Verbal Ability

1. Verbal Ability • Vocabulary Building and Sentence Completion 1

2. Vocabulary Building Strategies • An improved, strengthened vocabulary is the most sure-fire way to improve your verbal scores. • Strategies for enhancing your vocabulary skills. • Memorize the meanings of as many prefixes, suffixes, and root words as possible. • Generate a thorough collection of flash cards of prefixes, suffixes, and root words. • Establish a thorough collection of flash cards of words. 2

3. Vocabulary Building Strategies • What your flash cards should include and entail. • Write the word on one side of the card with pronunciation if necessary. • Write all of the definitions on the other side. • Along with the definitions, write down the word’s part of speech. • Write down the word in a sentence. • Optional: Draw an illustration you can associate with the word. • Optional: Use word association (the word) with something memorable. 3

4. Sentence Completion Strategies • Realize each section consists of six questions. • Plan on spending 4-4 1/2 minutes on each of the two sections or 30-45 seconds per question. • Memorize instructions and internalize what you need to do to save precious time. • Remember you want to indentify answer choices that LOGICALLY and STYLISTICALLY complete the sentence. • Select the BEST answer choice. • Some answer choices work, but they aren’t the most accurate choice. 4

5. Sentence Completion Strategies • Read the sentence carefully and slowly to avoid skipping anything. • Fill in the blank(s) with your own word(s) before looking at the answer choices and then look for a synonym of that word. • Eliminate as many of the wrong answer choices as possible. • Don’t forget that one of the incorrect answers will OFTEN be an ANTONYM of the correct response. 5

6. Sentence Completion Strategies • Work one blank at a time with sentences with two blanks. • Insert the first word for blank one to see if it fits and to help you eliminate any wrong answer choices. • Move on to blank two and do the same thing by once again eliminating any wrong answer choices. 6

7. Sentence Completion Strategies • Double-check the correct answer choice to make sure it is STYLISTICALLY and LOGICALLY correct. • Know your parts of speech and make sure the answer choice matches the proper part of speech. • Use this strategy to eliminate wrong answer choices as well. 7

8. Sentence Completion Strategies • Memorize commonly used key word/signal phrases and use them as “road signs.” • “Straight ahead” signs reveal a continuation and support of the logic and meaning of the sentence or a result of some sort. • Also, besides, furthermore, because, since, in addition, in fact, moreover, accordingly, as a result, consequently, hence, it can be inferred that, so, this means, therefore, thus, etc. 8

9. Sentence Completion Strategies • Memorize commonly used key word/signal phrases and use them as “road signs.” • “Detour” signs reveal a contrast or opposition or a shift into something different. • As, although, but, despite, however, in spite of, in contrast, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather than, though, unlike, yet etc. 9

10. Sentence Completion Strategies • Memorize commonly used key word/signal phrases and use them as “road signs.” • “Detour” signs reveal a contrast or opposition or a shift into something different. • As, although, but, despite, however, in spite of, in contrast, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather than, though, unlike, yet etc. 10

11. Sentence Completion Strategies • Look for other key words that can help you derive meaning. • Practice defining words you don’t know by using their context in a sentence to help you understand them. • Look for what’s directly implied by the meanings of the words of the sentence and relate it to the correct answer . • Read the sentence literally, not imaginatively and do not impose your feelings onto the sentence. 11

12. Sentence Completion Strategies • Look for other key words that can help you derive meaning. • Look for descriptive words or phrases that reflect the theme, idea or logic of the sentence or the author’s intent. • Paraphrase long, complex sentences in your own words to better distill the meaning of the sentence. • Rely on your knowledge of root words (etymology) to help you understand answer choices and key words in the sentence. • Don’t forget that one of the incorrect answers will OFTEN be an ANTONYM of the correct response. 12