TOEIC Booster / Keep prepositions in your bag of tricks
Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz Special to The Daily Yomiuri
In the last Booster column (Sept. 21), we looked at the TOEFL test. This week, we turn to the new TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests. In particular, we will look at the second part of the Speaking Test, which asks test-takers to describe a photograph. We will examine the usefulness of prepositional phrases to describe the location of items in the photograph. In the TOEIC Speaking test, examinees see a photograph. They have 45 seconds to describe the picture. Their description should be as detailed as possible. It may refer to any pictured items or activities, or it may make reasonable inferences about related objects and events. Let's look at an example description of a photograph.
[Photo] There's a room in the photograph with a few big round tables. There are several chairs around each table, and a couple of people sitting at each table. The people are concentrating on various activities. It looks like most of them are reading some papers. on the table pictured in the front of the photograph, there's a bottle of water and a laptop computer, or maybe a briefcase. on the left side of the room, there are big windows. It looks like there's a door near the back of the room, with somebody entering it from the outside. There's another door at the back of the room, but it looks like it goes to a closet.
This description of the photograph offers a fairly complete and accurate description. In addition, the sentences show a good variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary--import!ant for scoring high in this section of the test.
One element in particular that contributes to the variety and fullness of this TOEIC speaking response is its accurate use of prepositions of location. In the sample response, there are nine such prepositions--underlined for ease of reference: in (2), around, at, on (2), near, from and at.
Virtually every TOEIC photograph allows for description with prepositions such as these. Such prepositions fall roughly into two categories. The first category situates objects within the photograph itself. For instance, in the sample response there are two examples of prepositional phrases that orient objects vis-a-vis the photo itself: 1) There's a room in the photograph, and 2) on the table pictured in the front of the photograph.
The second group of prepositions indicates the location of objects in relation to other objects in the photograph. In the sample response, there are multiple examples of such prepositions, including around each table, at each table, and on the left side of the room.
The number of potential sentences that can be generated to describe the location of objects in a pictured scene is virtually unlimited. As further examples from the photo, a description may refer to the plant in the back of the room, the chairs stacked in the corner, the ceiling lights, the relationship of the windows to the tables, and the edge of the floor.
In addition to the huge variety of sentences that can be generated to describe the position of objects in a photograph, producing such sentences is a fairly easy task for students of English. In this sense, these sentences can be considered a relatively straightforward and safe way to explain what is pictured in a TOEIC photograph. Considering these factors, test-takers should consider them a prime part of their arsenal in describing photographs during the TOEIC Speaking Test.
As such, takers of the TOEIC Speaking Test should prepare themselves to take advantage of the opportunity presented by prepositions of location. They can do this in a variety of ways, including through traditional, written study. Better yet, test-takers can practice looking at TOEIC-like photographs and describing them aloud, using prepositional phrases to portray what they see. For this purpose, keep in mind that TOEIC photographs are similar to many of the common photographs that you might see in family photo albums, newspapers or magazines, or in textbooks. That is, they frequently depict common daily themes such as leisure activities, dining, health, household, shopping, travel, and street scenes.
While describing objects with prepositions of location may seem a rather low-level indicator of English ability, such descriptions are typical of daily, conversational English. In this regard, they are both expected and normal in this section of the TOEIC Speaking test. In other words, test-takers need not be concerned by the relative ease of such natural daily speech.
Prepositions of location make an excellent tool in any TOEIC-taker's stock set of descriptions for most TOEIC photographs. Considering their ease of use, and considering that virtually any photograph can be described in part with prepositions of location, test-takers should be ready to capitalize on them as they contribute to the healthy variety of structures that help test-takers to demonstrating their speaking agility in the TOEIC Speaking Test.
Note: The TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests are separate from the TOEIC test, which tests only reading and listening.
The next Booster column will feature the TOEFL test. If you have questions or comments about the TOEIC test or about this column, please e-mail Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz at dy-edu@yomiuri.com.
Stafford-Yilmaz is a former TOEIC test-question writer. She has taught TOEIC courses in Japan and in the United States. She is also the author of several English textbooks.
