boogieman

Hi Everyone :D:D:D I got my final score today...its 290. Here are my individual scores; Listening : 28 Structure : 29 Reading : 30 Essay : 6.0 Total : 290 Thanks to Erin for maintaining such a wonderful website and to all the guys and gals who read my essays here.I think words cant describe what a great job he is doing. If you notice i am writing this message in paragraphs too...hahaha. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!! CHEERSSS!! :D:D

Hi everyone , I took the test today 26 March. Here are my individual scores, Listening : 28 Structure/Writing : 12 - 29 Reading : 30 Total : 233 - 290 I have no idea how I did in the essay part. So dont know how it will turn out . Whatever ppl talk about the listening section is true...its confusing while answering the questions . Structure part was infact a bit challenging. Reading was ok ,it what they always ask ,topics on science. The essay I had to write was " Do you prefer studying alone or in a group" ERIN thanks a lot for your wonderful site. It helped me a lot ,especially for the essays. All your tips were useful. I wish you good luck in your endeavours. And good luck everyone. Cheeeeerss!

Hi guys & gals, here is another from me.Perhaps a few more of these and i will be ready to take my test later in the week.:D:D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In some countries, people are no longer allowed to smoke in many public places and office buildings. I strongly support this policy of a ban on smoking in public places because it will reduce the dangers of passive smoking, it will set a good example for the younger generation and it will help in changing social habits harmful to health. According to medical research passive smoking is said to be a major cause for lung cancer and other respiratory related ailments. Man is a social animal and humans cannot avoid social contact, this obviously leads to a serious problem when a non-smoker wants to socialise. Despite making an intelligent decision not to smoke, a non-smoker is forced to contend with the harmful effects of inhaling smoke from smokers in public places and office buildings. It is the job of a responsible government to take care of public health for obvious social benefits. Medical research again suggests that majority of smokers develop the habit at a young age either in their teens or late in their teens. Public places, are the places most often visited by young people. It is likely that young people pick up this habit by observing others in public places or watching them in movies, etc. By prohibiting smoking in public places it can be ensured that there would one place lesser which will influence the young minds. Thus it can be inferred that if people do not pick up the habit at a young age, they would do so at a later stage. Lastly banning smoking in a public place or office buildings is just the beginning of a good policy by governments who want to promote social habits which will benefit the health of the population. If smoking is restricted in public places,people would be forced to change their habits, which would be harmful for society or atleast they would forced to think about their ill habits. This would set a trend amongst people in society to think and be more careful about their health. In conclusion, I think that more countries around the world should start implementing the policy of not allowing smoking in pubic places, thus changing bad habits of men and women across nations.

I know i made some mistakes ,here is the correction "Besides most scientific research institutions or positions requiring technical knowledge, recognise that only a college or university student has met the requisite standards to be able to work or conduct research with them. Knowledge can be gained by reading books, but in the real world recognition that a person has achieved a particular standard is recognised only when a student gains knowledge from a university" What word could I use to replace the "recognition & recognise" in the above sentence. I cant seem to find an appropiate word(s) to replace them

Hi guys, I guess this is the mother of all favourites for writing an essay in TOEFL.So i have to join in too and write an essay on it.Any suggestions ,comments, how is the essay? :D :D :D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I remember an incident from the days I attended university,just a few days into my first year few of my classmates were discussing on why they had decided to attend university, in a bid to make friends I joined in the discussion. Soon there were many reasons flying, some said it would give them a better advantage in the job market, some wanted to attend college for new experiences, to make new friends, some had an intellectual incilination and wanted to gain knowledge and a selected few took time off from work to take time off and decide the career they wanted to pursue. After participating in such an interesting discussion that evening I decided to put down my thoughts in my diary in hope that sometime in future it might be useful. I can recall all that I had put down in my diary today. The first reason and easily the widely accepted reason why people attend university or college is to improve their career prospects. In today's competitive world, where businesses demand candidates have a good education, a college or university degree improves the chances of securing a good job. After all it is economics which dominates the decisions of most people nowadays. For example most businesses in my country, send a team of recruiters to colleges and universities around the country offering successful students well paying jobs. Another reason some students attend college is to gain knowledge. In present times we see that there are numerous branches in science,arts and business studies which require a structured and regular period of study to gain proficiency in the subjects. For example when a student is interested in studying particle physics or engineering, a university would be a good place where knowledge can be dispensed in a structured way. Besides most scientific research institutions or positions requiring technical knowledge, recognise only a college or university student has met the requisite standards to be able to work or research with them. Knowledge can be gained by reading books, but in the real world recoginition that a person has achieved a particular standard is recognised only when a student gains knowledge from a university. Lastly, there are people who attend university to make new friends, have new experiences. In my country India, students in colleges and universities come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Students travel far from their states of residence and stay near their universities and colleges, there are people from every social status rich and poor, what this does to the imagination of people who are sociable is that they see this as an ideal ground to meet new people and have new experiences and education though maybe important, it is incidental to them. In conclusion, the prospect of a good job, a thirst for knowledge and lastly a desire for new experiences and making new friends are the reasons for most people to attend a college or university. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [dance] [dance] [dance] [dance] [dance] [dance] [dance] [dance]

