Hi,
I have a question , this expression (crack under pressure) does it mean fail or just you just under stress
the other one (I am screwed) i know the meaning is to be in problems but what the difference between it and ( screwed up )and (messed up)
Hi Sarah. Crack under pressure does mean to fail at a time of intense stress.
“I am screwed” means “I am in big trouble” or “I am sure to fail”. “Screwed up” and “messed up” are synonyms. “I am screwed” borders on impolite language, so I would only use it among friends. “Screwed up” is still a bit informal, but not really impolite at all.
It seems like every essay I read contains at least one “very good”. I would say this is not very good! Situations like these are an excellent, exceptional, tremendous time to show your vocabulary (or at least vocabulary memorization) skills. Try to learn a few synonyms for very good and use them in your writing. Here are a few to get you started, maybe we can all add to the list.
Excellent
Exceptional
Wonderful
Fantastic
Tremendous
Superb
First-rate
Top-notch
Superior
Outstanding
Exemplary
Phenomenal
Stupendous
Outstanding suggestion for all the toefl writers.
Thanks.
Here is another “tip of the day”. I see many TOEFL students try to make plurals out of words which are always (or almost always) singular. The following words are almost always singular - please add more to the list if you can think of any! If you want to make one of these plural, use “types of”, “pieces of” or something similar before the noun. I have written some examples below.
research “research projects”
education “educational methods”
advice “pieces of advice”
training “training regimens”
insurance “types of insurance”
knowledge “pieces of knowledge”
work (except for “works of art”)
infrastructure “types of infrastructure”
satisfaction “methods of satisfaction”
immigration “waves of immigration”
homework “homework assignments”
information “pieces of information”
equipment “pieces of equipment”
fame “types of fame”
schoolwork “schoolwork assignments”
housework “housework tasks”
understanding “ways of understanding”
Hi, in checking TOEFL essays I sometimes have to tell the writers to use more formal language. The graders will mark you down for using informal words and slang like “gonna”, “cool”, “dude”, and so on. At the same time, you may get more points for substituting a more formal word for an informal one. I came across this informative chart which may help you choose more formal synonyms over informal ones. Feel free to add your own suggestions to this thread and I will expand the list.
Formal…Informal
Inform me …Let me know
Cancel…Drop
Contact…Get in touch
Obtain…Get
Apologise…Say sorry
Postpone…Delay
Request…Ask for
Compensate…Make up
Establish…Set up
Discover…Find out
Handle…Deal with
Investigate…Check up on
Tolerate…Put up with
Increase…Go up
Children…Kids
Many / Much…A lot of
Many / Much…Heaps of
**** modified to make the chart easier to read ****
Here is another “tip of the day”. I see many TOEFL students try to make plurals out of words which are always (or almost always) singular. The following words are almost always singular - please add more to the list if you can think of any! If you want to make one of these plural, use “types of”, “pieces of” or something similar before the noun. I have written some examples below.
Always singular word …How to make it “plural”
research…“research projects”
education…“educational methods”
advice…“pieces of advice”
training…“training regimens”
insurance…“types of insurance”
knowledge…“pieces of knowledge”
work (except for “works of art”)…“types of work”
infrastructure…“types of infrastructure”
satisfaction…“methods of satisfaction”
immigration…“waves of immigration”
homework …“homework assignments”
information…“pieces of information”
equipment…“pieces of equipment”
fame…“types of fame”
schoolwork…“schoolwork assignments”
housework…“housework tasks”
understanding…“ways of understanding”
Hi, here is a very informative article about creating better thesis statements. The thesis is probably the most important part of TOEFL essays and provides a “roadmap” for the reader - in this case the grader. So make sure to give your grader a good map! One warning, the writer says you can put the thesis statement anywhere in the essay, but the TOEFL graders are looking for it at the end of the introduction, so make sure to put it there.
Hi luschen,
I raelly apperciate your help , thank you
Hi, I came across two good sources to practice your English reading:
National Geographic: ngm.nationalgeographic.com/
Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/
These are both free and have very interesting articles. The reading level is challenging, but you will pick up some good vocabulary to use on your test. In addition, you may learn some valuable information and expand your horizons, both of which are always useful when writing essays.
Thank you, I’m reading it.
Hi, here’s my tip of the day.
Transitions are very important to show development of your ideas in your essays. Without them an essay becomes just a list of reasons and examples. Transitions for beginning each paragraph are pretty easy. My favorite group of them is
First, …
In addition …
Finally …
In conclusion …
This set will get you a long way. But transitions are also important within a paragraph to move the reader through your various reasons and examples. I saw this list on another website and thought I would post it here. Many of the transitions have examples to show you how they are used. There are two more lists I will post in the next couple days.
