Conquering GRE Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence as a Non-Native English Speaker (Part 2)
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In the previous article, we discussed two ways for a non-native English speaker to excel at the vocabulary-based question types on the GRE. If English isn’t your first language, check out that article first, and try our two recommendations: keep a list of inconsistent or illogical English idioms, and focus on context as you learn vocabulary. Then, read onward for two more ideas!
Vocabulary: You Don’t Have to Go It Alone
The GRE doesn’t focus on the most obscure words. (If it did, the test would be impossible—some sources claim there are over a million words in the English language.) Instead, it intentionally tests words that are used in formal or academic English writing.
As a non-native English speaker, you might struggle to identify words that fit into this ‘sweet spot’ of difficulty. If you strike out on your own, you risk wasting your time studying words that probably won’t appear on the test, while missing others that appear often. Without a strong background in academic English, it’s hard to guess that fortuitous is a high-value GRE word, while pelf is much less likely to appear. The best way around this problem is to get your vocabulary list from a trusted outside source.
To find a trusted source for vocabulary, do a little research. All of the major test prep companies have released vocabulary lists or flashcard decks (here’s ours!) and with a bit of Googling, you’ll be able to find reviews from other test takers, including both native and non-native English speakers. Things to consider include whether the definitions include context, whether you find their style memorable and easy to read, and whether they come in a flashcard or app format to use on the go.
What’s harder is deciding how long of a vocabulary list you need. That really depends on how much time you have to study. Spend a week studying vocabulary for 30 minutes each day, and then test yourself on how many new words you’ve learned thoroughly. Based on this, choose a core set of words that you’ll have time to learn before test day.
Read from the Inside Out
If I were going to write a GRE Text Completion (or Sentence Equivalence) problem, I’d start with a very simple sentence that included a target vocabulary word.
When teachers have to follow a rigid curriculum, they feel undermined.
Then, I’d think about the critical clues that would make that answer definitively right. How could I make it clear that undermined is more correct than depressed or furious?
When teachers are forced to follow a rigid curriculum designed by people who don’t understand teaching, they feel undermined, since they prefer being creative over following a mandatory set of lessons.
Now, undermined is a good fit for the sentence—the two clues are the curriculum designed by non-educators, and the teachers’ inability to exercise their creativity.
The last step is to make the sentence tougher. Add in extraneous detail, make the vocabulary more complicated, obscure the clues, and scramble the sentence structure.
Oftentimes, when administrators force teachers to cleave too closely to a federal curriculum, those teachers feel undermined, because the mandatory curriculum curbs their sense of being creative and dynamic educators.
Suddenly, you’ve got a problem you might see on test day! (This one is from the 5lb. Book.)
On the GRE, your task is to do the same thing, but backwards. Stop thinking about each problem word by word, from left to right, and start reading sentences “from the inside out.” Unpack the sentence, remove the trivial details, and pare it down to the core and the clues. Check out this sentence:
Central to the challenger’s platform was the argument that the incumbent had ultimately ______ the agreements he had initially championed during his first stint in office.
If you’re reading from the inside out, you’re parsing this sentence at a high level. As you read, you might simplify like this:
There are two parties in an election: the challenger and the incumbent. The challenger says that the incumbent ______ the things he said he’d do while he was in office.
The structure and logic of the sentence are the same, but it’s become much easier to read. You’ve paved the way to creating a good fill-in, like went back on. And in fact, the right answers end up being reneged on and abrogated, which mean exactly this.
As a Non-Native English Speaker, You Can Overcome Your Limitations and Conquer Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence
In these two articles, we’ve discussed four powerful strategies for a non-native English speaker:
– Keep a list of words and phrases that you misread when doing practice problems;
– Always include the context when defining a new vocabulary word;
– Do your research to find a good source of vocabulary, and don’t try to learn every word;
– Practice deconstructing and simplifying sentences as you read them.
If being a non-native English speaker makes the vocabulary-based questions tougher for you, think of this as an opportunity. Using the ideas in this article as a starting point, identify exactly how being a non-native English speaker affects your performance, and make a specific plan to improve. Feel free to share your ideas and results in the comments! ?
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Chelsey Cooley is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington. Chelsey always followed her heart when it came to her education. Luckily, her heart led her straight to the perfect background for GMAT and GRE teaching: she has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history, a master’s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170/170 on the GRE. Check out Chelsey’s upcoming GRE prep offerings here.