Hi guys Here is a good website for free pratice tests with answers and explanations.Tests for Grammar,reading and listening. http://www.faceweb.okanagan.bc.ca/toefl/TOEFL2.HTM Good luck and Cheers!

Hi Erin ,guys and glas.........Pleasssssssezz, I need to get my essay evaluated soon :o, I have to take the test on March 26, so I will be writing scores :D of essays here, I hope you guys will help me by reading them and giving me suggestions. :cool: Cheerss...! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think it is a good idea for teenagers to have jobs while they are still students because it is an excellent way to prepare them for the "real" world, it teaches them to be responsible and trains them early in their lives to handle their own finances. Parents very often tend to be over protective of their childern and shield them from the harsh realities of life. In my opinion I think the earlier a child or teenager is exposed to the realities of life the higher would the child's maturity and chances of being successful in life. The best way to gain experience or to expose a teenager to what he can expect from life is to give him or her an opportunity to work in the real world. The teenager would immediately learn or atleast be exposed to many things in life which he or she would have never seen, experienced or imagined before. Secondly once a person is exposed to the realities of life, he becomes more responsible since he would know that life is not all that easy as he had experienced before he started to work. Inevitably the teen has to plan his day properly when he has to work and this would help him in organising his day and time management skills. He would have to make choices, though they may seem small at this point in life. This would teach him a very important lesson that there might be a wide gap between what we actually want to do and what we actually have to do. In the teenager's perspective it might be a choice he has to make between having to enjoy with his friends or work. Certainly all the above would help him in being more responsible. But in my opinion the most important lesson having a job can do to a teenager is help him in planning his finances. The teenager may not earn much but it gives him an hands on experience in spending his money judiciously. I believe a person understands an idea faster when he actually experiences it, hence if a person starts to plan his own finances he can handle it better than learning about it theorotically. If a teen comes from a poor family he can work, earn his own money and yet not be deprived of the all the fun that an average teenager wants have or the money can even pay for his education. Hence I strongly believe that it is a good idea for teenagers to have a job while they are still students, not only for economic reasons but it can used as ideal training ground of what to expect in his years after education. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any comments??:D:D:D[dance] Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People should read only those books that are about real events, real people, and established facts. Use specific reasons and details to support your opinion. Once a close friend of mine noticed I was reading book "The Lord of the Rings" - a well known fiction classic and said to me that the book was all crap and everything in it was so unreal.His comment made me think "should people read only those books that are about real events,real people and established facts?". After thinking for a while I strongly felt people should read books not just about real events and so on, but its very healthy to read fiction books too.Dreams are an natural part of human existence.Many a time we dream about things which never took place and dream of things which never could have existed or about events that could have taken place.Yet do we ever go about denying our dreams?Majority of us dont.Now a days even the medical profession claims that it is very healthy to dream.Based on the above I think its second nature to man to conjure up fictitious events and people.Hence though it may seem paradoxical,fiction too is "real" for human nature. Lets take an example about a person going about his chores in life like working,eating or running errands day in day out,wouldnt such a person find it relaxing to dream about a holiday or about spending time with his friends or of love ,all of which incidentally may not be real.The effect of thinking about things not real is that momentarily he forgets about the pressures of daily life,he is relaxed,he finds that he has a purpose in life other than just existing and doing his daily duties.An effect of this would be that it may prompt him to pursue his dream or motivate him to achieve it and this in turn will keep him mentally healthy.Though reading about real events,people and establised facts helps one to have a practical outlook in life,reading about fiction or philosophy would help a person relax and escape the realities of life,which though may not give him tangible benefits but it would give a great boost to his mental health. Lastly,one should remember that fiction gives flight to imagination and we all know what an active imagination can achieve.Imagination is an active part of intelligence,it is only through imagination that the world made progress.Real events,real people and established can show us of what has happened,but only imagination and fiction can make us think of what is possible.It can make us think,if things have been bad in the past how can we make them better and of course any part that is not a fact or real is fiction. With the help of the above examples and facts,I can confidently say that it is very important to read books about not only real people,events and established facts but also books on works of fiction.

