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Paper-Based TOEFL Workshop

Listening Part A (2)

Listening Comprehension Skills 11-17
Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test
Tutorial prepared by Marla Yoshida

The Listening Comprehension Section

As you remember, the Listening Comprehension Section of the
TOEFL is divided into three parts:
Part A: Short conversations
(30 dialogs, one question each)
Part B: Long conversations
(2 conversations, several questions each)
Part C: Longer talks
(3 talks, several questions each)
Lets look at more strategies for doing well on Part A.

Language functions
Some questions in Part A are about the functions of language
all the different things we can do with words. For example, we can:
Express an opinion
Agree or disagree with someone elses opinion
Make, accept, and refuse invitations or suggestions
Express certainty, uncertainty, or surprise
And many more useful functions.
Its important to understand the expressions and idioms related to
these functions that are often found on the TOEFL. We need to
recognize what the speakers are trying to do. Lets look at some of
these expressions.

Agreement and disagreement

Often speakers on the TOEFL agree or disagree with another
speaker.
These are expressions that show agreement with a positive
statement (one that does not have not or nt in it):
So do I. So did I. So can I. etc.
I do too. I did too. I can too. etc.
Me too. (This sounds more informal.)
For example:
(Woman) I think that lecture was really boring.
(Man)

So do I! It was so dull!

Agreement and disagreement

When we agree with a negative statement (one that uses not
or nt), we can say:
Neither do I. Neither did I. Neither can I. etc.
I dont either. I didnt either. I cant either. etc.
Me either. (This sounds very informal.)
For example:
(Woman) I dont think that homework was difficult.
(Man)

Neither do I. It was pretty easy.

Agreement and disagreement

We can also use the following idioms and expressions to
agree with any statement, positive or negative:

I agree.
Ill say!
You bet!
You can say that again!
Ill second that.
Isnt it? Wasnt he? Didnt they? etc.
Isnt it, though? Wasnt he, though? etc.
Who wouldnt? Who doesnt? etc.
I couldnt agree with you more. (= I strongly agree.)

Agreement and disagreement

When we disagree with a statement (positive or negative), we can
use these expressions. Sometimes the speaker will also begin
with Im sorry.

I disagree.
I couldnt agree with you less. (= I strongly disagree.)
Thats not the way I see it.
I cant say I agree.
Well, I dont know about that.

For example:
(Woman)

I think that lecture was really boring.

(Man)

I couldnt agree with you less. It was

fascinating!

Showing uncertainty
Sometimes the second speaker shows uncertainty about what the first
speaker said. Here are some expressions that might be used.
Im not so sure about that.
As far as I know. As far as I can tell. (This implies that I may
not know everything, so maybe Im wrong.)
. isnt it? .didnt he? .wont they? etc. *
For example:
(Woman)

Didnt the teacher say our test was next Monday?

(Man)

Im not so sure about that.

* When the intonation of these tag questions goes up at the end, they
express uncertaintyI dont really know. When the intonation goes
down, it shows certaintyI just want you to agree with me.

Suggestions
Some conversations are about making a suggestion. Here
are some expressions that you might hear:

Why not + VERB?

Why dont we + VERB?
Lets + VERB.
Have you ever thought of + VERBing?
Do you want to + VERB?
You might want to + VERB.
You could always + VERB.
Maybe you could + VERB.
Try + VERBing

Suggestions
To agree with a suggestion, a speaker might use these expressions:
Good idea! Thats an idea.
Sounds good to me.
Why not! (In this case, its not really a question.)
By all means.
Why didnt I think of that? (Again, its not really a question.)
Thats worth a try.
Thanks, Ill give it a try.
For example:
(Woman)

Why dont we go to Starbucks?

(Man)

Why not!

Suggestions
To refuse a suggestion, a speaker might use these expressions:
I dont think/believe so.
I dont think that will work.
I already thought of that. (This implies that I already tried it
and it didnt work.)
Can I take a rain check? (= Can we do it another time?)
Dont look at me! (because Im not going to do it)
No way! (This is much stronger/less polite than the others.)
For example:
(Woman) Lets memorize all the words in the dictionary!
(Man)
I dont think that will work.
..
(Woman) Why dont we go to Starbucks?
(Man)
Can I take a rain check? I dont have time today.
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Emphatic expressions of surprise

Sometimes a speaker expresses surprise by emphasizing certain
words. In this case, we know that the speaker did not expect
something to be true. He/she had assumed that the opposite was
true. For example:
(Woman)

Did you see Paul driving around in his new Prius?

