{"id":842,"date":"2014-09-23T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=842"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:47:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:47:04","slug":"getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

A \u201croad block\u201d is something in the road that stops traffic and travellers, like a fallen tree or a construction project. A vocabulary \u201croad block\u201d is an unfamiliar word that can stop your progress as you read a TOEFL passage. On the real road and in English study, road blocks can be frustrating.<\/p>\n

There are over 1 million words in the English language. That\u2019s a lot of possible road blocks! For TOEFL reading, you can focus on the Academic Word List (AWL)<\/a>, which lists the most common words in academic English. That\u2019s still 3,000 words, and the AWL may not cover every word you read in the TOEFL. You\u2019ll probably come across at least a few unfamiliar words on the exam.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, vocabulary road blocks do not have to stop your TOEFL success. On a real road, you don\u2019t just stop or give up when you reach a road block. Similarly, on the TOEFL exam, you can read words you don\u2019t know, but still finish the exam successfully. There are strategies that can help you get past words you don\u2019t know, just as you find ways to pass real road blocks when you travel. Below, I will show you some of these strategies, using example words and phrases from the reading sections of ETS\u2019 own officially published tests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Looking at the word form<\/h2>\n

Prefixes appear at the beginning of words and can help you guess a word\u2019s meaning. Take for example, the TOEFL reading word \u201cunderstory.\u201d \u00a0The prefix \u201cunder\u201d can be used on its own as a preposition, so this word may describe the position of something.<\/p>\n

Suffixes hint at both the meaning of a word and its part of speech. Take the TOEFL reading word \u201cgeology.\u201d The suffix \u201c-ology\u201d appears at the end of nouns, describing an academic study or discipline. This word is probably the name of a science.<\/p>\n

(For more information on the meaning and grammar of prefixes and suffixes, check out English Club\u2019s prefix<\/a> and suffix<\/a> guides. PrefixSuffix.com also offers a helpful chart<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Looking at context<\/h2>\n

Prefixes and suffixes are useful, but sometimes misleading. Look at \u201cunderstory\u201d again. \u201cUnder\u201d does look like a preposition. However, this prefix can also mean \u201chidden\u201d (as in \u201cunderworld\u201d) or \u201cinsufficiently\u201d (as in \u201cunderfunded\u201d). Which meaning does \u201cunder\u201d have? The paragraph \u201cunderstory\u201d appears in talks about things found on the ground, so the meaning probably is prepositional. Similarly, the suffix \u201c-ate\u201d in the word \u201ctolerate\u201d can be used at the end of nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Again, context is key. In the TOEFL reading phrase \u201cchipmunks tolerate very warm temperatures,\u201d “tolerate\u201d appears between a subject (chipmunks) and an object (temperatures). You can guess that the word \u201ctolerate\u201d is a verb.<\/p>\n

Context can help you understand unfamiliar root words too. In the TOEFL reading with the word \u201cgeology,\u201d much of the passage talks about studying rocks. Through context, you can guess that \u201cgeo\u201d refers to stone. You already know that \u201c-ology\u201d means a field of study. Combine the likely meaning of the root word with the suffix, and you have learned a new word through context. \u201cGeology\u201d means the study of rocks!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ignoring the word<\/h2>\n

If you are still feeling \u201cblocked\u201d after checking prefixes, suffixes, and context, you may need to simply go around the vocabulary road block. To practice this strategy, read TOEFL passages and other English academic writing. As you read, cross or delete words that seem like they may not be necessary. Then reread the passage without those words. If the meaning has changed, put a few words back in, to make sure the meaning stays the same as the original. (Magoosh TOEFL blogger Kate describes this method a little bit more here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

This kind of practice helps you tell the difference between important and unimportant words. Unimportant words on the TOEFL can be ignored easily. More important words can still be ignored too, if you carefully watch for word forms and context on the TOEFL road.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For extra help learning TOEFL vocabulary, download and print our TOEFL Vocabulary PDF<\/a>, or practice with Magoosh TOEFL Vocabulary Flashcards<\/a>.<\/em>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A \u201croad block\u201d is something in the road that stops traffic and travellers, like a fallen tree or a construction project. A vocabulary \u201croad block\u201d is an unfamiliar word that can stop your progress as you read a TOEFL passage. On the real road and in English study, road blocks can be frustrating. There are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13604],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGetting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A \u201croad block\u201d is something in the road that stops traffic and travellers, like a fallen tree or a construction project. A vocabulary \u201croad block\u201d is an unfamiliar word that can stop your progress as you read a TOEFL passage. On the real road and in English study, road blocks can be frustrating. There are […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-09-23T16:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T21:47:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/09\/Facebook-SEO-Default.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MagooshTOEFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Recine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/\",\"name\":\"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-23T16:00:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test\",\"description\":\"Online TOEFL Preparation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768\",\"name\":\"David Recine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de262e64bb4e3e488753d8c58ff3cc70\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Recine\"},\"description\":\"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"TOEFL\",\"IELTS\",\"TOEIC\",\"PET\",\"FCE\",\"BULATS\",\"Eiken\",\"SAT\",\"ACT\",\"GRE\",\"GMAT\"],\"knowsLanguage\":[\"English\",\"Italian\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Content Creator\",\"worksFor\":\"Magoosh\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks","og_description":"A \u201croad block\u201d is something in the road that stops traffic and travellers, like a fallen tree or a construction project. A vocabulary \u201croad block\u201d is an unfamiliar word that can stop your progress as you read a TOEFL passage. On the real road and in English study, road blocks can be frustrating. There are […]","og_url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/","og_site_name":"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/MagooshTOEFL","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","article_published_time":"2014-09-23T16:00:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-12-10T21:47:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/files\/2016\/09\/Facebook-SEO-Default.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"David Recine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MagooshTOEFL","twitter_site":"@MagooshTOEFL","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Recine","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/","name":"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-09-23T16:00:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/getting-around-vocabulary-road-blocks\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Getting Around Vocabulary Road Blocks"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/","name":"Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test","description":"Online TOEFL Preparation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/fa2be5405a605e37f4199c90e2236768","name":"David Recine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de262e64bb4e3e488753d8c58ff3cc70","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David Recine"},"description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13630,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C50&q=Recine+magoosh&btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}