100 Sentences to Check Your TOEFL 7,000-Word English Vocabulary

These 100 sentences are packed with the kind of academic vocabulary that appears again and again in TOEFL-level reading and listening: words about science, history, society, business and the arts. The key words in each sentence are in bold. No list of 100 sentences can teach you 7,000 words on its own, but if you understand nearly all of these without stopping, your core academic vocabulary is in good shape. If a sentence slows you down, you have found a word worth learning.

How to use these sentences

• Check yourself first. Read each group at a normal pace and mark any sentence you can't understand fully on the first read.
• Learn words in context. For every bold word you're unsure of, guess its meaning from the sentence before looking it up. Then write your own sentence with it.
• Read them aloud. Saying full academic sentences clearly and without pausing is good warm-up for the Listen and Repeat speaking task, where you hear sentences and repeat them exactly.
• Review by topic. The sentences are grouped by subject so you can build vocabulary one field at a time, which makes words easier to remember.

Plants, animals and ecosystems

1. Many desert plants conserve water by opening their pores only at night, when the air is cooler and less moisture is lost.
2. Coral reefs harbor an extraordinary variety of marine life, even though they cover only a small fraction of the ocean floor.
3. When a predator disappears from an ecosystem, the population of its prey can grow quickly and deplete the local vegetation.
4. Bees play a crucial role in agriculture because they pollinate many of the crops people depend on.
5. Some birds migrate thousands of kilometers each year, navigating by the sun, the stars and the Earth's magnetic field.
6. Camouflage allows many insects to blend in with their surroundings, which makes them difficult for birds to detect.
7. Fungi decompose dead plant material and return nutrients to the soil, so they are essential to healthy forests.
8. An invasive species can thrive in a new habitat because the predators and diseases that kept it in check at home are absent.
9. Hibernating animals lower their heart rate and body temperature so that they can survive long winters with little food.
10. In a symbiotic relationship, both species benefit: one may provide shelter, for example, while the other defends it from enemies.

The Earth and its climate

11. Glaciers gradually carve deep valleys as they move, grinding the rock beneath their enormous weight.
12. Volcanic ash is destructive at first, but over time it can make the surrounding soil remarkably fertile.
13. Earthquakes occur when stress that has built up along a fault is suddenly released.
14. Wind and waves erode coastlines slowly, although a single severe storm can reshape a beach almost overnight.
15. Scientists reconstruct past climates by analyzing tiny air bubbles trapped in ancient ice.
16. Because the ocean absorbs and releases heat slowly, coastal cities tend to have milder winters than inland cities at a similar latitude.
17. Sediment carried downstream accumulates where a river meets the sea, sometimes forming a broad, flat delta.
18. If groundwater is pumped out faster than rain can replenish it, wells will eventually run dry.
19. Deserts are defined by low precipitation, not by heat, so some of them are extremely cold.
20. Fossils of sea creatures found high in the mountains show that the rock there was once submerged beneath an ancient sea.

Space, energy and matter

21. A comet develops a visible tail only as it approaches the sun and its ice begins to vaporize.
22. Light from distant stars can take thousands of years to reach us, so we see them as they appeared long ago.
23. The moon's gravitational pull is the main force behind the rise and fall of ocean tides.
24. Astronomers can infer that a planet orbits a distant star by measuring subtle changes in the star's light.
25. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum because there are no particles to carry its vibrations.
26. Friction converts part of a moving object's energy into heat, which is why rubbing your hands together warms them.
27. A prism disperses white light into a spectrum of colors because each color bends by a slightly different amount.
28. Metals are good conductors of electricity, whereas rubber and glass act as insulators.
29. Long before the telescope was invented, astronomers relied on meticulous observation with the naked eye.
30. Solar panels generate electricity by capturing energy from sunlight.

History and early societies

31. Archaeologists often date ancient settlements by studying the layers of soil in which artifacts are buried.
32. The invention of the printing press made books far cheaper and helped literacy spread across Europe.
33. Early farming communities could store surplus grain, which allowed them to settle in one place and grow larger.
34. Trade routes did more than move goods; they also transmitted ideas, religions and technologies between distant cultures.
35. Many ancient cities were built beside rivers, which provided water, fertile land and an easy means of transportation.
36. The decline of a civilization is rarely caused by a single event; it usually results from several interacting factors.
37. Historians must evaluate their sources carefully, since a written record may reflect the bias of its author.
38. The arrival of the railroad transformed the economies of the towns it connected.
39. Nomadic peoples moved with the seasons in search of fresh pasture for their animals.
40. Cave paintings reveal a great deal about the animals early humans hunted and the rituals they may have practiced.
41. Anthropologists compare how different societies raise children, organize families and resolve conflicts.
42. Before standard time zones were adopted, many towns set their clocks by the position of the sun overhead.
43. Immigrants brought languages and customs that gradually enriched the culture of their new homeland.
44. Monumental buildings such as temples and pyramids required the coordinated labor of thousands of workers.
45. Written laws made rules more consistent, because they no longer depended on the memory of a single ruler.

