Why work with more than lists of translations?
ETS’s Reading page lists vocabulary and meaning in context among the skills assessed. Its Writing page connects precise vocabulary use with written communication, and its Speaking page includes appropriate vocabulary use in an interview. Vocabulary work therefore goes beyond recognizing a translation.
Start with a sentence you understand. Note what the expression refers to and how it is formed. With “a sharp decline,” you learn a phrase describing a marked decrease. Choose expressions that recur in your reading or errors without assuming they will appear on the test.
How do you connect a word family to sentence grammar?
Knowing “access” does not mean you will automatically choose “accessible” or “accessibility” correctly. First identify the needed function: does the sentence call for an action, a quality, or the name of an idea? Then check the form and neighboring words. ETS’s specifications mention morphological and syntactic clues in Reading; our exercise isolates this skill without reproducing Complete the Words.
Build the word family through sentences: “Students can access the archive,” “The archive is accessible,” and “Accessibility matters to the team.” Endings provide clues, but they do not let you invent word forms freely. Check an uncertain form in a language reference before memorizing it.
The archive’s new catalogue is ___ to students who use screen readers. Choose the word that makes the sentence grammatical.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
A: “accessible,” the adjective describing the catalog here.
The method in action
- The sentence describes a quality with “accessible to students.” “Accessibility” is a noun, “access” a noun or verb, and “accessibly” an adverb; these forms do not fill the required role.
- Then change the structure: “The team improved the catalog’s accessibility.” Here the position after the possessive calls for a noun.
Why learn a phrase instead of an isolated word?
A collocation is a common combination of words. When you learn “meet a deadline,” keep the verb and noun together. Add useful patterns such as “apply for a grant” and “be responsible for equipment.” These phrases help you avoid choosing a verb or preposition based only on French.
Distinguish an incorrect word combination from an unknown word. If you knew “deadline” but wrote “do the deadline,” reuse “meet a deadline” in a request. Master the phrase before collecting synonyms.
The deadline has already been agreed. The technician must replace the damaged lens before Friday to ___ the revised deadline. Choose the usual verb meaning “finish the work by the required time”.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
B: “meet the revised deadline,” finish by the revised due date.
The method in action
- The date is set and the work must be completed on time: “meet a deadline.” “Arrange” suggests organizing something; “perform” and “do” do not form this collocation.
- Reuse the phrase in another situation: “We need an earlier delivery to meet the deadline.”
How can you tell whether a paraphrase preserves the meaning?
Replacing words with synonyms can change the reasoning. Before comparing two versions, identify who does what, how much, and with what qualification. “Some requests” does not mean “all requests,” and “may reduce” does not mean “eliminates.” In your own response, you can reorder ideas while preserving these limits.
For practice, write an equivalent sentence, then look for anything you added without evidence. The next exercise includes two different outcomes. It does not test administrative knowledge; all the information you need is in the sentences.
The new booking form reduced the number of incomplete requests, but the time staff needed to approve each request stayed the same. Which sentence preserves the meaning?
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
A: fewer incomplete requests, but the time needed to approve each request stayed the same.
The method in action
- A preserves both facts and their contrast. “Fewer requests had missing information” restates the reduction in incomplete requests; “the same amount of time” preserves the unchanged time needed for each approval.
- B reverses the second result and turns a reduction into a complete elimination. C adds an increase in daily approvals that the text does not mention. D invents a ban and removes a process that the text says still takes time.
How can you reuse these skills across all four sections?
Our routine uses five expressions from a text you understand. Keep the original sentence, identify the structure, then write and say a personal example. Five is our practical choice for a short session, not an amount recommended by ETS.
Later, hide your examples and change the context. Check meaning, form, and usage. A phrase you recognize in reading but do not understand in listening needs listening practice; one you understand but use incorrectly needs sentence-level review.
The pitfall
Replacing every simple word with one that sounds more sophisticated
An uncommon word used incorrectly makes your message less precise. Check that it expresses your idea, fits with nearby words, and suits the situation. A well-controlled simple phrase is a better foundation than an approximate synonym.
Paraphrasing also has limits depending on the task: ETS asks you to repeat exactly in Listen and Repeat. Our paraphrasing practice is for understanding or expressing a personal idea; it should not lead you to replace words from the model in that task. Learning vocabulary also means knowing when to retain the words you hear.
Key takeaways
- Learn a word family with the grammatical function of each form.
- Learn collocations and prepositions as part of a complete sentence.
- A paraphrase preserves quantity, negation, and the qualifications in a statement.
- Our exercises isolate vocabulary skills; they do not reproduce ETS items or scoring.