Addition
in addition
In addition, I would like to point out that my neighbor is disturbing me late at night.
and similarly
Your life will change forever and similarly, your whole family will feel the change.
likewise
Some people have little time for a hobby, and likewise have little will to get one.
as well as
Beauty, as well as intelligence, is a remarkable quality
besides
We aren’t friends. Besides, I don’t feel it’s my place to set him straight.
furthermore
Computers are getting faster and faster these days; furthermore, their cost is getting lower and lower.
also
moreover
I’ve wanting a change for a long time, moreover, I feel I deserve one.
and then too
not only … but also
Not only is this product good for your hair, but also for the whole body.
Sequence
first(ly) initially
Initially, you should start putting a plan together.
second(ly)
to begin with
To begin with, you will need to commit a portion of your time to studying.
then
next
earlier/later
Later on there comes a stage when your skills are put to the test.
after this/that
following this/that
Consequence
as a result
I studied well and as a result, I got a high score.
thus
so
therefore
I was younger and therefore, less experienced.
consequently
it follows that
thereby
I upset my friend, thereby causing her pain.
eventually
then in that case
admittedly
Admittedly, I was not the smartest person in the class.
Contrast
however
The book is expensive, however it’s worth it.
on the other hand
She says she feels fine, on the other hand, her face is pale and she doesn’t look healthy.
despite
in spite of
In spite of the difficulties, the task was completed.
though
He still insists, though he knows that won’t do any good.
although
but
on the contrary
The music didn’t lift her spirits, on the contrary, it made her feel weak and vulnerable again.
otherwise
yet instead of
He felt unwelcome, yet instead of leaving, he stayed.
rather
Eggs for breakfast is not a good idea; I would rather have some toast.
whereas
He was her true love, whereas for him she was just another girlfriend.
nonetheless
While they didn’t trust each other, nonetheless they worked together for many years.
even though
compared with
in contrast
alternatively
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It’s fantastic!
Thank you.
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Hi Guys,
I’m also having exam this month on April 20th.I really need help in writing section.I also want to be in this group.I’ll be posting essays here.plz help me.
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Hi Luschen,
I’m having toefl exam on April 20th.I really need help in writing section.I’ll be posting essays here.I’d appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Siri.
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OK Siri, I will keep an eye out for them.
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Hi, here are more good transition phrases to use in your essays:
Certainty
obviously
I was very disappointed, obviously because my expectations were too high.
certainly
I will certainly let her know your opinion.
plainly
You are plainly wrong
of course
undoubtedly
She is undoubtedly very beautiful
Condition
if
unless
I won’t be able to meet you, unless we schedule it in the morning.
whether
Whether you like it or not, this is the truth.
provided that
I can guarantee a good result, provided that you study.
so that
I can send you the documents so that you would have proof.
depending on
We can have a picnic this weekend, depending on the weather.
Summary
in conclusion
in summary
lastly
finally
to sum up
To sum up, I strongly support the efforts of our society to help the environment.
to conclude
to recapitulate
in short
Examples
for instance
There are many schools in many countries you could go to study to, for instance the schools in London or Birmingham.
one example
One example of how to get better in cooking would be to start reading recipes.
for example
just as
I wanted to be home already just as a thirsty man in the desert wants water.
in particular
I am referring to my exams, in particular, IELTS and TOEFL.
such as
namely
My friends, namely Andy and Cindy, have told me about this new exhibition in the city.
to illustrate
Reason
since
Since you ask, I’d like to tell you my story
because (of)
due to
Due to illness of the teacher, this lecture is canceled.
owing to
the reason why
in other words
leads to
This assumption leads us to believe that …
cause
The cause of this unfortunate accident was…
Time
before
since
Since 2005 I have been working in …
as
until
Until now I wasn’t able to find anything like it.
meanwhile
Meanwhile, I would like to ask for your patience.
at the moment
At the moment I am experiencing financial difficulties.
when
whenever
Whenever I call him, he appears to be very busy.
as soon as
just as
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This is a great method of studying to improve writing , thumbs up 
I would like to ask Luschen : " There some sentences are used ‘are’ , but some sentences are used ‘is’ " ?
There are a lot of reasons.
There are many reasons.
There are numerous reasons.
There is a plenitude of reasons.
There is a plethora of reasons.
There are dozens of reasons.
There are various reasons.
There are innumerable reasons.
There are manifold reasons.
There are copious reasons.
There is an abundance of reasons.
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Hi Thein Vo - that is an excellent question - the problem is that I think I made a mistake saying “There are a lot of reasons.” We are talking about one singular lot, one group, so we should use “is”. In common speech, many people say “are” in this situation, but it is more correct to say “is”:
There is a lot of reasons.
There is a multitude of reasons
There is a plethora of reasons.
There is an abundance of reasons.
Notice though it is correct to say:
There are lots of reasons.
There are dozens of reasons.
There are reasons.
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Thank you , Luschen , for your answer . Sorry but I still got confuse !?!?
There is a lot of reasons .
There are lots of reasons .
Why the first sentence uses “is” and the second uses “are” meanwhile both sentences use reasons ( is a plural right!) ?
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