The mind and learning

46. Students tend to retain information better when they test themselves on it than when they simply reread their notes.
47. Young children acquire their first language without formal lessons, simply by being exposed to the speech around them.
48. Motivation is usually stronger when learners believe their goals are achievable.
49. Lack of sleep can impair concentration and make it harder to consolidate new memories.
50. Most people are more inclined to accept information that confirms what they already believe.
51. Peer pressure can influence teenagers' decisions about everything from clothing to career plans.
52. Prompt, specific feedback helps students correct mistakes before they become habits.
53. Spacing study sessions over several days is generally more effective than cramming the night before an exam.
54. People often underestimate how long a task will take, even when they have done similar tasks before.
55. Curiosity leads students to ask questions and pursue topics beyond the required reading.

Money, work and business

56. When demand for a product exceeds supply, its price usually rises.
57. Small businesses often compete with larger firms by offering more personalized service.
58. Inflation reduces the purchasing power of money, so the same amount buys less over time.
59. Many companies invest heavily in research in the hope of developing more profitable products.
60. A country that specializes in what it produces efficiently can exchange those goods for what it lacks.
61. Advertising tries to persuade consumers that a product will fulfill a need or a desire.
62. Fluctuations in the price of fuel affect the cost of transportation and, consequently, the price of food.
63. A new factory can stimulate a local economy by creating jobs and attracting related businesses.
64. Consumers increasingly expect companies to explain where and how their products are made.
65. Economists disagree about whether raising the minimum wage mainly helps or harms low-income workers.

Art, literature and music

66. Many novelists draw on their own experiences but transform them into fiction.
67. Jazz emerged in the early twentieth century from a blend of musical traditions.
68. Impressionist painters tried to capture the changing effects of light rather than precise detail.
69. A poem's rhythm can reinforce its meaning, speeding up to suggest excitement or slowing down to suggest sorrow.
70. Folk tales were passed down orally for generations before anyone wrote them down.
71. Architects must balance beauty with practical concerns such as cost, safety and durability.
72. Critics sometimes dismiss works that later come to be regarded as masterpieces.
73. Photography gave people a new way to document everyday life with unprecedented accuracy.
74. Museums preserve objects that might otherwise be lost and make them accessible to the public.
75. A film adaptation of a long novel often omits entire scenes and characters.

Science, medicine and technology

76. Vaccines train the immune system to recognize a disease before the body ever encounters it.
77. The internet has made information abundant, but not always reliable.
78. Engineers simulate extreme conditions to make sure a bridge can withstand strong winds and heavy loads.
79. Antibiotics can kill bacteria, but they are ineffective against viruses.
80. Automation has eliminated some jobs while creating new ones that require different skills.
81. Satellites allow meteorologists to monitor storms and issue warnings days in advance.
82. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and sunlight, are not exhausted when we use them.
83. Many doctors now emphasize prevention, encouraging patients to adopt healthier habits before problems develop.
84. Clean water and better sanitation played a major role in extending human life expectancy.
85. Smartphones have transformed the way people navigate, shop and communicate.

Cities, society and the environment

86. Rapid urbanization puts heavy pressure on housing, water supplies and public transportation.
87. Public libraries provide free access to books and the internet for people who could not otherwise afford them.
88. Recycling conserves raw materials and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills.
89. Many cities have expanded their bicycle lanes in an effort to ease traffic congestion.
90. Volunteering can give young people a sense of purpose and responsibility.
91. Governments sometimes impose taxes on harmful products in order to discourage their use.
92. Access to clean water remains one of the most pressing challenges in many parts of the world.
93. Remote work has enabled some employees to live far from the offices they work for.
94. Community gardens foster cooperation among neighbors and supply fresh vegetables.
95. Overfishing has threatened some fish populations and prompted stricter limits on catches.
96. A diverse team can generate a wider range of ideas than a group of people with identical backgrounds.
97. Cities that preserve their historic buildings often find that they attract more visitors.
98. Deforestation contributes to the loss of wildlife habitats and to soil erosion.
99. Older adults who stay socially active tend to maintain better mental health.
100. Sustainable development tries to meet people's needs today without compromising the needs of future generations.

What to do next

Don't treat this as a pass/fail test. Use it as a quick map of your vocabulary gaps: note which sentences made you pause, look up the bold words involved, and add them to a study list organized by topic. For lists you can review directly, see TOEFL words lists and synonyms for common TOEFL words, or move on to a timed Reading practice set to see these words in longer texts.