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TOEFL Vocabulary Overview

Jul 13, 2025

Overview

This lecture covers essential TOEFL reading vocabulary, providing definitions, common collocations, and usage tips for each word to help students prepare for the exam.

Adapting and Changing

  • Adapt means to change or adjust to new conditions (e.g., adapt quickly, adapt to change).
  • Modify, alter, or adjust are common synonyms.

Organizing, Distributing, and Approaching

  • Allocate means to distribute resources or duties for a purpose (e.g., allocate funds).
  • Approach refers to a method or way of dealing with a problem (e.g., scientific method).

Expressing Clarity and Logic

  • Apparent means clearly visible or obvious (e.g., apparent reason).
  • Coherent means logical and consistent (e.g., coherent structure).

Collecting, Enhancing, and Completing

  • Compile means to gather together information (e.g., compile data).
  • Complement means to enhance or complete something (e.g., complement each other).

Core Elements and Thoroughness

  • Component is a part or element of a whole (e.g., key component).
  • Comprehensive means thorough or including all aspects (e.g., comprehensive review).

Forming Ideas and Concepts

  • Conceive means to formulate or devise a plan/idea.
  • Concept is an abstract idea or general notion (e.g., core concept).

Behavior and Importance

  • Conduct is manner or behavior in a specific context.
  • Considerable means significant or notably large (e.g., considerable influence).

Restriction and Use

  • Constrain means to restrict or limit (e.g., constrain development).
  • Consume means to use up resources or energy.

Modernity and Change

  • Contemporary means modern or existing at the same time.
  • Convert means to transform or change form (e.g., convert currency).

Cooperation and Organization

  • Cooperate means to work together.
  • Coordinate means to organize different parts for efficiency.

Criteria and Cycles

  • Criteria are standards used for judgment (e.g., selection criteria).
  • Cycle means a regularly repeated sequence (e.g., life cycle).

Reasoning and Proof

  • Deduce means to infer based on logic.
  • Demonstrate means to prove or show evidence.

Extraction and Distinction

  • Derive means to obtain from a source (e.g., derive benefit).
  • Detect means to discover or identify the presence of something.

Differentiating and Decreasing

  • Deviate means to diverge from the norm.
  • Differentiate means to distinguish differences.
  • Diminish means to decrease or make less.

Display and Uniqueness

  • Display means to show or exhibit.
  • Distinct means unique or recognizably different.

Domains and Control

  • Domain refers to an area of knowledge or expertise.
  • Dominate means to control or have commanding influence.

Time, Change, and Permission

  • Duration is the length of time something lasts.
  • Dynamic means characterized by constant change.
  • Enable means to permit or make possible.

Encountering and Enforcing

  • Encounter means to unexpectedly meet or face something.
  • Enforce means to implement or compel compliance (e.g., enforce rules).

Improving and Arranging

  • Enhance means to improve or intensify.
  • Format means to arrange or organize according to rules.

Structure and Fundamentals

  • Framework is a basic underlying structure.
  • Fundamental means basic or central importance.

Belief Systems and Implementation

  • Ideology is a system of ideas or beliefs.
  • Implement means to put into effect.

Implicity and Indication

  • Implicit means implied but not stated directly.
  • Indicate means to show or point out.

Inducing and Inherence

  • Induce means to cause or bring about.
  • Inherent means intrinsic or built-in.

Restraining and Initiating

  • Inhibit means to restrict or prevent.
  • Initiate means to start or begin.

Necessity and Time Intervals

  • Integral means essential or crucial.
  • Interval is a period between two points/events.

Law, Isolation, and Maintenance

  • Invoke means to call upon (law, authority).
  • Isolate means to separate from others.
  • Maintain means to keep or continue.

Processes, Observation, and Reciprocity

  • Mechanism means a process by which something works.
  • Monitor means to observe or check progress.
  • Mutual means reciprocal or shared by both parties.

Ideas, Acquisition, and Occupation

  • Notion means an idea or belief.
  • Obtain means to acquire or gain.
  • Occupy means to fill or reside in a space.

Balancing, Continuity, and Output

  • Offset means to balance or counteract.
  • Ongoing means continuous.
  • Output means production or amount produced.

Limits and Occurrences

  • Parameter is a limit or boundary for an experiment.
  • Phenomenon is an observable event or occurrence.

Leading and Accuracy

  • Precede means to come before.
  • Precise means exact or accurate.

Dominance and Beginnings

  • Predominant means dominant or most common.
  • Preliminary means initial or coming before the main part.

Proportions and Quality

  • Proportion means a part or fraction of a whole.
  • Qualitative refers to descriptions based on quality.

Refinement and Relevance

  • Refine means to improve or purify.
  • Relevant means pertinent or applicable.

Resources and Restrictions

  • Resource refers to assets or supplies.
  • Restrict means to limit or control.

Rigidity, Scenarios, and Range

  • Rigid means stiff or inflexible.
  • Scenario means a possible situation or sequence of events.
  • Scope means the range or extent of something.

Significance, Imitation, and Sufficiency

  • Significant means noteworthy or important.
  • Simulate means to imitate or replicate.
  • Sufficient means adequate or enough.

Support, Transmission, and Experience

  • Sustain means to support or keep going.
  • Transmit means to send out or broadcast.
  • Undergo means to experience, usually something challenging.

Usage, Well-being, and Extent

  • Utilize means to use effectively.
  • Welfare means well-being or health.
  • Widespread means extensive or covering a large area.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Adapt — to change in response to new conditions.
  • Allocate — to distribute resources for a purpose.
  • Comprehensive — thorough, covering all aspects.
  • Compile — to gather or collect information.
  • Criteria — standards for judgment or decision-making.
  • Deduce — to infer from evidence or reasoning.
  • Demonstrate — to prove or show clearly.
  • Dominate — to have control or a commanding influence.
  • Duration — the length of time something lasts.
  • Framework — underlying structure or system.
  • Fundamental — essential or basic.
  • Inherent — intrinsic, an essential characteristic.
  • Mutual — reciprocal, shared by all parties.
  • Parameter — a limit or boundary of a system.
  • Phenomenon — an observable event or occurrence.
  • Simulate — to imitate or replicate.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Review each vocabulary word and its definition.
  • Practice using each word in your own example sentences.
  • Complete any assigned TOEFL practice questions or tests.
  • Explore TST Prep for additional free TOEFL resources and practice.