Listening for Main Ideas

The TOEFL likes to trick you by beginning a lecture with a topic that the lecture is NOT about. For example, a typical lecture will begin by summarizing what the class was supposed to read the night before. Or, it will begin by talking about the previous lecture. 

After three or four sentences, the professor will say something like, "But in today's class, I want to discuss . . ." or "Although this is interesting, there are other possibilities too."

It is important for you to realize that the real "main topic" of the lecture is going to be whatever the professor talks about after he says "but" or "although," NOT what he first talked about when the lecture began.

For more tips on how to prepare for the Listening section of the test, visit Strictly English at www.strictlyenglishusa.com. 

Located in Boston, MA, Strictly English is America's first TOEFL-only tutoring company.

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