Proper Voice Modulation in Answering the TOEFL Speaking Test

“My friend took the TOEFL exam a month ago and when she got her results, she was not that happy. She said that the content of her responses were okay; however, her voice was not modulated enough for the test. I am taking the TOEFL in three weeks, and I am wondering whether voice modulation bears a great deal of points in the TOEFL test.” –Alexandra, 28, nurse

One’s voice is a powerful tool in communication. Without it, human communication is nearly impossible. An individual’s voice allows him or her to express what he or she has in mind and even show his or her emotions. For the TOEFL or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, having a good voice quality is very important, as important as the content of the examinee’s response.

In the TOEFL speaking, the questions are all recorded and saved in a database. The examinee will have to answer six different questions in a very limited time of preparation and response. The TOEFL speaking test will gauge how well the examinee can express his or her own ideas on independent questions and how well he or she can organize and synthesize ideas in integrated tasks.

To become a good English speaker, one should improve one’s voice quality. The best trick here is to breathe through the chests. Have you ever heard of some people who have a very high pitched voice? This happens when you get air from your throat. When we breathe through our chests, the voice that is produced has a lower tone and well-modulated. It can be a little tricky; hence, one needs a lot of practice to achieve this trick.

When some people speak, it is quite obvious that they are controlling the pitch of their voices. The sound is quite unnatural compared to the natural speaking voice. When this happens, the voice is shaky and most of the time, it can cause some problems in delivering the response, like someone is running out of breath. A well-modulated voice is better since it sounds more matured. Hearing someone speak in a well-modulated voice gives you an impression that this person knows what he or she is talking about. He or she is knowledgeable on the topic; thus, raising some good impression from the listening public. Further, a well-modulated voice shows authority. This means that the person is confident with what he or she is saying. Being in authority means you are sure that your response is correct and you are on the right track in your TOEFL speaking test.

When a TOEFL test candidate has a modulated voice, the words that come out from his or her mouth are clear. There is no difficulty in understanding the vocabulary, the sentences, and even the content. Some people do not open their mouths when they speak. As a result, the response becomes very confusing and they get a low score in the TOEFL test.

How to achieve a good modulated voice for the TOEFL test? Here’s how.

• Breathe through the chest, not through your throat. 

• Practice humming. This will help in getting your pitch lower.

• Do not should when speaking. Listen to the volume of your voice. 

• Do not speak fast. Be cautious with the speed of your response. 

• Open your mouth when speaking. 

• Do some tongue twisters before speaking. 

• Have proper posture when sitting down. 

• Breathe properly. 

• Do facial exercise. Open your mouth wide and close it for about five times. Smile. 

• Always be assertive when you speak. It adds to your authority.

Use your natural modulated speaking voice in speaking. Remember that a very good content in your response paired with a well-modulated voice is a winning combination for the TOEFL speaking test. 

For more TOEFL Tips you can refer to this link toeflreview.blogspot.com.

What are Some Grammar Myths?

Non-native English speakers consider English a very important language to learn – a language that will help them find a better and more successful career in working for multinational companies overseas. With this, Filipinos work hard in studying the English language to be qualified for good jobs abroad. To be able to use the English language well, one has to have a good foundation with the rules in English grammar.

source: www.pinterest.com

Studying the English grammar may take time. Other see it as very difficult because of all the complicated rules they have while some see it as a challenge that they enjoy learning the right way in using these rules. As a non-native English speaker of the English language, there are some myths about studying grammar. Let us find out about that myths and discover the truth about them.

MYTH	TRUTH
Using the word “however” in the beginning of a sentence is grammatically incorrect.	“However” is an adverb, and like any other adverbs, it can be placed at the beginning of a sentence. You can use it at the beginning of any sentence and separate it with a comma from the independent clause. Examples: The weather was fine. However, my family was too tired to go u for a walk. I submitted my paper before the deadline. However, my professor failed to find it on her desk.
“A” should be used with consonant letters while “An” for vowels.	Wrong! The usage of “a” and “an” should not depend on the word’s letter but the word’s sound. Examples: An honest man deserves anybody’s respect. A uniform should be worn by high school students.
You can spot a run-on sentence in long sentences.	Not all long sentences are considered run-on sentences. Short sentences, when not correctly punctuated, can be run-on sentences. Examples: I am fat he is thin. = I am fat; he is thin. She likes him he despises her. = She likes him, but she despises her.
The words “i.e” and “e.g” have the same meaning.	“I.e.” means “in other words”, while “e.g” means “for example.” Examples: I love watching animated movies (e.g., Big Hero 6 and Ice Age) because they are very entertaining. My sister enjoys drawing the Snow White’s seven dwarfs (i.e., Sneezy, Bashful, Dopey, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, and Sleepy).
You should not split infinitives.	It is okay to split infinitives. Infinitives are a kind of verbal composed of “to” plus a verb. To split an infinitive, we can put an adverb between them. Examples: To happily write a good poem is one of her dreams. The teacher specifically told them to scientifically illustrate the ideas of the given topic.
“-“ and “–“ can be used alternately.	This is a common misconception. “-“ Hyphens are usually used with compound nouns. Examples: I ate a slice of chocolate-moist cake. A bullet-proof vest saved her life. “–“ Dashes indicate an added emphasis in a sentence. Examples: She saw my friend – the one whose parents are doctors. The children ate the chicken – the one I prepared for you.
Ending the sentence with a preposition is a big no-no.	Ending a sentence with a preposition is possible. Examples: You can go to my house after. (after something is over) She went in. (inside)
None can only be used with singular nouns.	“None” is an indefinite pronoun. This means that it can substitute to a singular or plural noun. Examples: My room was ransacked. None was taken. The fruits are all here, yet none were eaten.
Using “and” and “but” at the beginning of a sentence is incorrect.	These two conjunctions can be used at the beginning of a sentence, but if you are writing in a formal letter tone, use “additionally” and “however”, instead. Examples: And there she goes with her happy smile. But to my surprise, nobody was in the room.
“You” stands for only one person.	Of course not. “You” can signify a plural form of noun. Examples: You are the hope of this nation. (referring to the young generation. You and your brother are late. Both of you are going to detention.

