This article has been written for those candidates who are going to appear the Toefl examination. There is a constant demand for a ‘Good Article on Essays’ by the newcomers and as such this is an attempt to meet their long felt need.
TOEFL essays refer to those essays that are frequency asked in the Toefl (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination. The main purpose of this test is to find out the ability of the candidates in context with his/her knowledge or mastery over English.
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Why Toefl Essays?
Essays command a pre-eminent position in the competitive examinations including Toefl, of all the countries of the world. In almost all English examination special emphasis is laid on essay writing. It is considered a very effective measuring rod of intellect and talent of a student. Keeping in view this fact, the candidates are always asked to write quality essays on various topics in the Toefl test.
How to improve Essay Writing
The most important compotent of any essay is nothing but ‘Good English.’ Really, anyone preparing for competitive exams must know in advance that “Good English” is an asset for him, and thus he is always at the disadvantages side, if he is unable to write good English.
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It has been very rightly said that “Language is the weapon of thoughts.” Without the power of ready expression one cannot make any progress, since a poor vocabulary prevents you from giving a true impression of your personality to people whose option is of great important to you.
It’s true that for writing mark fetching essays you have to get mastery over Good English but that doesn’t means that you memories the rules of grammar. You need to develop a habit of thinking sharply, as the saying goes “Probably the greatest social value of good English training is the feeling of self-confidence which follows it.”
In order to utilize your ability perfectly, you need to develop the habit of reading books on English. The mantra for cracking Toefl Essays goes like this: “Speak and write fluently without hesitation.” Your essay should aim to convey your ideas to other as clearly and lucidly as possible. In order to attain this lucidity, you should avoid confusion of ideas, vagueness of expression, repetition of arguments and use of slangs and a verbose style.
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In order to write quality essays you need to know the correct you of words. Words govern your lives to an extent that a few realize it. They advertise your mentality, your character, and above all, your education. Really, words and only words have the power to turn failure into success and vice-versa. The ability to say right thing and to say it in the right way has a value and importance that no one can afford to ignore.
Words are tools, the most amazing and the important yet invented by human brains. Lack of them may be as fatal to your progress in certain attempts as obsolete. Someone has very rightly quoted, “Lack of knowledge’ of how to use words is as great a handicap to a writer or speaker as is ignorance of how to combine bricks and mortar to a mason.
One must know that the days are gone when bombastic style of writings were highly appreciated, at present, it provokes ridicule rather than admiration. The need of the day, calls the candidates to write simple, familiar and monosyllabic words and avoid difficult expressions like the devil. Good English is therefore, free from involved or tortuous style, bombastic and high sounding words, rant and declamation, long purple passages of eloquence and oratory, far-fetched similes and metaphors, recondite words and phrase, out of the way references and obscure allusions, turgid and stiff expressions, jarring and harsh sounds , obsolete and hackneyed literary phrases.
In order to write good essays you should have a style at one’s simple and spontaneous, natural and native, artless and unaffected, singularly, direct and straightforward and lucid. The style must be characterized by simplicity of languages, clarity of thoughts and vigor of expressions.
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The nuclear weapon for developing your essay writing skills is nothing but “Reading.” Reading of books, magazine, journals, and online web contents, are really important for improving your writing skills. Habit of reading quality books will build your character and will inspire you with noble thoughts and original ideas. Learn how to explore your undeveloped potentialities, to direct your activity efficiently and to get your “second wind.”
Reading quality contents on regular basis will stimulate your mental energy, give your new confidence and show you how to enrich your interest. Websites and books are the store house of knowledge and wisdom. Howsoever perplexed our mind may be, however wounded our heart and howsoever bruised our feelings may be good websites at once comes to our rescue and clams our feelings, soothes our mind and assuages our pain. Websites and books build our character and inspire us with noble thoughts and original ideas. They give us food for thought.
To have fertility of thoughts, aptness of expressions, stock of words, copiousness of illustration and actuation of knowledge, we must try to read carefully and assiduously as many books, websites and magazines as possible. It is reading alone which makes us humble and gentle, sweet tempered and noble minded.
