<p>I’m preparing for the TOEFL ibt test. Today, I made a practice test and I was shocked to notice that Barron’s TOEFL ibt book contains difficult SAT words from Direct Hits.</p>
<p>go to sleep</p>
<p>^
What are you talking about?</p>
<p>^awalczak probably thinks that it’s late (like it is here; it’s 1:20 AM right now in California). But since you live in an international country, it’s probably not sleep time.</p>
<p>But SAT words are used more commonly than you might think. In the past, I used to glance over them since I didn’t recognize them. Now, I see a hard DH word and I think to myself, “Hey! I know that word!”</p>
<p></p>
<p>^Don’t worry it happens to me on almost a daily basis.</p>
<p>Yeah. It’s true. I noticed that Barron’s prep. books are always harder than the real exam is.
I was very surprised to find about 20-30 D.H words in TOEFL book!</p>
<p>Which one is correct?</p>
<p>What are we waiting for?
OR
For what we are waiting? </p>
<p>I read an article that first is Latin version or something like that.</p>
<p>Indeed, SAT words are ubiquitous ;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Technically, you aren’t supposed to end a sentence (or question) with a preposition. So the second one would be grammatically correct (though in America, people say the first version ALL THE TIME).</p>
<p>what about barron’s books?</p>
<p>The words in the Direct Hits book are almost all common words that are in the active vocabulary of well-read, well-educated adults. (Although, admittedly, there are a handful that wouldn’t have much use outside a spelling bee.) They wouldn’t come up every day, but a person with a good vocabulary would use these words when they are suitable.</p>
<p>Kids preparing for the SAT may not have had a chance to learn them yet, if they don’t read extensively and if their parents aren’t well-read, highly-educated people who use those words in their everyday speech. (Many kids are in this situation, either because they are first in the family to go on to college, or because their parents are well-read and highly-educated in a different language.)</p>
<p>Also, even though some of them seem like “big words,” they are very much a part of every day speech and common phrases–even people without a lot of education would be familiar with phrases like “momentous occasion,” “belated birthday card,” “panoramic view,” “child prodigy,” and many other examples which use words that are in the Direct Hits book. They might not know how to spell them, but if they heard them, they’d know what they meant. That’s why some words that seem like “SAT words” are also words that one could reasonably include on a basic test of English language skill.</p>
<p>Brilliant observation Watson.</p>
<p>^
I have no idea to what are you referring.</p>
<p>I pick up all sorts of SAT words from anime.</p>
<p>play freerice.</p>
<p>“For what we are waiting?” is not correct. The verb to be (are) has to come before the subject (we) in questions, not after. Also, in this case, the sentence should probably end with the preposition “for”, since it is grammatically correct and more common.
[Ending</a> a Sentence With a Preposition : Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips](<a href=“http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ending-prepositions.aspx]Ending”>http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ending-prepositions.aspx)
[Top</a> Ten Grammar Myths : Grammar Girl :: Quick and Dirty Tips](<a href=“http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/top-ten-grammar-myths.aspx]Top”>http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/top-ten-grammar-myths.aspx)</p>
<p>^
I don’t care. I was preparing for the TOEFL. It requires students to listen a lecture. One day the topic was “Listen to a lecture in the Linguistics class.” The professor explained that Latin Language has a great affect on English phrases. Moreover, he exampled “what are we waiting for” and “for what are we waiting”. So…</p>
<p>^Yeah, except you switched around “we” and “are” the first time you posted your question. You wrote “For what we are waiting?” instead of “For what are we waiting?”</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Suleyman, my remark was an allusion to Sherlock Holmes. I was congratulating you for your keen observation skills.</p>
<p>WishOnAirplanes</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do that. He doesn’t deserve it… he probably doesn’t even know “what you mean.”</p>
<p>That’s because they aren’t SAT words. They’re just words. ;)</p>