(Man)

Then he DID get a new car.

(Question) What had the man thought?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Paul would definitely get a Prius.
(B) Paul did not know how to drive.
(C) Pauls Prius was in the repair shop.
(D) Paul would not get a new car.
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Emphatic expressions of surprise

We know that answer (D) is correct. The man was surprised that
Paul had been driving a new Prius, so he must have assumed
that he didnt have one.
(Woman)

Did you see Paul driving around in his new

Prius?

(Man)

Then he DID get a new car.

(Question) What had the man thought?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Paul would definitely get a Prius.
(B) Paul did not know how to drive.
(C) Pauls Prius was in the repair shop.
(D) Paul would not get a new car.

Emphatic expressions of surprise

We can use emphatic stress to show surprise. If the sentence has a
be verb or a helping verb (a modal, be, have, etc.), we emphasize
that. It becomes louder, longer, and higher in pitch.
Often the emphatic sentence begins with then or so.
The children are awake. (Ordinary sentence. No surprise.)
So the children ARE awake. (Surprise! I thought they were
asleep.)
Youve finished your work. (Ordinary sentence. No surprise.)
Then you HAVE finished your work. (I thought you hadnt
finished.) (In an emphatic sentence, we dont use a contraction.)
Dogs can swim. (Ordinary sentence with a modal. No surprise.)
So dogs CAN swim. (I thought they couldnt. Im surprised.)

Emphatic expressions of surprise

If the sentence has just an ordinary verb with no be verb or helping
verb, we add do, does, or did and emphasize it:
You play tennis. (Ordinary present tense sentence. No surprise.)
Then you DO play tennis. (Im surprised! I thought you didnt.)
Sacramento is the capital of California. (Ordinary sentence.)
So Sacramento IS the capital of California. (Im surprised. I
could have sworn it was Los Angeles.)
Emily won the contest. (Ordinary past tense sentence. No
surprise.)
Emily DID win the contest. (Im surprised! I thought she didnt.)

Wishes
In Part A, speakers sometimes say, I wish This implies that the
wish is impossible. If I say I wish I could swim, it implies that I
cant swim. (Wish is different than hope. Wishes are not true.
Hopes might still come true.)
(Woman)

Its too bad you have to stay here and work.

(Man)

Yes, I really wish I could go with you to the concert.

(Question) What does the man mean?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe he will go with the woman to the concert.
(B) He is unable to go to the concert.
(C) Hes happy to be going to the concert.
(D) Hes going to the concert, but not with the woman.
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Wishes
Answer (B) is correct. If the man wishes he could go, it implies that
he cant go.
(Woman)

Its too bad you have to stay here and work.

(Man)

Yes, I really wish I could go with you to the concert.

(Question) What does the man mean?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe he will go with the woman to the concert.
(B) He is unable to go to the concert.
(C) Hes happy to be going to the concert.
(D) Hes going to the concert, but not with the woman.

More information about wishes

An affirmative wish implies a negative reality.
I wish I had time to help. I dont have time to help.
I wish I were good at math. Im not good at math.
I wish I had finished my work. I didnt finish my work.
A negative wish implies an affirmative reality.
I wish I didnt have to do this. I have to do this.
I wish I werent late. Im late.
I wish I hadnt forgotten my purse. I forgot my purse.

More information about wishes

A wish with a past tense verb is talking about the present.
I wish I had time to help. I dont have time to help now.
I wish I were good at math. Im not good at math now.
I wish I didnt have to do this. I have to do this now.
I wish I werent late. Im late now.
A wish with a past perfect tense verb is talking about the past.
I wish I had finished it. I didnt finish it in the past.
I wish I had been on time. I wasnt on time in the past.
I wish I hadnt forgotten it. I forgot it in the past.
I wish I hadnt eaten that bug. I ate a bug in the past. Yuck.

Untrue conditions
Conditional sentences are something like wishes. In unreal
conditional sentences, the implication is that the opposite of the
condition is true.
(Man)

Do you think youll be able to go to the party?

(Woman)

If I had time, I would go.

(Question) What does the woman say about the party?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe shell go.
(B) She has time, so shell go.
(C) She is going even if she doesnt have time.
(D) Its impossible for her to go.

Untrue conditions
Answer (D) is correct. If I had time implies that the woman
does not have time, so she wont go to the party. (This is different
than If I have time, Ill go. In that case, she might have time,
and she might go.)
(Man)

Do you think youll be able to go to the party?

