How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay?

A cause and effect essay describes why some things happen or how some things happen (cause) and what happens as a result (effect) of these things.

Sample cause and effect essay topics:

The influence of computer games on students.
The effects of sports on adults.
The results of alcohol consumption.
The effects of music on human psychology.

General organization of a cause and effect essay:

The general organization of a cause and effect essay may vary according to the topic or according to the preferences of the writer. The most important thing to do is to decide three main effects of the target cause. These three main effects will serve as the major ideas and each of them will be the main idea of a developing paragraph. These main effects should be classified as a positive effect or as a negative effect.

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay?

A compare and contrast essay describes similarities and differences. It is possible to note only similarities or only differences in a comparison and contrast essay. It is also possible to point out both similarities and differences at the same time. It is possible to report the advantages and disadvantages and it is possible to state that something is better or worse than another thing in a certain way in a compare and contrast essay. However, in a compare and contrast essay, the writer does not directly support or stand for an argument like he/she does in an argumentative essay.

Sample essay topic: Which one is better as a pet animal? A dog or a cat?

Let's say there is such an essay topic. Now there are three possibilities:

How to Write an Argumentative Essay?

The purpose of an argumentative essay is to prove that your idea, opinion or theory is correct or more appropriate than another idea or other ideas.

The main characteristics of an argumentative essay:

1. The writer has to choose a side. Only one side of the writing topic can be supported:

Sample Topic: Homeschooling

Possible argument 1: Homeschooling is an effective way of education and it should be promoted.
Possible argument 2: Homeschooling should not be promoted because it prevents education in terms of socializing, academic knowledge and culture.

TOEFL Nedir ve TOEFL'a Nasıl Hazırlanılır?

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) katılımcıların İngilizce becerilerinin ölçüldüğü ve tüm dünyada geçerliliği olan bir İngilizce sınavıdır. Toplamda yaklaşık 4 saat süren test, İngilizce'de okuma, dinleme, yazma ve konuşma olmak üzere dört ana becerinin ne derecede etkili kullanıldığını akademik değerlendirme kriterleri aracılığıyla ölçmektedir. Sınavın internet tabanlı olması ve yazma-konuşma kısımlarının en az 2 gerektiğinde 3 uzman tarafından değerlendirilmesi sınavın güvenirliğini artırmakta ve dünya çapında en güvenilir akademik İngilizce sınavlarından biri olmasını sağlamaktadır. Yurt dışında üniversitelerde okuma, iş yerlerinde çalışma, yaşama gibi durumlar için dünya çapında neredeyse her kurum ve kuruluş tarafından kabul edilmektedir. Örneğin YÖK TOEFL sınavını YDS'nin eşleniği olarak kabul etmektedir. Ayrıca ülkemizde bir çok üst düzey kurum, kuruluş ve şirket YDS gibi sadece pasif becerilerin (okuma, gramer, kelime) değerlendirildiği sınavlar yerine, daha kapsamlı ve daha aktif becerileri (yazma, konuşma) de test eden TOEFL'ı değerlendirmeye almaktadır. Sınav her bir beceri (okuma, dinleme, yazma, konuşma) 30 puan üzerinden olmak üzere  120 puan üzerinden değerlendirilmektedir. Sınavın kabul edilen genel geçer başarılı olma puanı 80'dir. Ayrıca her bir becerinin kendi içerisinde iyi, orta, kötü gibi puanlara göre değerlendirmesi vardır. Ancak bu durum kurumdan kuruma değişebilmektedir. Bazı kurumlar yüksek öğretim, işe alma gibi durumlarda puan limitini daha üst düzeyde tutmakta, bazı kurumlar ise puan limitini daha aşağıya çekebilmektedir. Sonuç olarak TOEFL puanına sahip bir kişi, kapsamlı olarak İngilizce seviyesini gösteren tüm dünya çapında geçerli bir sınav sonuç belgesine sahip olur.

Sınava kayıtlar sınavı gerçekleştiren kuruluş ETS'nin sitesinden online olarak yapılmaktadır. Siteden kimlik, adres bilgileri ile sınav merkezi seçimi yapıldıktan sonra ödeme yapılarak sınav kaydı tamamlanmaktadır. Sınav ücretlerine kurum sitesinden ulaşmanız mümkün. Sınava ödeyeceğiniz ücretin 150-250 $ civarında olacağını varsayarsak, sınava gerçek manada iyi bir şekilde hazırlanıp girmekte fayda var. Bu noktada 'TOEFL'a nasıl hazırlanmalı?' ve 'Sınav esnasında nelere dikkat etmeli?' gibi sorulara cevaplar ve tavsiyeler sağlamaya  çalışacağız.

Sports; English Conversation Questions EFL & ESL

You can use the conversation questions below to practice English with your students, with your friends or on your own:

1. What is your favorite sport? Why is it your favorite?
2. How often do you do or play that sport?
3. What are some other spots that you are interested in?
4. Do you exercise? If so, how often?
5. Do you like doing sports or playing sports on your own or with other people?
6. What is the most popular sport in your country? Why do people like it?
7. What is the most enjoyable sport in your opinion?
8. What is the most dangerous sport?
9. What is the safest sport to be involved in?
10. Do you like watching sports programs on t.v?
11. Do you prefer summer sports or winter sports?
12. Do you prefer indoor sports or outdoor sports?

How to Improve TOEFL Speaking Skills & Scores?

Speaking is generally accepted as the hardest skill among the four skills of English language. Whether this statement is true or not is discussed by a lot of experts. But one thing is clear. TOEFL Speaking is the nightmare of many students. However, through regular practice and planned studying, it is not too hard to overcome the so-called hardest part of the exam. In this post, we are going to take a look at some materials and methods that can be or should be used to practice for TOEFL Speaking test.

You are going to respond to 2 independent (personal preference and choice) and 4 dependent questions (campus situation explain, academic course general, campus situation problem/solution and academic course summary) during Toefl speaking test. It means that in some questions you will just speak for 40-45 seconds, in some others you will read a passage or listen to an audio file and then explain these situations or find some solutions to some problems and talk about them for 45-60 seconds. You will have 15-30 seconds of preparation time before you answer the questions. Your responds will be evaluated in terms of delivery, language use and topic development.

Some important things to do before starting to prepare for the speaking test:

There will be four main activities that you are going to do in order to improve Toefl speaking test scores:

How to Improve TOEFL Writing Skills & Scores?

TOEFL writing test is compromised of 1 integrated and 1 independent writing tasks and it lasts nearly 1 hour. In the integrated task, an examinee is generally wanted to report the ideas and information that he reads and listens before starting to write. The independent writing is about writing an essay to state ideas about a specific topic. Both of these tasks are evaluated in terms of accuracy, grammar, vocabulary, organization, idea development and completeness. Through practicing regularly and paying attention to the important points related to the test, it is quite possible to get a good score in the TOEFL writing test. Now lets try to answer the questions "What should I do to improve my TOEFL writing score?"

Understanding the differences

First and the most important thing you have to do is to see the most important differences between the writing part and the other parts of the test. Regulary practice is really important in TOEFL writing but it is never enough. You can improve your reading scores greatly by constant reading and your listening scores by constant listening. However, you can't improve your scores greatly by writing constantly. The most important thing you need is to be reviewed by a tutor, a teacher or a friend who is competent at English writing.