TOEIC PREP <B2

EMLV 4TH YEAR ALTERNANCE

FCG –DRH-MSID MAEMLV4AA121
DMDA-NMA  MAEMLV4AB121

Class 2
 Part 5 of the TOEIC in depth.
This part of the reading test is essentially  testing vocabulary and grammar
through 30 multiple choice gap fill questions. Working on parts of speech ,
word forms, pronouns, words that look alike, words with similar meanings,
choosing gerunds and infinitives correctly as well as improving your
knowledge of suffixes and prefixes will help you improve your score in this
part of the TOEIC test .

TOEIC preparation – Reading part 5

 TIPS AND TRICKS

1. The 2-pass method

2. The 3 Is: Investigate, Interpret, Implement
3. Using your time wisely

TOEIC PREP FOR STUDENTS

WITHOUT B2 LEVEL
Test tactic: The 2-pass method

The 2-pass method is a way to help you use your time more effectively.
Go through the questions twice. On the first pass, quickly answer the
easy questions. On the second pass, go back and spend a bit more
time on the more challenging questions. In total, spend no more than
about 30 seconds on a question.  The following exercise helps you
practice the 2-pass method.

TOEIC TIPS AND TRICKS

First pass: Answer the easy questions – 1:00 minute (maximum 10 seconds per question)

Take one minute to read the six sentences below. Choose the best answer to each one. If you don't know the answer within
10 seconds, move on to the next question.

1.  Don't stop here! Keep  …..... until you get to the department store.
(A) driving          (B) to drive         (C) drive             (D) driven

2. Mercury Airlines is a very large ….. , we employ more than 35,000 people worldwide.
(A) society         (B) association    (C) company     (D) agency

3. Umbrella sales rose ….. 50% last month.

(A) to                 (B) by                (C) at                 (D) from

4. That was the …... movie I have ever been to! It was so boring.
(A) worse           (B) worst           (C) good            (D) better  

5. …. she sent in her application form after the deadline, she got the job.
(A) Also             (B) Although      (C) Despite      (D) In spite of   

6.  During the trial last week, the defendant John Harrison flatly denied ….. his neighbour when asked by the prosecutor.
(A) murdering    (B) murdered     (C) to murder   (D) murders   

Second pass: Answer the challenging questions – maximum 20 seconds per question

Go back and answer the questions you didn't answer on the first pass. If you don't know the answer within 20 seconds,
guess and move on. Answer as quickly as possible, but don't leave any questions unanswered.

     
Test tactic: The 3 Is – Investigate, Interpret, Implement

Use the 3 Is method to make the best choice between the four propositions. 

Example: I saw an amazing movie last night and I ….. enjoyed it!

The sentence is correct, there is just something missing, but what?

By using the first of the 3 Is, Investigate, we see that the missing word is in front of the verb, which will
modify it. And what can modify a verb? An adverb, of course! Use the second of the 3 Is, Interpret, to look
for the adverb the most logical. Finally, use the third of the 3 Is, Implement, and give the correct answer.

Answer choices: (A) unhappily  (B) happy  (C) really  (D) joy

The four propositions are of three different word forms: 2 adverbs (unhappily and really), an adjective
(happy) and a noun (joy). The noun and adjective are the distractors and can be eliminated immediately.

In order to choose the correct adverb, we must remember that English is a very contextual language and we
need to take into account the tone of the sentence. It is obvious that the film and the experience were
pleasurable, so we are looking for an adverb with a positive meaning: really (C ) is therefore the only one
which fits.

TOEIC TIPS AND TRICKS

 Using your time wisely
Don't waste time on questions you don't know 

Spending more than 30 seconds on a Part 5 question probably won't help you find the answer. If you don't
know the answer, guess and move on.

Manage your time wisely

Answer the easy questions first, very quickly. After you have answered all the easy ones come back and
spend a maximum of 20 seconds each on the rest.

Try to predict answers

On the first pass, try to think of possible answers before you look at the answer choices.

First decide what part of speech is needed

Recognizing the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) that is needed to fill the blank can help you to
choose the correct answer and will gain you precious time in the test.