(Oct. 11, 2007)
Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz Special to The Daily Yomiuri
In the last Booster column (Sept. 21), we looked at the TOEFL test. This week, we turn to the new TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests. In particular, we will look at the second part of the Speaking Test, which asks test-takers to describe a photograph. We will examine the usefulness of prepositional phrases to describe the location of items in the photograph. In the TOEIC Speaking test, examinees see a photograph. They have 45 seconds to describe the picture. Their description should be as detailed as possible. It may refer to any pictured items or activities, or it may make reasonable inferences about related objects and events. Let's look at an example description of a photograph.
[Photo] There's a room in the photograph with a few big round tables. There are several chairs around each table, and a couple of people sitting at each table. The people are concentrating on various activities. It looks like most of them are reading some papers. on the table pictured in the front of the photograph, there's a bottle of water and a laptop computer, or maybe a briefcase. on the left side of the room, there are big windows. It looks like there's a door near the back of the room, with somebody entering it from the outside. There's another door at the back of the room, but it looks like it goes to a closet.
This description of the photograph offers a fairly complete and accurate description. In addition, the sentences show a good variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary--import!ant for scoring high in this section of the test.
One element in particular that contributes to the variety and fullness of this TOEIC speaking response is its accurate use of prepositions of location. In the sample response, there are nine such prepositions--underlined for ease of reference: in (2), around, at, on (2), near, from and at.
Virtually every TOEIC photograph allows for description with prepositions such as these. Such prepositions fall roughly into two categories. The first category situates objects within the photograph itself. For instance, in the sample response there are two examples of prepositional phrases that orient objects vis-a-vis the photo itself: 1) There's a room in the photograph, and 2) on the table pictured in the front of the photograph.
The second group of prepositions indicates the location of objects in relation to other objects in the photograph. In the sample response, there are multiple examples of such prepositions, including around each table, at each table, and on the left side of the room.
The number of potential sentences that can be generated to describe the location of objects in a pictured scene is virtually unlimited. As further examples from the photo, a description may refer to the plant in the back of the room, the chairs stacked in the corner, the ceiling lights, the relationship of the windows to the tables, and the edge of the floor.
In addition to the huge variety of sentences that can be generated to describe the position of objects in a photograph, producing such sentences is a fairly easy task for students of English. In this sense, these sentences can be considered a relatively straightforward and safe way to explain what is pictured in a TOEIC photograph. Considering these factors, test-takers should consider them a prime part of their arsenal in describing photographs during the TOEIC Speaking Test.
As such, takers of the TOEIC Speaking Test should prepare themselves to take advantage of the opportunity presented by prepositions of location. They can do this in a variety of ways, including through traditional, written study. Better yet, test-takers can practice looking at TOEIC-like photographs and describing them aloud, using prepositional phrases to portray what they see. For this purpose, keep in mind that TOEIC photographs are similar to many of the common photographs that you might see in family photo albums, newspapers or magazines, or in textbooks. That is, they frequently depict common daily themes such as leisure activities, dining, health, household, shopping, travel, and street scenes.
While describing objects with prepositions of location may seem a rather low-level indicator of English ability, such descriptions are typical of daily, conversational English. In this regard, they are both expected and normal in this section of the TOEIC Speaking test. In other words, test-takers need not be concerned by the relative ease of such natural daily speech.
Prepositions of location make an excellent tool in any TOEIC-taker's stock set of descriptions for most TOEIC photographs. Considering their ease of use, and considering that virtually any photograph can be described in part with prepositions of location, test-takers should be ready to capitalize on them as they contribute to the healthy variety of structures that help test-takers to demonstrating their speaking agility in the TOEIC Speaking Test.
Note: The TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests are separate from the TOEIC test, which tests only reading and listening.
The next Booster column will feature the TOEFL test. If you have questions or comments about the TOEIC test or about this column, please e-mail Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz at dy-edu@yomiuri.com.
Stafford-Yilmaz is a former TOEIC test-question writer. She has taught TOEIC courses in Japan and in the United States. She is also the author of several English textbooks.
(Oct. 11, 2007)