I am getting a bad feeling that i wrote a essay below standards:D! Any comments?

Any suggestions on the essay welcome.:DCheers!![dance]:) There can be many definitions of development but the best form of progress is one wherein each person in the country has access to food,clothing,housing,good santitation facilities and medical facilities.The debate of "should governments spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology" is a very relevant in my country,India. The role of a government is to aid in the development of society and in improving the standard of living of people.The government's role is to ensure that resources in a society are being used efficiently for the good of all its people. It's role is to not to profit from allocating the resources rather its role is to see that if a part of society is suffering due to inequity,it help that particular group to meet its minimum economic needs.It is the role of business entities to make decisions based on profit-maximisation and not the government. Keeping in mind the above principles about the role of a government,we can argue the case for or against spending on computer technology. Here, I would like to give an example of a state called Andhra Pradesh in my country,India.Andhra pradesh is state plagued with problems typical to most of the states in India,beauracracy,corruption and lethargy.How could the government overcome all of these problem in just a few years without resistance from its employees?The state is not a rich state its leaders realised the importance of computer technology and started investing heavily in it. It should not be forgotten that the government could well have used this as an excuse to be corrupt,but since the government had sincere motives ,it had managed to use these to make government services more accessible than ever before its history. Computer technology can help the government improve its services to the people this in turn directly can help in raising the standard of living of people.In conclusion I think that a good government should spend money on computer technology which will directly affect the quality of delivery of basic needs to society.

Hi guys, It is certainly difficult to write an essay within 30 minutes on this topic.But i did try to do it in 45 mins.:DHope its ok.Any comments??Is the quality of the essay good? any improvements suggested?:cool: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ever since the development of scientific temper,one of the hot topics of debate amongst the intelligensia in society was,which club has contributed more to the development of our society, artists or scientists? While it is the artists who hog the limelight in society for their contributions, the hardworking so called "scientist" is always a behind the scenes man.For example,Bach the famous 16th century composer has given compositions which people enjoy and cherish to this day.His compositions help most people in relaxing after a hard day's work or to muse over the easier way of life.But to the contrary we cannot imagine how our life would have been today without Edison's invention of light bulb.The invention of light bulb has changed mankind's life and future dramatically so much so that,it would be impossible to survive without it today.A person today can live without Bach's composition but not without Edison's discovery. In my country India where the scientific thinking hasn't percolated down the layer's of society as much as it has in a developed country's society,it is an artist's contribution that is more valued than a scientist's.For example if we can include movie actors,singers, painters, music composers under the canopy of artists and we assume that financial reward as guage for recognition of a person's contribution to society then an artist in India is far more valued than a scientist.On the other hand a scientist in India finds it difficult to get grants for his research work or for that matter even get a salary good enough to lead a decent life.While a movie star earns millions of rupees(dollars) in India a scientist heading key research projects earns few measly hundred rupees. For reasons stated above and due to the practical nature of science in being directly responsible for the improvement in the quality of life of in India an artist is more valued in my society than a scientist.But I firmly believe an artist and a scientist should have equal status in society and one shouldnt be given more importance in soiety at the cost of other. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Erin & guys Here is the same essay after editing it,does it still have mistakes,in grammar,compostion,trasnsition,length..etc..etc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One cold winter night I asked my friend "Would you rather live in place that has the same climate all year long or would you like to live in an area where weather changes several times a year?" I found it rather funny when he said, "Of course the weather has to change all year,otherwise it wouldnt be called weather and yes I want to stay in a place where weather changes all year". I couldn't agree with him any more. It is said that the only thing constant in life is change.But most of us forget this basic fact and are not prepared for change.I think that it is the weather which reminds us of this fact throughout the year.Everything changes whether(weather?) we like it or not.I think learning to live in place where weather changes throughout the year is good way to get used to the fact that we should be prepared for change all our lives.That is the reason I would like to live in a placewhere weather changes throughout the year. Human nature is such that it likes to have different experiences in life.Just imagine how one would feel if all that we did in life was eat ,sleep and work? Using the same analogy I would like to experience a different climate/season throughout the year.In my country,India we have three distinct seasons; summer,winter and monsoon. When we get tired of the heat ,the rain gives us respite from the heat,when we get tired of the rains,it gives way to the cooler season and when we are absolutely tired of the cold,the sun starts to hit down on us again.In short life is very eventful and exciting when we have changes in weather. Secondly,I would like to stay in a place where there is a change in the weather thoroughout the year because then I would have a opportunity to wear different kinds of clothes during each season.I would be bored death either of watching people wearing the same type of clothes throughout the year or of having to wear the same type of clothes myself.I think its fun ,exciting and makes life colorful and lively to wear different types of clothes throughout the year.This would be possible only if I lived in a placed where the weather changes throughout the year. Last but not the least,I would love to eat the different types of food available during different seasons.For example ,in India mangoes are available only in summer,apples and grapes grow only in winter and so on.If it hadnt been for different seasons I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the variety in foods. In conclusion I attribute human nature,the thrill of wearing different clothes in each season otherwise called as fashion and the joy of eating different foods in different seasons (especially for a food lover like me) ,for my choice to live in a place where weather changes constantly.