TOEIC TIPS AND TRICKS

 Studying the elements of a sentence
By identifying the elements of a sentence, even if you don't know the meaning of the missing word, and by
examining the context and the structure of the sentence, you can deduce the correct answer and move on
rapidly to the next question.

What are we looking for?

A noun?  It is a person, a place or an object – the policeman, my office, the dishwasher …

A verb ? It is used to describe an action, a state or an event – to walk, to sleep, to negotiate ...

An adjective ? It modifies the noun – the fat cat, the boring report, a lucrative deal …

An adverb ? It modifies the verb, the adjective , another adverb – Alice is very excited about the concert. /
Mr. Wilson is really generous. / I am so very sorry that I broke your table …

PARTS OF SPEECH
Find the missing element in the sentences below: write "adjective", "noun", "verb" or "adverb".

1. Our clients found the presentation very … ( …...............................).

2. My colleagues were very clear with their … (….............................) over management's recent decision.

3. When Michael was away in Africa on business, he … (…..............................) Jane every chance he had.

4. The committee ruled that the various law enforcement agencies need … (….............................) various security …
(…........................) at all border crossings and airports.

5. Mary Lou was not … (….................................) thrilled with her … (…................................).

6. All of the children in Mrs. Guyot's class were excited when they saw the … (….............................) cake on the table as
they came in from recess.

7. Mrs. Tate … (….........................) to interview the new … (….......................) a second time so that she can put together a
really … (…................................) team for the Miami office.

8. Following a … (….....................) second and third … (…..........................), we have decided to give bonuses to all …-time
(…..............................) employees. Thank you all for your … (…...........................) work that made this a momentous year!    
After having found the missing elements in the previous exercise, complete the sentences with
the correct word among those proposed in brackets.

1. Our clients found the presentation very …..................... (boredom/ bored / boring).

2. My colleagues were very clear with their …................ (excitement / excite / excited)  over management's recent decision.

3. When Michael was away in Africa on business, he ...................... (writings / wrote / written)  Jane every chance he had.

4. The committee ruled that the various law enforcement agencies need ......................  (enforcement / to enforce / enforced /
enforceable) various security ................. (measures / measured / measure) at all border crossings and airports.

5. Mary Lou was not .................. (vision / viewed / visibly)  thrilled with her .................. (presents / presented / presently).

6. All of the children in Mrs. Guyot's class were excited when they saw the …............... (amaze / amazingly / amazing) cake
on the table as they came in from recess.

7. Mrs. Tate .............. (desire / desires / desirable) to interview the new .............. (employ / employed / employees) a second
time so that she can put together a really ................. (favor / favorably / favorable) team for the Miami office.

8. Following a .............. (fantasy / fantasize / fantastic)  second and third ........... (quartered / quarters / quarterly), we have
decided to give bonuses to all  ........... (filled / full / fully)-time employees. Thank you all for your ................ (wonder :
wonderfully / wonderful) work that made this a momentous year!     
Use the key-words to find the verbs

You must always look at the context of the sentence to find the key-words which will enable you to find
the correct answer. Terms like yesterday or so far can determine the verb that you must choose.

1. Benjamin …............... to the library yesterday.

(A) swam     (B) needs to go   (C) has been   (D) went

2. Sharon ….... in that apartment since 2010.

(A) is living    (B) has lived      (C) lived       (D) will live

3. Roxanne …..... to New York several times each year.

(A) goes       (B) will go          (C) is going    (D) has been

The key-words and the tenses that they use  

Future simple: tomorrow, next week, soon …

Present simple: every day, each month, usually, always, sometimes, rarely …

Present continuous: now, at the moment, currently, this month, this year, tomorrow …

Present perfect: just, already, yet, ever, never, once, twice, several times, always, by now, up to now, so far, before, for an
hour, for a week, for a long time, for five years, in years, since, lately, recently …

Past simple: yesterday, ago, 3 weeks ago, last week, a long time ago …

Past continous: while, when, at 5 o'clock yesterday ...

 Choosing gerunds and infinitives correctly
Test tips 
Look at the verbs in gerund/infinitive questions. If the answer choices include both gerunds and infinitives, look at
the verb in the question to help you decide which is correct.

