Makalah Listening : LISTEN ‘ALMOST NEGATIVE’ EXPRESSIONS

 

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

A.                INTRODUCTION OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION

The first section of the TOEFL test is the Listening Comprehension section. This section consists of fifty questions (some tests may be longer). You will listen to recorded materials and respond to questions about the material. You must listen carefully because you will hear the recording one time only and the material on the recording is not written in your test book.

There are three parts in the Listening Comprehension section of the TOEFL test:

1.      Part A consists of thirty short conversations, each followed by a question. You must choose the best answer to each question from the four choices in your test book.

2.      Part B consists of two longer conversations, each followed by a number of questions. You must choose the best answer to each question from the four choices in your test book.

3.      Part C consists of three talks, each followed by a number of question. You must choose the best answer to each question from the four choices in your test book.

The listening comprehension  section is to check your ability about your  understanding both short and long conversation in english. The section contains recorded  material that is similar to what you might here if you were with a group of students at an english speaking college or university. The language includes :

-                      Vocabulary and idiomatic expression common to spoken english.

-                      Special grammatical constractions used in speech.

B.                 Listen ‘Almost Negative’ Expressions

Certain expressions in English have “almost negative” meanings. These expressions are common on the TOEFL test and need to be reviewed.

There are several “almost negative” expressions in English-words like rarely or seldom. These words have meanings of “almost not” , “almost none” , and“almost never”. They do not mean “completely not”.

For example, if someone says: “I barely finished the test in time”.It means that he did finish in time, but with not much time left over.

The following chart outlines common “almost negative” expression:

COMMON “ALMOST NEGATIVE” EXPRESSIONS
Meaning	Expression	Example
Almost none	Hardly, barely, scarcely, only	There is hardly any food in the refrigerator.
Almost never	Rarely, seldom	He rarely drivers to work

Example:

On the recording you hear:

            (woman)          Were you able to pay the electric bill?

            (man)               I had barely enough money.

            (narrator)         What does the man imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A)  He had plenty of money for the bill.

(B)   He did not have enough money for the bill.

(C)   He paid the bill but has no money left.

(D)  He was unable to pay the bill.

The man’s answer says he had berely enough money, so we know that he could pay the bill, but he had no money or only a tiny bit of money left afterward. Therefore (c) is the best answer.

Part A covers 30 short conversatin between  two speaker. The most frequently every speakers have speak only one time. While in conversation between two people about the important information usually declered by the second  speaker. Because that, you must to give high attantin for the second speaker. After the conversation  finished, you will hear the question and the answer option in the answer sheet or screen computer. All the answer complete in grammatical so the answer looks correct. Whereas the correct answer is only one. You have just 10 until 12 second to find out the correct answer.

C.                The purpose of the TOEFL Listening Comprehension

The candidate should be able to understand :

A.                What the speaker wants communicate.

B.                 How the speaker has organized his ideas.

C.                 The various relations between the different ideas presented in the topic.

D.                How to form a conclusion from the material provided.

E.                 How to synthesize the information provided.

D.                Guessing strategy in Listening Comprehension for Toefl

The strategy and technic to answer question in listening comprehension is very important because the times to provided in listening comprehension  very short or limited. (10 – 12 second).

Skills in listening comprehension is very important, so many steps you can practice to improve yor skill in listening comprehension.

1.             Don’t read the option when the audio currently playing. Because the time is very important to understood about  the topic in conversation.

2.             You can try to understand about the theme/topicin conversation clearly.

3.             You can try to guess the correct answer. If you not find out the correct answer you must to chose the correct answer in optin. Do not forget if your answer is wrong, it os not to disturb your value. You not to focus with one word or sentence if you not really understan obout the meaning. You can try to guess the answer bacause the your times is very limited.

4.             You shoul to understand about the key in conversation, for example : School, University, Library, Bank, Office, Shop, Apartement, etc.

TOEFL EXERCISE : In this exercise, listen carefully to the short conversation  and  question in the recording program ang then choose the best answer to the question. Remember that the best answer is one that means that it is true but it is almost not true.

Exercise:

Conversation 1 :

MAN WOMAN

I hardly had time to finish the exam. Really ??? I finished in no time.

What does the woman mean?