(Woman)

If I had time, I would go.

(Question) What does the woman say about the party?

In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe shell go.
(B) She has time, so shell go.
(C) She is going even if she doesnt have time.
(D) Its impossible for her to go.
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More information about untrue conditions

An affirmative unreal condition implies a negative reality.
If she were at home, she could help us.
Shes not at home, and she cant help us.
I would have helped you if Id know you needed me.
I didnt help you, and I didnt know you needed me.
A negative unreal condition implies an affirmative reality.
We could invite him if he didnt have class today.
We cant invite him because he has class today.
If we hadnt gotten lost, we would have been here earlier.
We got lost, so we werent here earlier.

More information about untrue conditions

An unreal condition with a past tense verb is talking about
something thats not true in the present.
If she were at home, she could help us.
Shes not at home now, and she cant help us now.
We could invite him if he didnt have class today.
We cant invite him now because he has class today (now).
An unreal condition with a past perfect tense verb is talking about
something that wasnt true in the past.
I would have helped you if Id know you needed me.
I didnt help you, and I didnt know you needed me (past).
If we hadnt gotten lost, we would have been here earlier.
We got lost, so we werent here earlier (past).
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More information about untrue conditions

In untrue conditions, we use were instead of was. Using were in
this way is more common in American English than in British
English. (In casual speaking, Americans also often say If I
was, but not on the TOEFL.)
If I were you, I would study harder.
If she were at home, she could help us.
Sometimes we make conditional sentences without if. Then we
invert the subject and verb in the conditional clause.
Had I known you needed help, I would have been there.
( = If I had known you needed help)
Had they had time, they would have gone to Disneyland.
( = If they had had time)

Phrasal verbs and idioms

Many questions in Part A contain phrasal verbs (two- or three-part
verbs, like get up, call off, or put up with). For example:
(Man)

What time does the meeting start?

(Woman)

Didnt you hear that it was called off by the director?

(Question) What does the woman say about the meeting?

In your test book, you read:
(A) The director called a meeting.
(B) The director phoned her about the meeting.
(C) The director called the meeting to order.
(D) The director canceled the meeting.

Phrasal verbs and idioms

The correct answer is (D) because call off means cancel. The wrong
answers try to fool us with other meanings of call.
(Man)

What time does the meeting start?

(Woman)

Didnt you hear that it was called off by the director?

(Question) What does the woman say about the meeting?

In your test book, you read:
(A) The director called a meeting.
(B) The director phoned her about the meeting.
(C) The director called the meeting to order.
(D) The director canceled the meeting.

Phrasal verbs and idioms

Other questions contain idioms whose meaning is hard to predict
(like a piece of cake, which means its easy.) We cant predict that
just by knowing the meanings of piece and cake. For example:
(Man)

I have to take Advanced Biology next semester.

(Woman)

Dont worry about it. Its a piece of cake.

(Question) What does the woman mean?

In your test book, you read:
(A) The man should eat a piece of cake.
(B) The man should worry about the course.
(C) The man shouldnt take part in the course.
(D) The course is easy.

Phrasal verbs and idioms

As long as we know that a piece of cake means its easy, we
know that the correct answer is (D). Even if we didnt know this
idiom, we could guess that (A) is incorrect because it has nothing
to do with a biology class. Its obviously a trick answer.
(Man)

I have to take Advanced Biology next semester.

(Woman)

Dont worry about it. Its a piece of cake.

(Question) What does the woman mean?

In your test book, you read:
(A) The man should eat a piece of cake.
(B) The man should worry about the course.
(C) The man shouldnt take part in the course.
(D) The course is easy.
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Phrasal verbs and idioms

Its helpful to memorize the meanings of phrasal verbs and
idioms. There are lists of phrasal verbs and common idioms in
the back of our textbook. There are also many books and
websites with lists of idioms. Try these:
Activities for ESL: http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html
Daves ESL Caf: http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/
Video clips using idioms: http://www.22frames.com/
idiomlist.aspx

Summary
In this section, you have learned these strategies for the
Listening Comprehension Section, Part A:
Be aware of language functions: What are the
speakers doing with language?
Wishes: If we wish something, the opposite is
actually true.
Untrue conditions: If we use if with an untrue
condition, the opposite is actually true.
Learn the meanings of as many phrasal verbs and
idioms as you can.