Learn to recognize gerunds and infinitives. Familiarize yourself with common phrases that include gerunds and
infinitives. As you take the test, say the phrases silently to yourself, and try to hear which ones sound wrong. Avoid
these choices. 

Avoiding confusion between the two. 

Often, we may see two sentences like these: Dennis stopped to smoke and Dennis stopped smoking.  
What is the difference between these two sentences? Both are grammatically correct but with a slight change in form.
However, they have completely different meanings.

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

The gerund
Dennis stopped smoking signifie que Dennis a arrêté de fumer (il a cessé l'habitude de fumer)

The verbs in –ing (gerund) act as nouns and serve as an action or activity

Examples:
Lawrence loves gardening. Andrew and Laura go dancing every Tuesday. Donald has not denied meeting the lawyer.

Many verbs are followed by the gerund: to finish, to imagine, to suggest, to put off, to involve, to give up, to dislike …

Examples:
We look forward to seeing you this summer.
As a rule, I dislike gossiping and talking bad about other people.
When you finish doing your homework, you can go play video games.
If you're ever in New York, I recommend eating at Chez Rémi. The food is amazing!

Verbs in the infinitive with "to"

Dennis stopped to smoke indique que Dennis a arrêté son activité pour fumer une cigarette.

In this form, the preposition "to" indiquates either the aim or intention or demonstrates that the event will happen in the future.
Intention: They agreed to meet with the neighbour to discuss the fence/ I need you to finish the project by the deadline.
Future: I've arranged for a car to come tomorrow / Fred promises to join a sport club in the New Year.

Many verbs are followed by to: to afford, to agree, to begin, to choose, to learn, to promise, to refuse …

Examples:
We demand to have a meeting with the union about the new contract.
He just pretends to do his work.
The company plans to lay off 10,000 employees in the next eighteen months.
Concrete noun suffixation
In teams of four or five, complete the following five exercises on noun suffixation. The team with the most correct answers within the
given time is the winner. You must not use any technology. In exercises 1 and 2 there is sometimes more than one answer possible
for some questions. Mark your answers on a sheet of paper with your team name, to give to your  teacher when the time is up.
Recommeded time 30 minutes maximum.

1. Form nouns by adding a suitable suffix or suffixes.

Suffixes              ee           er           ess            ling          ist           ant         ese         or         ings           ment
1. Japan
2. violin
3. inhabit
4. employ
5. act
6. appoint 
7. pay
8. hire
9. earn
10. embody

2. Form nouns from the verbs by adding a suffix. Sometimes there is more than one possible answer.

1. roast       2. inform      3. employ     4. lubricate     5. compute       6. inhabit       7. appoint      8. survive     9. sing      10. Wed

3. Match up the following with their synonyms below

an animal in its second year         apothecary          mediator         supporter           walker            warning             waste

1. excrements     2. premonition    3. arbitrator    4. pedestrian      5. pharmacist      6. partisan      7. yearling

Concrete noun suffixation

4. Find the definition. Use the suffix provided to help you.

1. one who makes excessive profits on goods in short supply …............................................................... EER
2. a small book usually having a paper cover                           …............................................................... LET
3. a person who works only for money                                      …...............................................................LING
4. one who plays games                                                            …...............................................................STER
5. a device for deadening the report of a firearm                       …...............................................................ER
6. an apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially               …...............................................................OR
7. a person who is nominated for a job                                      …...............................................................EE
8. a stupid, insensitive person                                                    …...............................................................ARD
9. a person who stuffs animals                                                   …...............................................................IST
10. One who opposes technical or technological change           …...............................................................ITE