A.    she is surprised he took so long to finish.

B.     she is surprised he didn’t finish.

C.     she is surprised the exam was so easy.

D.    she is surprised the exam took hardly any time at all.

The best answer is A

The woman is surprised that an exam that took her “no time” to finish (that she finished quickly) took the man a long time to finish.

Conversation 2 :

WOMAN MAN

I just can not solve the calculus problem on page three of the handout. If you think that one’s hard, just look at the one I am doing.

What does the man mean?

A.    one of the two problems has no solution.

B.     the most difficult problem is on page three.

C.     the three problems will be difficult for her tosolve.

D.    the problem he is working on his harder than the one on page three.

The best answer is A

The statement “if you think that one’s hard, just look at the one I’m doing” implies a comparison between two problems in which the latter (“the one I’m doing”) is more difficult.

Conversation 3 :

WOMAN MAN WOMAN

I thought you tried to arrange your schedule so that you only had morning classes. I did. But my ten-o’clock history class was canceled, and the only other class open that would fulfill my course requirements was at two o’clock. Well, I suppose it is better than taking an evening class.

What does the woman mean?

A.    evening classes are better.

B.     the man’s schedule could be worse.

C.     she was correct about his schedule.

D.    it is unfortunate that he has a ten-o’clock class.

The best answer is B

Because the woman means that having a class in the afternoon is better than having one in the evening. Therefore, the man’s schedule could be worse than it is.

Conversation 4 :

MAN WOMAN

How did you get peter to help out at the student activities center? It wasn’t easy. I had to twist his arm.

What does the woman mean?

A.    the woman hurt peter.

B.     peter really didn’t want to help.

C.     the woman had to take peter to the hospital.

D.    peter couldn’t work because he injured his arm.

The best answer is B

The woman uses the expression “twist his arm” to imply that she had to pressure peter to help because he didn’t want to, his not wanting to help can also be understood  from her saying, “it wasn’t easy” , in response to the man’s question.

Conversation 5 :

WOMAN MAN

Classes will be over the week after next. And that’s not a minute too soon for me

What does the man imply?

A.    he would like classes to be over sooner.

B.     his class will finish in a minute.

C.     he thinks class will  end too soon.

D.    he thinks the week after next is very early.

The best answer is A

The man’s use of the expression “that’s not a minute too soon for me” implies “classes can’t be over soon enough to please me” , in other words, the man is extremely eager for classes to be over.

Conclusion

From thestatementabove we can concludethatthere aresomethingsthat must be consideredinlistening comprehension.

A.    Listen ‘Almost Negative’ Expressions

There are several “almost negative” expressions in English-words like rarely or seldom. These words have meanings of “almost not” , “almost none” , and “almost never”. They do not mean “completely not”.

B.     The Purpose of The TOEFL Listening Comprehension

The candidate should be able to understand :

1.      What the speaker wants communicate.

2.      How the speaker has organized his ideas.

3.      The various relations between the different ideas presented in the topic.

4.      How to form a conclusion from the material provided.

5.      How to synthesize the information provided.

C.    Guessing Strategy  In Listening Comprehension For Toefl

Skills in listening comprehension is very important, so many steps you can practice to improve yor skill in listening comprehension:

1.      Don’t read the option when the audio currently playing. Because the time is very important to understood about  the topic in conversation.

2.      You can try to understand about the theme/topicin conversation clearly.

3.      You can try to guess the correct answer. If you not find out the correct answer you must to chose the correct answer in optin. Do not forget if your answer is wrong, it os not to disturb your value. You not to focus with one word or sentence if you not really understan obout the meaning. You can try to guess the answer bacause the your times is very limited.

4.      You shoul to understand about the key in conversation, for example : School, University, Library, Bank, Office, Shop, Apartement, etc.

REFERENCES

Ninsiana, Widhiya. Modul Listening. State Islamic College Of Jurai Siwo Metro, 2014.

Johan h.f and Anne Juwita. Smart Way  to TOEFL. Smart Generation, 2011.

Riyanto Slamet.TOEFL Preparation . Pustaka Pelajar: Yogyakarta.2008.

Riyanto Slamet. Structure and Written Expression for TOEFL Test. Pustaka Pelajar:Yogyakarta.2008.