following questions...

Wanwo — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:01:40 GMT

Jackson6612 wrote:

1: The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test development organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Couldn't the above be written as:

The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test developing organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA?

No. The organization's business is 'professional test development'. You can't say developing in that context.

2: In the Writing section, students write in response to two questions. One question is about a reading passage and a lecture, and the other question is about a general topic.

Is reading being used as an adjective in the above sentence?
That's a good question. I think you might be right but I'm not sure. Sorry not much help here.

3: The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtained from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language came from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language was collected from textbooks and other course materials.

Couldn't the above be written as:

The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtains from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language come from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language is collected from textbooks and other course materials.
Change 'come' to 'comes' and yes, it can be re-written as you have done. What you are doing is putting it all in the present tense. But it may be better to express it in the past tense. A new TOEFL test has been created. It's finished. So how it was created concerns things that happened in the past.

Page 1: Please answer the following questions...

Jackson6612 — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 03:31:39 GMT

1: The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test development organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Couldn't the above sentence be written as:

The TOEFL is produced and administered by Educational Testing Service, a professional test developing organization in Princeton, New Jersey, USA?

2: In the Writing section, students write in response to two questions. One question is about a reading passage and a lecture, and the other question is about a general topic.

Is reading being used as an adjective in the above sentence?

3: The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtained from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language came from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language was collected from textbooks and other course materials.

Couldn't the above text be written as:

The content of the new TOEFL test reflects the language that is used in real academic settings. The content is based on a collection of spoken and written language that Educational Testing Service obtains from educational institutions throughout the United States. The spoken language come from lectures, class discussions, office hours, study groups, and service interactions such as conversations at the library. The written language is collected from textbooks and other course materials.

Re: CHILL OUT

Mister Micawber — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 07:50:14 GMT

It is not an essay, Steven, it's not a TOEFL test, y' know what I mean?-- I mean, it's just some performers talking, trying to chat with their audience, you know-- to make conversation, to chat them up and at the same time get them into the mood, get them feeling right for the kind of music they're going to hear, that the band hopes they're going to enjoy if they're laid back and chilled out, really grooving, you know?

Re: tenses

Tanit — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 07:37:29 GMT

Thank you, Tam, for the effort you made to try to let me understand this structure.

However ...

Tam Sadek wrote:

Perhaps this example using the Past Perfect/Past Simple will make it clearer. "We arrived late because our plane had been delayed" versus "We arrived late because our plane was delayed" Now most grammar books usually only accept the first sentence as being 'correct'. However, in speech there is nothing wrong with the second either as it is clear from the context (i.e. we are all standing at the airport, etc) that as we have just arrived, our plane must have been delayed before the 'arriving' part. These don't lend themselves to written English very well as of course without specific context there could be a misunderstanding.

The use of Past Simple instead of Past Perfect is quite common, explained also in many grammar books and usually accepted if the sequence is clear. I don't find anything wrong in it, but I don't think it can be applied to YL's first sentence (conditional sentences have their own rules, don't they?).

Tam Sadek wrote:

That's why although we use mixed conditionals frequently in contextualised speech face-to-face, when people write they'll revert to one of the standard written acceptable conditionals. Remember though that these four written forms do not convey the same connotation. Consider the following: Standard First Conditional: If she comes, I'll leave... Sounds fairly neutral and is not emotional charged. Alternate First Conditional: If she's coming, I'm leaving! Suddenly we have the feeling that the speaker is much more emotional and conveying a sense of annoyance or anger. Remember... It's all about context and that's why they're more frequent when there is context - i.e. a natural conversation rather than a decontextualised grammar activity. Hope that helps...

Does your sentence imply that mixed conditionals are unaccettable in standard written English? I don't think so! Some structures, such as the ones in my previous post:

If I had won the lottery, I would be rich

If I didn't trust her, I wouldn't have told her the whole story (*)

would be considered fine in English written tests (both Cambridge and TOEFL) and in formal academic writing (if we eliminate contractions in the second one).

Can I infer from your post that the original stentence:

If I knew Mary was coming, I would have gone to the the airport to welcome her

is ok for you only in colloquial speech, but ungrammatical and unaccettable in standard written English?

Any replies, comments, suggestions ... would be highly appreciated!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) Here Past Simple deoesn't replace Past Perfect! I told her the whole story because I trusted her and I still trust her.

Listenning test in TOEFL: Is there texts?

hasardeux — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 11:15:19 GMT

Hi,

I'm preparing the next session of TOEFL.

I have difficulties in Listening section. I have a lot of troubles in understanding conversations expressions due to my poor listening.

Could you give me some TOEFL links or ressources to audio conversations WITH their full texts.

Thank you very much

Re: How can I pass TOEFL test???

julielai — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 04:10:39 GMT

I took TOEFL for the first time when I was 18 without studying for it. I did fine.

I then spent more time listening to live English conversations before I retook the test. Difference: a whopping 30 points (and I was half asleep during the assessment).

Re: Which countries are the most successful E.Grammar users

Danyoo — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 01:50:55 GMT

Well actually this is a very good question.

It makes a tremendous amount of difference what your mother tongue is when it comes to your ability to pick up English, especially conversational English. For natives of the Far East region (Korea, Japan and probably China too), their language structures are so vastly different than English, it is a tremendous struggle to learn English as a second language. Whereas, some of the European countries speak languages with similar roots and grammar structure which make it much easier to learn English.

My parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was just 13 years of age from Korea so I had the advantage of being immersed in English language at a relatively early age -- but it was, and still is, a big strugle. Then when I was in high school (long long time ago mind you) I took two years of Spanish. And it was a cinch!!! Not that I aced it without studying...don't think I aced it at all...but my point is since I already was pretty fluent in English, learning Spanish was so much easier! I remember thinking "wow if I had to learn this language from Korean, what a mighty struggle it would be!!".

I am told the easiest language for a Korean to learn is Japanese and probably vice versa. And I know Spanish and Portugese is very similar.

Now as far as being grammatically correct....well that's another story. I have seen many a high school English teachers from Korea and China come to the U.S. and not be able to hold a casual conversation in a restaurant. Being able to read and write and score high in TOEFL is different than being able to converse.

Finally, I agree with previous posters....the key is to start early!!!! Kids have amazing ability to learn. Not only langauages, but sports, musical instruments, arts, etc. Well I tried my best...but now my kids are teenagers and...need I say more?!