5. Do the following words correspond to a person (P) or an object (O)? Mark P or O next to the words.

1. a cleaner                                                                               
2. a cooker                                                            
3. a disc-player                                                    
4. a drinker                                                           
5. a hoover                                                            
6. a rider                                                                                
7. a smoker
8. a typewriter
9. a ladder
10. a furniture restorer  
Prefixes
un- (not) (non) unable, uncover, undo, unequal, unfair, unhappy, unkind, unlock…

re- (again) (encore) reappear, rearrange, recount, redo, refill, refresh, reheat, replay, retell …

in-, im-, il-, ir- (not) (pas) impatient, imperfect, impolite, impossible, impure, inactive, incomplete,
immovable, independent, invisible, illiterate, illogical, irregular, irreverent,
irreplacable …
dis- (not) (pas) disagree, disappear, disconnect, dishonest, dislike, disobey, disorder, disown,
distrust …
en-, em- (put into) enjoy, endure, enrage …
(mettre en action)
non- (not) (non) nonverbal, nonsense, nonstop …

in-, im- (in) (engager) incorporate, influx, import …

over- (excessive) overdue, overboard, overburden, overact, overcrowd, overlook, overpass …

mis- (bad) (mal) misbehave, misinform, misjudge, mislead, misplace, misfit …

sub- (below) (sous) subconscious, subway, sub-zero, submarine …

Prefixes
pre- (before) (avant) predict, predate, predetermine, preoccupy …

inter- (between) (entre) interact, interchange, interstate …

fore- (earlier) (avant) forefather, foreknowledge, foresight …

de- (reverse) deform, defrost …

trans- (across) transform, transportation, transact …

(à travers)
super- (above) supernatural, supermarket, superman …
(au-dessus)
semi- (half) (demi) semicircle, semi-annual, semiprivate, semicolon, semiconductor …

anti- (opposite) antibiotic, antibody, antifreeze, anticlimax …

(contraire)
mid- (middle) (moyen) midday, midnight, midsummer, midway, midwinter …

under- (too little) (moins) underdeveloped, underage, underestimate …

Complete the sentences below with the words from the following list.

Misbehave – transform – defrost – overdue – underdeveloped – interact – subway – midway – predetermine - foresight

1. Be sure to take the chicken out of the freezer and ……… it in the refrigerator before roasting it, otherwise you’ll have a culinary disaster.

2. Jeremy’s company builds aqueducts in ……………. countries all across the world.

3. We landed the contract to build a new ………….. line that extends all the way to the airport.

4. If Elizabeth had had enough ……………… , she wouldn’t have accepted the first job offer that she had as she hates the company now.

5. Mr. Harris was warned several times not to …………… but he ignored that and got fired anyway.

6. To be a better employee, you should …….. more with the staff and not hide at your desk during lunch.

7. EasySpeaking will ………………… the way we learn languages online.

8. Ronald was ……………… through his presentation to the director when he forgot what he was saying and had to go back and start over.

9. Elliott is long …………… for a new computer. We’ll go and get one tomorrow.

10. Michelle has a difficult but interesting job here at GeoTech. She has to …………….. what our customers will want in ten years.
 Suffixes

It is crucial to know how to identify nouns or verbs during a listening or reading comprehension of a
TOEIC. Here are some suffixes of nouns and verbs with some examples.

Verbs

-ate- ( become (devenir) regulate, eradicate, enunciate, repudiate, 

-en     become (devenir) enlighten, awaken, strengthen

-ify, -fy  make or become (faire, devenir) terrify, satisfy, rectify, exemplify

-ize, -ise become (ransformer, devenir) civilize, humanize, socialize, valorize ...
(British English)
Nouns

-acy state or quality (état ou qualité) privacy, fallacy, delicacy ...

-al   act or process of (acte ou processus) refusal, recital, denial ...

-ance, -ence  state or quality of (état ou qualité) maintenance, eminence, assurance ...

-dom  place or state of being (lieu ou façon d'être) freedom, kingdom, boredom ...

-er,-or  one who (quelqu'un qui) trainer, protector, narrator

-ism  doctrine, belief (idée, conviction, croyance) communism, narcissism, scepticism ...

-ist  one who (quelqu'un qui fait ou engage) chemist, narcissist, plagiarist ...

-ity, -ty quality of (qualité de) inactivity, veracity, parity, serenity ...

-ment  condition of (condition de) argument, endorsement, punishment ...

-ness state of being (état d'être) heaviness, sadness, rudeness, testiness ...

-ship position held (position tenue par quelqu'un) fellowship, ownership, kinship, internship ...

