In Short Conversations, there is a lot of casual discussion and, therefore, casual language. The dialogue for this section of the test will often contain a large number of idioms and phrasal verbs, which are used extensively in spoken English. Both of these are expressions in English that have meaning outside of the vocabulary being used. The best way to acquire them is to listen to and talk with native speakers of English.
Idioms
An idiom is a group of words that together have a different meaning from the individual words. The meaning of an idiom cannot be figured out by putting together the meanings of the individual words. Instead, the group of words as a whole has a special meaning, which you need to learn. Idiom questions can be difficult for students because they seem to be describing one situation when they are really describing a different situation.
- shoot one's mouth off (talk in an opinionated and loud manner) Ted shot his mouth off at the meeting, and no one else had a chance to speak. (Ted talked in such a way that no one else was able to explain his or her own views,)
- be hard up (lack money) I'm sorry, I can't lend you $10 because I am really hard up this month. (I have very little money this month.)
Here's a list of some common idioms you may see on the TOEFL ITP test. Try to become familiar with them and use them in context whenever you can.
| Common Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| blow it | fail, do poorly |
| can tell | can comprehend, know instinctively |
| can't stand | won't or can't tolerate |
| fed up | disgusted |
| get out of hand | become uncontrollable |
| hard to imagine | difficult to accept as being true |
| keep an eye on | watch, guard |
| keep in touch | communicate |
| keep track of | know about; stay informed; keep a record of |
| kill time | occupy one's time while waiting; waste time |
| make fun of | joke about (someone or something) |
| none of one's business | a personal matter that should not be of interest to someone else |
| out of date | not timely, not fashionable |
| out of touch | not in contact or communication |
| pull someone's leg | tease or joke |
| see eye to eye | agree |
| take advantage of | use the opportunity for; abuse a kindness |
| take care of | watch over, be responsible for |
| up to date | timely, modern, the most recent |
| worn out | exhausted; in bad condition |
Phrasal verbs
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