{"id":1104,"date":"2015-01-19T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T17:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:46:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:46:41","slug":"reading-a-toefl-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/reading-a-toefl-lecture\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cReading\u201d a TOEFL Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As you probably know, there are many differences between written and spoken English<\/a>. Written English tends to use longer words and bigger vocabulary. Spoken English is less formal, with more idioms<\/a>. There are also some clear differences in structure. Sentences are shorter in spoken English. There are fewer formal paragraphs in speech. Certainly, the structure of academic writing doesn\u2019t usually apply to speech at all. English speech doesn\u2019t often involve an introduction<\/a>, body, conclusion<\/a>, paragraph transitions, or other common structures<\/a> of academic essays.<\/p>\n

Still, there is one kind of spoken English that is structured a lot like an academic essay. When they don\u2019t include student participation, spoken academic lectures are structured a lot like writing. These kinds of \u201cteacher only\u201d lectures are common in American universities. They\u2019re also common on the TOEFL. You will hear at least one lecture like this in the Listening Section, and two more in TOEFL Speaking. On the TOEFL, these lectures are structured much like five paragraph essays<\/a>. They have an introduction, a body, a conclusion, and distinct paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details. Learning to recognize these features in TOEFL lectures can really help your listening comprehension. It also boosts your note-taking skills. When you understand a lecture\u2019s structure, it becomes a lot easier to identify and note the most important ideas.<\/p>\n

Practice Activity:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at an example from the ETS TOEFL Quick Prep<\/a> website. Listen to this track<\/a>, a TOEFL Listening lecture on history. As you listen, read the transcript of the lecture on pages 35 and 36 of this document<\/a>. The transcript is basically an 8-paragraph academic essay. (With some spoken English features like informal language and verbal pauses.) In the transcript, find the following things:<\/p>\n