-sion, -tion state of being (état d'être) condition, introduction, transition ...
Complete the sentences below with the verbs and nouns from the list. 

investigate – auditor – partnership – nationalize – economists – libertarianism– uniqueness – privacy – verification- commitment

1. For security reasons, our bank requires additional …....... on wire transfers to some developing countries.

2. The investors feared that the government would …...... the petroleum industry after the election.

3. Don't worry, Stan is confident that the …............ will find nothing wrong with our accounting practices.

4. Due to the sensitive nature of our work for various government agencies, we don't have a …......... clause for computer or mobile phone
use at work.

5. Seven out of ten ….... felt that our venture in Southern Africa was a bad idea but we have since proved them wrong.

6. Human resources is going to …..... the allegations of sexual harassment and it will take them very seriously.

7. My last boss was a big fan of …...... until the company went bankrupt and he had to ask the government for help.

8. If I had to name one quality of our company that I am very fond of, it would be our …............... in Customer Service. That really sets us
apart in the field.

9. Prestige Hotels and Resorts has a true …........ to quality assurance and guest services satisfaction.

10. Mercury Airlines will begin a …..... with Prestige Hotels in order to streamline the travel experience and make life easier for business
travellers all over the world.
 Studying pronouns
Subject pronouns replace a word or a group of words already mentioned. In the third person, they are often
used to avoid repeating the subject noun.

Object pronouns replace the nouns which are the direct or indirect object.

Possessive pronouns replace the nouns preceded by a possessive adjective.

Possessive adjectives are not pronouns but determiners.It is however useful to learn them at the same
time as pronouns, because they are similar to possessive pronouns. Possessive adjectives function like
adjectives: they appear before the noun that they are modifying.

Reflexive pronouns: in English grammar, a reflexive pronoun indicates that the person who performs the
action of the verb is also the recipient of that action. Reflexive pronouns refer to the subject forms of
personal pronouns.

PRONOUNS
 Studying pronouns
NB: reciprocal pronouns: each other / one another

Subject Object pronouns Possessive Possessive Reflexive pronouns

pronouns pronouns adjectives

I Me Mine My Myself
You You Yours Your Yourself
He / She / It Him / Her / It His / Hers / Its His / Hers / Its Himself / Herself / Itself
We Us Ours Our Ourselves
You  You Yours Your Yourselves
They Them Theirs Their Themselves

PRONOUNS
Complete the sentences with the appropriate pronoun.

1. There is a man talking to …............ on the bench outside.

(A) itself               (B) himself             (C) we                    (D) herself

2. Do you see that black convertible outside? We bought it, it's …............. new car!
(A) ours                (B) their                 (C) us                    (D) our

3. Have you seen …............ since they were expelled from school?
(A) them                (B) they                 (C) theirs               (D) their

Don't confuse this / that / these / those

This, these, that, and those are frequently confused. If an object, an event or an idea is near or relatively near in
context or in time, we use this or these.

Examples: This pen is in my hand. These people are in my class today.

For an object, an event or an idea distant or relatively distant in context or in time, we use that or those.

Examples: Look at that chair outside under the tree. Those people we met at the reception last week were really
bizarre.

Singular – This (close) That (distant)   Plural – These (close)  Those (distant)
GET READY TO PLAY
KAHOOT

WORDS THAT LOOK ALIKE

Eileen Wilson
 GET READY TO PLAY
ANOTHER KAHOOT

WORDS WITH SIMILAR MEANINGS

Eileen Wilson
 Expansion activity
Use a dictionary to check the difference in meaning between these words in each group. 
Then write an example sentence for each word.

Group 1: decline (verb) reduce (verb) decrease (verb) deteriorate (verb) 

Group 2: discount (noun) offer (noun)  reduction (noun) sale (noun) 

Group 3: near (adjective) nearby (adjective)  handy (adjective)  close (adjective) 

Group 4: faithfully (adverb)  genuinely (adverb) legitimately (adverb)  justifiably (adverb) 

WORDS WITH SIMILAR MEANINGS

 NOW PRACTICE WHAT
YOU HAVE LEARNT

 30 PART 5 QUESTIONS ON DVO

Eileen Wilson