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TOEFL

Learning to write – in English

09.06.2010

Is there any difference between writing in your language and English? The answer is “no and yes.” If you can get your ideas from your mind into someone else’s mind clearly, quickly, and economically when you write in your language, that will help you when you write in English. However, there are some differences that make writing in English different than writing in other languages.

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Learning to write – almost anything

08.31.2010

Xurxo knows the secret of learning to write. When I read one of his essays and asked him where he learned to write so well, he said, “Reading New York Times essays.” The secret to learning to write is fairly simple – if you want to write essays, read essays. In other words, read the kind of thing you want to write.

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Learning to write – introduction

08.17.2010

Jazz musician Paul Desmond once said that “Writing is like jazz. It can be learned, but it can’t be taught.” Desmond understood something very important about writing: good writing doesn’t come from direct instruction. And the writers, writing teachers, and language specialists I know agree. If you want to learn where good writing comes from and how to write better, be sure to read all of the Learning to write articles.

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Better English for medical – and other – students and professionals

07.14.2010

When you use what you learned in your first language to make English more comprehensible, or understandable, you improve your ability to acquire more English. Stanford University just made that easier for medical students and professionals. And even if you’re not in medicine, you can learn how to use what you already know in your area of study or work to improve your English.

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Spotlight – great ideas and academic English delivered to your desktop.

07.10.2010

The best way to improve your writing and speaking is to read good writers and listen to good speakers! Today I’d like to spotlight three great reading and listening sources for more advanced English learners. All three of them contain a lot of academic English. And all three of them provide RSS feeds so you can feast on more great ideas and good English every time they add something new.

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Doing your TOEFL homework

07.06.2010

“Doing your homework” is a phrase we occasionally use informally to refer to due diligence, the careful research that someone does before signing a legal or financial document or making a big decision. Many students don’t do their TOEFL homework, or they let other people do it for them. As a result they’re not prepared to take the TOEFL because they don’t have the information they need or worse, they have the wrong information.

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A feast of academic English

06.11.2010

The word feast can be used several ways. Today I’m using it to describe a book – Writing to Learn – by William Zinsser. Writing to Learn is a feast because it contains a generous supply of enjoyable academic English. If you want to improve your academic English, it’s a good place to start.

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Rethinking the TOEFL

04.29.2010

Every year I speak to dozens of students who need to take the TOEFL. And when I do, I always come to the conclusion that fresh thinking is needed about the TOEFL and how to prepare for it.

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How to learn something (including academic English) for nothing

04.19.2010

The most important thing TOEFL test-takers can do to prepare for the test is to build their academic English by reading and listening; it will affect all aspects of their English – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This article describes new sources of good academic English for reading and listening.

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Don’t wait! to prepare for the TOEFL

02.04.2010

Preparation for the TOEFL – language ability, academic skills, and test-taking skills – takes time. Don’t wait! Begin now.

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Bite-sized academic English

01.20.2010

If you want to become familiar with academic English, now you can – 5 minutes, or even 60-seconds, at a time!

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Prepare for the TOEFL at iTunes U

12.31.2009

Students who take the TOEFL need to be familiar with academic English. There’s no better place to find academic English than iTunes U!

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