By using other words in the sentences as contextual clues, you can guess that a

“sponge” is a “multi-celled animal” which is “fixed to the sea floor.”

READING STRATEGY

When encountering an unfamiliar vocabulary word, try the following:

1. Read the sentence preceding the unfamiliar vocabulary word, read the sentence,
inside of which the unfamiliar word in being used, and read the sentence following
the unfamiliar word.

2. Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning of the word.

3. Look for examples, appositives, punctuation, the conjunction “or,” clauses,

referents, “be” verb, and contrast statements as clues to help you understand the
unfamiliar word.
 200 Words of Intermediate TOEFL iBT Vocabulary

Lesson Format
Word, Part of Speech, Word Forms
Synonyms
Word Definition
Sample Sentence

Adorn, verb (adorns, adorning, adorned)

embellish, garnish, ornament, trim
For example, if someone adorns a place, he puts decorations on it.
His watercolor designs adorn a wide range of books.

Magnificent, adjective (magnificently, magnificence)

extraordinary, glorious, grand, splendid, superb, wonderful
For example, if you say that something or someone is magnificent, you mean that you
think it is extremely good.
It is a magnificent country house in wooded grounds.

Impressive, adjective (impressively, impress, impression)

awe-inspiring, grand, moving, thrilling; something that is impressive impresses you.
For example, it is great in size or in degree or is done with a great deal of skill.
It is an impressive achievement.

Impress, verb (impresses, impressed, impressing)

affect, influence, persuade, sway
For example, if something impresses you, you feel great admiration for it.
What impressed him most was their speed.

Deal, noun (dealer, dealings, dealt, dealing)

agreement, arrangement, bargain, contract, understanding
For example, if you say that you need or have a great deal of or a good deal of a particular
thing, you are emphasizing that you need or have a lot of it.
I’m in a position to save you a good deal of time.
Throughout, preposition
For example, if you say that something happens throughout a particular time, you mean
that it happens during the whole of that period.
The national tragedy of rival groups killing each other continued throughout 1990.

Tragedy, noun (tragic, tragically)

calamity, catastrophe, disaster, misadventure
For example, a tragedy is an extremely sad event or situation.
They have suffered an enormous personal tragedy.

Involve, verb (involved, involves, involving, involvement)

comprise, consist of, contain, entail, include
For example, if a situation or activity involves something, that thing is a necessary part or
consequence of it.
Running a kitchen involves a great deal of discipline and speed.

Run, verb (runs, ran, running)

function, operate, administer, control, govern, and manage
For example, if you run something such as a business or an activity, you are in charge of it
or you organize it.
His stepfather ran a prosperous paint business.

Discipline, noun (disciplines, disciplining, disciplined)

chastisement, correction, punishment, control, moderation, restraint
Order and discipline have been placed in the hands of headmasters and governing
bodies.

Consequence, noun (consequences, consequently)

aftermath, effect, price, repercussion, result
For example, the consequences of something are the results or effects of it.
Her lawyer said she understood the consequence of her actions and was prepared to go
to jail.

Step-father, noun
Someone’s step-father is the man who has married a child’s mother after the death or
divorce of his father.
Her step-father has been married to her mother for five years.
Enormous, adj (enormously)
big, giant, huge, immense, jumbo, tremendous
For example, something that is enormous is extremely large in size or amount.
The main bedroom is enormous.

Rival, noun, verb (rivals, rivaling, rivaled)

challenger, competitor, contender, adversary, enemy
For example, your rival is a person, business, or organization against whom you are
competing or fighting in the same area or for the same things.
He eliminated his rival in brutal struggle for power.

Compete, verb (competes, competing, competed, competition, competitive,

competitively)
contend, contest, rival, vie, combat, fight, strive, oppose;
For example, when one firm or country competes with another, it tries to get people to buy
its own goods in preference to those of the other firms or countries. You can also say that
two firms or countries compete.
The banks have long competed with American Express’s charge cards and various store
cards.
For example, if you compete with someone for something, you try to get it for yourself and
stop the other person from getting it. You can also say that two people compete for
something.
Kangaroos compete with sheep and cattle for sparse supplies of food and water.

Preference, noun (preferences prefer, preferred, preferably)

choice, desire, favorite, option, selection
For example, if you have a preference for something, you would like to have or do that
thing rather than something else.
Many or these products were bought because customers had a preference for them.

In preference to, noun phrase

If you choose one thing in preference to another, you choose it instead because it is better.
Many people choose the train in preference to driving.