Essential Words for the TOEFL

by Steven J. Matthiesen

This revised book is specifically designed for ESL students preparing to take the TOEFL and features updated vocabulary that is seen most often on the exam. It includes:

Phrases and “purpose” words (for example, define, discuss, claim, etc.) that are used in the speaking and writing sections of the test
New words and phrases, since you are often asked to explain the meaning of a phrase
Lists of vocabulary words with definitions, sample sentences, and practice exercises for 500 need-to-know words
Detailed advice to help students expand their English language vocabulary, and more

Students can test their mastery of TOEFL vocabulary by taking the included practice test with answer key, which is designed to help students evaluate their progress, and increase confidence in their vocabulary skills.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics

352 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Pouria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book as an online course in memrise.com:
https://www.memrise.com/course/131980...
This course includes audio pronunciation and images for each word which helps the memorizing process. Words in this book are of course essential for the TOEFL exam and very practical for everyday English language usage.

[Saeede Kermani · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very good book for learning TOEFL vocabulary, and it has effective exercises. Recommend it to those who want to study for TOEFL.

[Waris Ahmad Faizi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prominent!!!
Learned a collection of new words along with their synonyms.
Barron’s Essential Words For The TOEFL is one of the most effective and valuable books for practicing TOEFL iBT Words.
I highly recommend this book to those who are in the truck of preparation for the TOEFL iBT.

[Ali Abdi · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 504 essential words, this is comes next!

[Farnaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a good book for learning essential words for the Toefl.

[Michael Goodine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barron’s vocabulary book is similar to other TOEFL vocab books, like Princeton Review’s TOEFL Power Vocab. It is mostly just lists of words and definitions. In this case they are divided into 30 “lessons” of about 15 words each. The words selected for each lesson don’t seem to be based on similar themes or structures.

While Princeton Review’s book includes a short quiz every few pages, Barron’s includes ten actual TOEFL reading question (vocabulary type, of course) at the end of each lesson. I can’t really say if the questions are accurate, but I don’t think that is the point. They mainly serve to help students understand the meaning and usage of each word. And, yeah, I guess they help students understand what a vocabulary question looks like and how it is put together.

The words here seem a bit more difficult that in Princeton Review’s book thankfully. Some of them are still too easy, though. I guess teachers should glance at the book before assigning it to see if the overall level is suitable for their students. I would probably recommend it for students scoring 90 and below.

[Ly Casnocha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This publication worked really well for me. It contained the essential and fundamental vocabulary on the TOEFL. The publication was also quite well-structured and well-organized. The vocabulary were mostly classified into different categories. Alongside, the syntax and word roots could also be found in Barron's publication. Overall, I think Steven Matthiesen did a good job in composing this publication for anyone in need of improving their academic vocabulary.

[Farhad Da · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot of good words that can be useful for me in a lot of situations such as English proficiency exams, writing emails and papers, etc.
This book contains not only commonplace words but also two sentences and one synonyms for each one.

I firmly suggest that read this book with help of memrise.com.

[Toofan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whether or not this book might prove useful rather depends on the English level of the student.
I suggest that both independent students and teachers browse through the pages and assess if the presented vocabulary serve the intended purpose before buying / recommending it.

[Mostafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهترین کتاب لغتی که میشه خوند قطعا همین کتابه، لغتاش خیلی کاربردیه چه برای تافل و چه توی آزمونهای داخلی از کنکور ارشد گرفته تا آزمون های استخدامی و ...

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 3 out of 5]

ازتون متنفرم ای تمام کتاب های لغت :))

[Sahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great but far too short to be called essential words for a test.

[Toofan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, the suitability of this book depends on the existing vocabluray of the student. Some might find it useful, others not so much.
I just finished comparing the 5th, 6th and 7th editions of this book and in my opinion, the 6th edition is more useful than the 5th and 7th editions.

[Snur Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really contain good vocabularies and informative guidelines and tips for the exam, in addition to the exercise following each chapter.
highly recommend to have a look before taking the test

[Nattakan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guideline before the test!

[Angela]

this is a perennial favorite for our Practice English instructors as they help students prepare to go to college.

[Shirin Heidari · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be better that the main words of the book have pronunciation. Therefore, we could learn the vocabularies properly.

[Babak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best source for vocabulary :)

[Fatimah Alhamamah · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the most informative books for the TOEFL I highly recommend it.

[Ayaz Bilalov]

essential words for me improve language skills