Know your Essay Style
Every candidate appearing for the Essay test has his own style of presenting his thoughts. One may be humorous, the other philosophical and third political. The fact is there are numerous styles and all of them have their own merits as well as demits.
Simplicity is a great virtue, though like most merits, it is seldom practiced. The modern writers prefer a simple and lucid manner of writing. Difficult words and high sounding expressions are scrupulously avoided. There are two ways by which one can improve one’s style i.e., reading good literature and writing something every day.
(1) Give at least 3 hours a day for reading some good literature.
(2) Write at least one essay or translate a piece of literature every day and get the same correct by experts and classify the mistakes under tow heads (a) grammatical mistakes and (ii) mistake in the use of idioms and expressions.
It should be engraved in your heart that the essential ingredients of a good style are simplicity and clearness, brevity and vigor.
List of Toefl essays
1. Why go to university?
2. Are parents best teachers?
3. Has the ease of cooking improved life?
4. Experience is the best teacher
5. Are books more important than experience?
6. Not everything that is learned is contained in books
7. Should a factory be built in your community?
8. What would you change about your hometown?
9. How do movies or TV affect people?
10. Movies influence people
11. Has TV destroyed communication?
12. A small town vs. a big city
13. Country and City
14. The importance of hard work
15. Luck and hard work
16. Does luck has anything to do with success?
17. Sports or library?
18. Why people go to museums?
19. Do you prefer to eat our or eat at home?
20. Should university students be required to attend classes?
21. What are the qualities of a good neighbor?
22. Should a new restaurant be built in your neighborhood?
23. Do you learn better by yourself or with a teacher?
24. Highways or public transportation?
25. Should children grow up in the countryside or in a city
26. Why are people living longer?
27. Important qualities of a co-worker
28. Should teenagers work while they are students?
29. The advantages about living in my city
30. Does the neighborhood need a new shopping centre?
31. Should a new movie theater be built in your neighborhood?
32. Should people do things that they do not like?
33. Has the media paid too much attention to the celebrities?
34. Has human harmed the Earth or made it a better place?
35. Should a high school be built in your community?
36. Do you prefer to stay at one place or move around?
37. Do you spend money or save them?
38. A piece of jewelry vs. a concert
39. Should business hire employees for their entire lives?
40. A live performance vs. television broadcast
41. Which transportation vehicle has changed people’s lives/
42. Is progress always good?
43. Is learning about the past useful?
44. Can new technologies help students/
45. Never, never give up
46. Should we save land for endangered animals?
47. What is a very important skill a person should learn?
48. Why are people attracted to a dangerous sport?
49. Travel with a companion vs. travel alone
50. Getting up early vs. staying up late
51. Important qualities of a good son or daughter
52. A large company vs. small company
53. Why people work?
54. Face-to-face communications vs. emails or phone calls
55. Doing same things vs. trying new things
56. Taking risks vs. planning
57. what change would make to your hometown
58. Is money the most important aspect of a job?
59. Should one judge a person by external appearances?
60. Should one make an important decision alone?
61. Arts or environment?
62. serious movies vs. entertaining movies
63. Can business do anything they want to make a profit?
64. What’s your hurry?
65. Are games important to adults?
66. Should parents make decisions for their teenage children?
67. What do you want most in a friend?
68. Are difficult experiences valuable lessons for the future?
69. Self-employed vs. employed
70. Should a city preserve or destroy its historic buildings?
71. Are classmates a more important influence to a child?
72. Inexperienced, cheap workers or experienced workers?
73. Is daily homework necessary?
74. What subject will you study?
75. Have automobiles improved modern life?
76. A high-paying job vs. quality spare time
77. Do grades encourage students to learn?
78. Has computer made life easier?
79. Is it better to travel with a tour guide?
80. Multiple subjects vs. one subject
81. Should children start learning a foreign language early?
82. Should boys and girls go to separate schools?
83. Teamwork vs. working independently
84. Who would you choose to build a statue for?
85. Describe a custom from your country?