Awww shucksss...i know i made many mistakes trying to improve my speed for the essay,apart from the spelling mistakes and missing words ,how is the essay?

YAYYYYYYY!!! I completed my second essay in 31 minutes[dance].Pleaseeeeee I would highly appreciate a critical evaluation of my essay.Is it too long??:D Thanks in advance!! Cheers!:) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One cold winter night I asked my friend "Would you rather live in place that has the same climate all year long or would you like to live in an area where weather changes several times a year?" I found it rather funny when he said, "Of course the weather has to change all year,otherwise it wouldnt be called weather and yes i want to stay in a place where weather changes all year". I couldn't agree with him any more. It is said that the only thing constant in life is change.But most of us forget this basic fact and are not prepared for change.I think that it is the weather which reminds us of this fact throughout the year.Everything changes whether(weather?) we like it or not.I think learning to live in place where weather changes throughout the year is good way to get used to the fact that we should be prepared for change all the while,that is the reason I would like to live in a placewhere weather changes throughout the year. Human nature is such that it likes to different experiences in life.Just imagine how one would feel if that we did in life was eat ,sleep and work? Using the same analogy I would like to experience a different climate/season throughout the year.I my country India we have three distinct seasons; summer,winter and monsoon.When we get tired of the heat ,the rain gives us respite from the heat,when we get tired of the rains,it gives way to cool season and we are absolutely tired of the cold,the sun starts to hit down on us down again.In short life is very eventful and exciting with changing weather. Secondly,I would like to stay in a place where there is change in the weather thoroughout the year cause then i would have a opportunity wear different kinds of clothes during each season.I would be bored death to either watch people wearing the same type of clothes throughout the year or having to wear the same type pf clothes myself.I think its fun ,exciting and makes life colorful and lively to wear different types of clothes throughout the year.This would be possible only if i lived in a placed where the weather changes throughout the year. Last but not the least,I would love to eat the different types to food available during that particular season.For example ,in India mangoes are available only in summer,apples and grapes only in winter and so on.If it hadnt been for different seasons I wouldnt have been able to enjoy the variety in foods. I conclusion I attribute human nature,the thrill of wearing different lothes each season otherwise called as fashion and the joy of having to eat foods (expecially for a food lover like me) in each season,for my choice to live in a place where weather changes constantly. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi nu_naam Thanks for your prompt reply.Great suggestion about the introduction. Also it would be great if you could /or anyone reading my post, could know about the following 1.Are my examples good enough? 2.Do i need to give more examples 3.Is the transition of the essay good?,Does it look abrupt? 4.Would I score as many points even if the essays are shorter? 5.How would you/anyone reading the essay rate it? (on a points scale? Cheers! :D