It is an excerpt of my book-to-be about improving students’ TOEFL vocabulary mastery. Currently, I am developing a language program that helps my students get engaged in TOEFL vocabulary questions, especially about guessing meanings in context.

1. STUDY SKILL
Sometimes you can guess the meaning of a word from the words around it, that is, the context.
Identifying the part of speech also helps. Look at the example, rotate:
Hurricanes rotate anti-clockwise around an ‘eye’.
The word hurricanes helps you identify the part of speech.
1. What part of speech is rotate:
a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb?
The words anti-clockwise, around, help you guess the meaning.
2. What does rotate mean:
get bigger, move in a circle, rain a lot?
#Day5
Read this passage carefully.
Study problems – help is here
E-tutor
Re: What shouldIsay to mysister?
Hi,Meg. That’s a commoncomplaintbetween siblings. Why don’t you discuss a rota system so that
youuse the deskat differenttimes?Ormaybe youcouldstudy at the local library, cultural centre or
community centre a few days a week. Make sure you’ve got storage space for everything on your
desk:foldersandcontainersforyourpaper andstationery.If everything has its own place, it will be
easiertokeep orderly.Itmightevenbe enjoyable todothistogether.If it’seasiertowrite insteadof
talking face to face, try messaging her and explain how awful you feel.
Read the passage again carefully. Guess the meaning of the underlined words. First identify the
parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). Then choose meanings from the box to complete
the table.
depository as an alternative to ill
brother or sister fine neatly
No Vocabulary Part of Speech Meaning Sentence
1 sibling That’s a common complaint between
siblings.
2 storage you’ve got storage space for everything
on your desk: folders and containers for
your paper and stationery. If everything
has its own place,it will be easiertokeep
orderly.
3 orderly If everything has its own place, it will be
easier to keep orderly.
4 instead of If it’s easier to write instead of talking
face to face,
5 awful