86. Has technology made the world a better place to live?
87. Can advertising tell about a country?
88. Is modern technology creating single world culture?
89. Has the Internet provided a lot of valuable information?
90. A one-day-visit to your country
91. A time and a place in the past
92. visiting modern times
93. What is an important discovery in the last 100 years
94. Has telephone made communication less personal?
95. What person in history you would like to meet?
96. What famous entertainer or athlete you would like to meet?
97. What question you will ask a famous person?
98. Dynamic weather
99. One-season or four-season climate
100. What are important qualities of a good roommate?
101. Does dancing play an important role in a culture?
102. Should government spend money exploring outer space?
103. The best way to reducing stress
104. Teachers’ pay
105. What would you choose to represent your counter?
106. Would you rather choose your own roommate?
107. Computer technology or basic needs?
108. doing work by hand vs. machine
109. Should students evaluate their teachers?
110. What characteristic makes people successful?
111. Contributions of artists vs. scientists
112. University housing vs. apartment
113. Means of transportation
114. Means of transportation
115. Should higher education be available to all?
116. The best way of learning
117. Follow the customs of the new country
118. Being alone vs. with friends
119. Life without friends?
120. Spend time with one or two friends, or many friends?
121. How should children spend their time?
122. A new university in the community
123. Who influence more, family or friends?
124. Making plans for free time
125. Which methods of learning are best for you?
126. Different friends or similar friends?
127. New experiences vs. usual habits
128. Do clothes make a man?
129. Are quick decisions always wrong?
130. Pride and Prejudice
131. Can we trust first impressions?
132. Unleash your desires!
133. Should people satisfy with what they have?
134. Non-fictions vs. fictions
135. Social science vs. natural science
136. Should art and music be compulsory subjects?
137. Can young people teach older people?
138. Reading fiction vs. watching movies
139. Physical exercise vs. academic study
140. Business research vs. agricultural research
141. Should children spend much time on sports?
142. Money and success
143. What new product would you develop?
144. Are childhood years most important in one’s life?
145. Should children required with household tasks?
146. Should high school students wear uniforms?
147. Is winning the most important aspect of playing a game?
148. Should high schools allow students to choose subjects?
149. Member vs. leader
150. What is the most important room in house?
151. hand vs. machine
152. What do you want to change about your school?
153. What gift would you give to help a child develop?
154. A long vacation vs. several short vacations
155. A traditional house vs. a modern apartment
156. The role of advertisements
157. Outdoors vs. indoors
158. How should your school spend a gift of money?
159. Does playing game teach us about life?
160. How would you sue a free gift of land?
161. Is watching TV, bad for children?
162. What is the most important animal in your homeland?
163. Why should forest be saved?
164. Is a zoo useful?
165. It is right to ban smoking?
166. What plant is important to the people in your country?
167. Which country would you like to visit?
168. Computers vs. traditional schools
169. Are celebrities opinions right?
170. What change should be remembered?
171. Complain in writing vs. Complain in person
172. Why people remember their gifts?
173. Do starts deserve high salary?
174. the importance of reading and writing
175. What do you do for good health?
176. What is one thing to improve your community?
177. What events make persons an adult?
178. Should the school purchase computers of books?
179. Why study abroad?
180. What is music important to many people?
181. Why are groups or organizations important to people?
182. Melodic Memories
183. What one thing would you take for a trip?
184. A picture
185. How can schools help new students with their problems?
186. Does borrowing money from friends harm friendship?
187. How is your generation different from your parents?
188. Should students do some of the talking on classes?
189. What holiday would you create?
190. Island Hopping or Road Rage?
191. A vacation or a car?
192. What changes will the 21st century bring?
193. What are qualities of a good parent?
194. Why movies are so popular?
195. Is human relationship with pets useful?
196. Should lands be developed?
197. What have you learned about a country from its movies?
198. Self study vs. group study
199. A house or a business?