Remember these rules because it might confuse you when you come across rules in English that involves them. Studying English is fun. Challenge yourself with English exercises every day. 

If you are planning to take IELTS review you can refer to this link www.jroozreview.com/ielts-review-center.

Popular IELTS Myths

The number of people taking the IELTS or the International English Language Testing System examination in the Philippines is increasing. This increase is evident with the number of individuals that are taking IELTSreview courses in IELTS review centers in all over the Philippines. Why is their number increasing?

For many years now, English speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America have been requiring non-native speakers to take an English fluency exam, such as the IELTS, when applying for a visa. Different institutions require the IELTS to ensure that the applicant can speak English upon entering their country. If you think about it, it will be difficult for a particular person to survive in an English speaking country if his or her English skills are poor or insufficient. The individual’s success or productivity is determined by his or her fluency in the English language.

Since Filipinos are already good at speaking the English language, all they need to do is to take refresher courses or review classes that will help them improve their English skills. What is good about this review classes is that they eliminate these prejudices or myths regarding the exam. Here are some myths about the IELTS test.

MYTH	TRUTH
Taking the IELTS in your home country is easier compared to other countries.	There is no guarantee that the test is easier in any parts of the world. The level of difficulty is just the same for all countries. Examinees should understand that being prepared for the exam is much more important than knowing which country serves an easier exam. Getting a better result in the exam is possible when one has undergone proper training and exposure to different IELTS exercises prior to taking the test.
If I speak in an Australian accent, my speaking score will be better.	Speaking in an Australian accent is good to hear; however, it is not expected of someone who is a non-native English speaker to have a good Australian accent. In fact, examinees are encouraged to speak clearly and naturally on the speaking examination.
If I reach the number of words in the writing test, I should write more to gain more points.	Following the required number of words is important. Writing less means losing some marks. However, writing more is not a guarantee of more points in the writing test. The content is still more important than the amount of words in the essay.
If my responses are not the same with my examiners point of view, I might lose some points.	The examiner’s point of view should not and will never be a criterion to your speaking score. What he or she thinks does not matter. The examinees point and on how well he or she supports this idea are the basis for the evaluation.
IELTS is really difficult.	It COULD be difficult unless you prepare for it. Any English fluency test has its own difficulty level and once you are not ready for it, it will greatly reflect on your score. Hence, examinees need to prepare for the exam by doing self-studying or better yet, attending review classes in IELTS review centers.

With the right information about the exam, IELTS examinees will not have a hard time hitting their target scores. 

Fore more IELTS Review Tips you can refer to this link www.ieltsexamstips.com.

Common TOEFL Myths

Taking English proficiency exams are no joke to non-native speakers. For Filipinos, taking English proficiency examinations is a must especially when they are applying for a working or student visa in English speaking countries particularly the United States of America. One particular English fluency test that is required by most companies and institutions overseas is the TOEFL or the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

The TOEFL test is an internet based English fluency test that evaluates how well an individual can understand and use English in its four core areas: reading, listening, speaking and writing. The TOEFL iBT test uses English in an academic context. This means that the questions in the test are all from academic subjects in the university. In TOEFL Philippines, many individuals – both working professionals and students – take time to review for the TOEFL to reach their target scores.

There are some TOEFL test examinees that are not familiar with the examination. Moreover, they have these myths about TOEFL that might cause confusion on what the TOEFL test is all about. Here are some myths about the TOEFL test.

MYTH	TRUTH
The TOEFL test in the Philippines has a different content compared to the test in other countries.	The TOEFL test in the Philippines has the same content to all other TOEFL tests in the world. It uses a standardized material to be fair to all TOEFL candidates from non-native English speaking country.
I need to study all academic subjects so that I can be familiar with the questions in the reading section.	Being familiar with some common academic topics in the TOEFL is an advantage. However, examines do not need to have a deeper study since the questions are all based on the existing reading passage.
If I do not speak in American accent, I will lose a great deal of points in the speaking examination.	Having an American accent is good; however, it is not necessary. The TOEFL speaking test evaluates how well a person can understand spoken English in academic situations. The important thing examinees have to do is to bank on clarity in their response.
If I write more than the required number of words in the writing section of the TOEFL test, I will get a better mark.	Writing more than the desired number of words is recommended. This shows how well you can express your thoughts in written text. However, it does not guarantee a good score with long essays. Invest more on the content than the length of your essay.
If I listen well in the listening test, I can easily answer all the questions after the audio recording.	Listening skills are very important in the TOEFL listening section. However, questions are not given until the recording is finished. This means that examinees should be good at taking down notes to be able to answer all the questions related to the recording.

TOEFL examinees have to know about what the exam is. For starters, they can search about it online. Visiting www.ets.org is a very good source. Further, there are TOEFL review centers where candidates for the exam can inquire about the test. In addition, they could also inquire on TOEFL review classes that can help them prepare for the real test. 

Read more TOEFL Tips here toeflreview.blogspot.com.